Stuffed Ziti Fritta (Olive Garden Copycat)
Stuffed Ziti Fritta is crispy, cheesy, and packed with amazing flavors. This Olive Garden copycat recipe has Italian seasoned breaded ziti, filled with cheesy deliciousness and fried until golden brown!
Ingredients
Cheese Filling
- ¼ Cup Ricotta
- ⅛ Cup Parmesan shredded
- ⅛ Cup Romano shredded
- ¼ Cup Mozzarella shredded
- ¼ Cup Cream Cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil chopped
Breading
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning*
- 2 Cups Italian Breadcrumbs*
- ¼ Cup Parmesan* grated
Others
- ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 2.4 oz Rigatoni* or Ziti Pasta (68g)
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot* of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook till it is al dente.
- This will take less time than that mentioned on the package directions. So, start testing the pasta about 2 minutes before the box says it should be done.
- It took us 12 minutes, but this may vary depending on the different pasta brand you use.
- Then drain and rinse rigatoni in cold water. Set it aside.
Make the Cheese Mixture
- Add ricotta cheese, mozzarella, cream cheese, parmesan, and romano cheese into a large bowl along with fresh chopped basil.
- Stir to combine.
- Add this cheese mixture into a zip-lock bag or piping bag*.
Fill the Pasta Tubes
- Once that pasta has cooled down, squeeze the cheese mixture into the pasta tubes.
- You may need to do it from both sides of the noodle if you’re having issues filling them.
- Place the filled rigatoni pasta on a baking sheet* with parchment paper.
- Freeze for 30 minutes to harden the cheese mixture (OPTIONAL, but recommended)
Bread the Pasta
- In a bowl, combine Italian bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and parmesan.
- Dip a stuffed rigatoni in buttermilk.
- Then thoroughly coat it with the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
- Repeat with the rest of the rigatoni and set them aside.
Fry the Pasta - STOVETOP
- Heat the oil in a skillet to 350 °F.
- Carefully lower 5-6 pieces of breaded rigatoni into the hot oil.
- Cook it on medium heat. Fry the breaded rigatoni till they are golden brown.
- Make sure to flip them so all the sides of the noodle are evenly cooked. This takes a total time of about 3 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon* to gently take them out and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
Fry the Pasta - AIRFRYER
- Lay out breaded rigatoni in the air fryer*. Make sure there is enough space between them.
- Spray generously with olive oil spray*.
- Then air fry for 2.5 minutes.
- Flip, and spray with oil again and the air fryer for another 2.5 minutes.
Serve
- Serve the stuffed ziti fritta hot with your favorite dips!
Video
Notes
TIPS
- I highly recommend using rigatoni instead of ziti even though the original recipe call for it. Rigatoni is wider in the middle than ziti and so it's easier to fill it than ziti.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. This is usually 2 minutes less than the recommended time on the package. If your noodles are too soft, they’re also likely to fall apart.
- Soften the cream cheese ahead of time: This will make mixing much easier.
- An hour or two before you plan on making the stuffed ziti fritta recipe, remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator to soften.
- The cream cheese and ricotta can be microwaved for 20-30 seconds so it mixes easier.
- Make sure to grate the cheese as fine as possible so there are no large chunks in the cheese mixture.
- Freeze the stuffed pasta tubes for 30 minutes before frying. This firms up the cheese and prevents it from oozing out while frying.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
