Baked Five Cheese Ziti Pasta - Olive Garden Inspired

So it's no secret that I LOVE hosting my family and friends for dinners at my house. Whether it's a quiet dinner in the evening or a full blown party, I love cooking for my loved ones.

For many years, Olive Garden was the place my friends and I would meet up to catch up on life while we were in college. It had become such a staple that we'd literally have a countdown on our phones until the next dinner date. Unfortunately, with the current situations, going there is not possible, but that didn't mean I couldn't try to recreate the recipes at home.

Here is a recipe that is inspired by Olive Garden - presenting my version of the"Baked Five Cheese Ziti Pasta":

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Barilla Ziti Pasta (or your choice of pasta)

• 3 Cups of Marinara Sauce

• 1 Cup heavy cream

• ½ Cup of Ricotta Cheese

• 1.5 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese

• 1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (grated)

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning

• 1.5 tablespoons of oregano

• ½ tablespoon crushed red peppers

• Salt (per taste)

Preparation

1. First, cook pasta according to the instructions on the box and drain, set aside. To ensure your pasta doesn’t stick to each other, while draining, rinse with cold water and lightly toss pasta in about 1-3 tablespoons of oil.

2. In a pan, heat the marinara sauce on medium flame.

3. After you’ve cooked the sauce for 2-3 minutes, add the heavy cream, minced garlic, basil leaves, italian seasoning, and the crushed red peppers. Bring your mixture to a simmer and lower the flame to low and add the cheese (1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup ricotta, ½ cup parmesan). Wait until the sauce becomes bubbly and the cheeses have mixed well into the marinara sauce. Set aside.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce and lightly mix, make sure all pasta has been coated with the sauce. At this point, you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

5. Next, in an oven-safe pan, spray the bottom with cooking spray, and add all the pasta to the pan. Sprinkle the oregano and the remaining mozzarella + parmesan cheese to the top evenly. After your oven has preheated, place the pan in the oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until your cheese has melted and a crust has formed.

6. After the pasta has baked, wait for it to cool, add more parmesan or crushed red peppers, if you prefer, and ENJOY!

Tips

• I used the brand Barilla for my pasta, but you can choose whichever you like!

• I used the brand Preggo for the marinara sauce.

• This pairs great with garlic bread and a strawberry limonata wine cooler.

• Preggo, the sauce brand, also has a Vodka Sauce if you prefer to use that.