New! Fantastic Ziti Al Forno (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe)

Updated 9/2024 :: Another weekend, another killer copycat recipe here for you with this absolute banger of a Ziti al Forno recipe. Admittedly, I have become fascinated with the whole “copycat” genre of home cooking, and I think I have the pandemic to thank for it. Finding ways to mimic the dishes that are so popular at big restaurants, giving people a way to enjoy similar things at home, is pretty fun. Plus, my entire family gets a kick out of my efforts as well.

This Quattro Formaggi (that’s four cheeses people!) Ziti Al Forno really is a dead ringer for what you’ll get at Olive Garden (theirs has five cheeses), but ours here is fresh, and you get to control the ingredients that go in, the whole way through.

If you like the looks of this Four Cheese Ziti Al Forno, you might also enjoy our Easiest Hands-Off Spaghetti and Meatballs, Blushing Italian Sausage & Rigatoni Pasta Bake and Pasta Puttanesca

Why is this the “Ultimate” Baked Ziti Al Forno?

Mmmmk. There are many iterations of this Olive Garden copycat recipe floating around on the interwebs. I cannot resist trying my hand at copycat things – I can’t. It’s like a guiltless pleasure of mine, as someone who develops recipes everyday.

I love diving into the world of copycat things, and seeing if I can tweak and tinker around with things until they taste not only just like the originals, but maybe even better? Just maybe? Probably. This ziti al forno recipe features a few little differences from the mass of other versions out there, and I think these little differences give it an edge.

The Ultimate Ziti al Forno Recipe

1. A little tomato paste will help give so much life and heft to the sauce. A lot of recipes for this will ask you to use 4 cups of marinara sauce. But most marinara sauces are sold in 24-ounce jars, and I’m not going to ask you to buy two jars and then only use part of one. No way! Just buy one jar and then we’ll do it even better by jacking up the tomato flavor with some tomato paste. I like the kind in the tube, because it stores easily, but go your own way, there.
2. Many of the copycat baked ziti al forno recipes use 5 cheeses. These “Five Cheese” Ziti Al Forno’s typically have the addition of Romano cheese in the topping, but I am here to tell you that it’s just little unnecessary. I’m not going to ask you to buy Romano cheese when it’s not going to make a noticeable difference in the final product. It’s to texturally and flavorfully similar to the parmesan to really be useful here. This is a hallmark of what I try to do here on My Kitchen Little. In the name of saving time and money – I’ll weed out things you just don’t need. In this case – that’s the Romano.

What does “Al Forno” mean?

It is an Italian style of cooking that simple means that the item is baked in an oven, often a wood-fired oven. Clearly, most people don’t have wood-fired ovens just hanging out in their home kitchens, we’ll stretch the term to suit our home ovens. And it all just works fine.

Many things that you’ll often see cooked in the “al forno style” include:

1. Pizzas and flatbreads
2. Breads
3. Baked pastas such as lasagnas, manicotti, tortellini, and ziti

What you’ll need to make this baked ziti al Forno

• 1 pound ziti, cooked in salted water 1 minute shy of the package instructions
• 24-ounce jar store-bought marinara sauce (such as Rao’s)
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 2 cups store-bought alfredo sauce (such as Rana)
• 1.5 tsp salt 
• 1 heaping cup shredded fontina
• 1 cup ricotta

For the topping:

• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1 tsp onion powder (optional, but delish)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 TBSP butter, for dotting (optional)

How to make my Ultimate Quattro Formaggi Ziti Al Forno

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked and drained pasta, the marinara, tomato paste, alfredo sauce, salt, fontina, and ricotta. Pour into a sprayed/lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the parmesan, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, garlic cloves, onion powder, and oregano. Sprinkle all over the pasta mixture and then dot the top with bits of butter, for browning. Alternatively, you could drizzle a little olive oil or toss the topping with a little extra olive oil to coat. All methods will give you an extra brown crust.
4. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and golden; about 30 minutes. 

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