Copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Ziti Fritta
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
Instructions
For the Pasta
- 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
- 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
- In one bowl, combine the beaten eggs with the Italian seasoning. In another bowl, combine the Italian breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.