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copycat olive garden stuffed ziti fritta

Copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Ziti Fritta

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 500
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Filling
  • 1/4 cup ricotta
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan and Romano, shredded
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 tbsp basil, chopped
Breading
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cups Parmesan, grated
Other
  • 1 box Rigatoni or Ziti pasta
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup alfredo sauce
  • 1/4 cup pizza or marinara sauce

Method
 

For the Pasta
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the box of noodles and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles and set them aside.
For the Cheese Filling
  1. While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the cheese filling. Mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan, romano, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, and chopped basil until well-blended. Place this filling in a ziplock bag and put it in the refrigerator.
For the Stuffing and Breading
  1. In one bowl, combine the beaten eggs with the Italian seasoning. In another bowl, combine the Italian breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese. 
  2. Remove the cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Snip the very end of the Ziploc bag, and squeeze the cheese mixture into the noodles. Place each stuffed noodle onto a cutting board.
  3. Dunk each stuffed noodle in the egg wash and then roll it in the breadcrumb mix to coat thoroughly. Set the noodles back onto the cutting board.
For Frying
  1. Preheat the oil to 375 degrees. When the oil is hot, fry the stuffed, breaded noodles for about 3 minutes or until they become dark golden brown, flipping halfway through. Keep them a couple of inches apart, so they don't get too crowded.
  2. Serve with sides of alfredo and marina for dipping.

Notes

  • You can use Ziti or Rigatoni – you just want it to have a large opening for stuffing. 
  • Soften the cream cheese so it's easier to mix.