This is one of our favorite family dinners to add to the weekday menu, Five Cheese Marinara sauce recipe. Take your spaghetti night to the next level with this easy pasta sauce all on Rigatoni noodles.
Make this Al Forno style by assembling the five cheese marinara sauce and noodles and then baking in the oven for 10 minutes. This recipe is great for a quick and easy weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy. Make this copycat olive garden sauce for a special Valentine's day meal.
Be sure to check out our other pasta dishes like our spicy vodka pasta (Gigi Hadid pasta, Chicken Carbonara, Cajun Shrimp Pasta, or Butternut Squash Pasta. For more ideas look at our last minute dinner ideas.
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Ingredients
Refer to this list of ingredients for extra tips. Most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store.
- Rigatoni Noodles - We love making this recipe with rigatoni noodles but penne noodles also work great! I often use whatever noodles we have on hand!
- Diced Onion- Used diced yellow onion but for a little extra flavor you can use purple onion as a substitute.
- Minced Garlic-Minced garlic gives a greater flavor than garlic powder.
- Diced Tomatoes-You will simmer down the diced tomatoes to make a smooth sauce. You can also use petite diced tomatoes.
- Italian Seasoning-Use italian seasoning or half basil and half oregano.
- Parmesan, Mozzarella, Asiago, Romano, and Ricotta- For the best flavor use all five cheeses.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Five Cheese Marinara
Follow the instructions below for the best results. Use the photos for reference.
- On medium heat, saute onions until a translucent color. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add the diced tomatoes and italian seasoning and bring to a simmer while stirring. Cover and let simmer on low for 20 minutes.
3. Once the tomatoes have softened and sauce has begun to form add in the 5 cheeses or the italian cheese blend. Mix.
4. Add the sauce to a blender, or food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour sauce back in the sauce pan or a serving bowl.
5. Top Rigatoni noodles with prepared Five Cheese Marinara Sauce. Serve warm.
Helpful Hint: For a more budget-friendly option, we have used the bagged Italian Cheese blend for this recipe. This can be found in most cheese sections with other shredded cheeses. Use a 1 ¼ cup of this instead of the individual ones.
Substitutions
- Italian Cheeses - for this recipe we use Mozzarella, Parmesan, Ricotta, Asiago, and Romano. You can substitute any of these cheeses for your preferred flavors like Provolone, Gorgonzola, or Fontina.
- Al Forno- Make this baked ziti style just like at Olive Garden by adding the noodles to a 9x9 baking dish. Top the cooked noodles with the sauce, sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 350* F or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Grilled Chicken - though this is a meatless meal, you can add extra protein by topping this meal with grilled chicken.
- Ground Beef - mix in cooked ground beef with the sauce to give it extra protein.
- Italian Sausage- for a meat included meal and extra flavor add in cook ground italian sausage to the top of the dish or mixed in with the sauce.
Learn From Us
While recipe testing, I used a spoon to break up the tomatoes to make the sauce. I didn't love the consistency, and the cheese clumped together. I quickly learned that a blender or food processor helps break down the tomatoes and ensures that the cheese doesn't clump together. It made a huge difference in quality.
Storing Five Cheese Marinara
Store cooked sauce separate from noodles in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat the portion of sauce you wish to eat in the microwave for 1 minute.
Because of the dairy this sauce does not freeze well. If you do freeze, freeze in an air tight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat in microwave or stovetop.
Top tips
Make sure to let the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes to a half hour. This will help the tomatoes break down and the flavors mix for the best sauce. You want those tomatoes to be soft for the smoothest sauce.
Make this five-cheese marinara with 3 or 4 cheeses of your choice from the recipe. This can make it more convenient and cost-effective.
Recipe
Five Cheese Marinara
Equipment
- 1 Blender, Immersion Blender, or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ cup mozzerella shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan shredded, or grated
- ¼ cup asiago shredded
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup romano shredded, or grated
Or (instead of five cheeses)
- 1 ¼ cup Italian Cheese Blend shredded
Instructions
- In a saute pan over medium heat add olive oil and saute onions for 3 minutes. When the onions are starting to become translucent add minced garlic and continue cooking and stirring for 1-2 minutes. Refer to the pictures above if needed.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ cup diced onion
- Add the diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the onions and stir all together. Bring the sauce to a simmer while stirring. Once the sauce begins to simmer, turn the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- While the sauce simmers, cook the Rigatoni noodles as directed on the back of the package. Drain and set aside.8 ounces Rigatoni
- Once simmered for 20 minutes add ¼ cup cheese of each parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta, asiago, and Romano (or use 1 ¼ cup shredded Italian Cheese Blend). Mix until cheese is melted. The cheese may start to clump together once melted.¼ cup mozzerella, ¼ cup parmesan, ¼ cup asiago, ¼ cup ricotta cheese, ¼ cup romano
- Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. This helps eliminate tomato chunks and spread the cheese if it has clumped together. (see notes for other options)
- Top cooked rigatoni noodles with cheese sauce and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you want this meal to resemble a baked Ziti, add noodles to a 9x9 baking dish and top with cheesy marinara. Sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes at 350*F or until the cheese melts and begins to bubble and brown.
- If you don't have a blender or food processor, use a spoon or potato masher to break up the tomatoes. A blender is preferred so the cheese doesn't clump together, but this method will work.
- For a more cost-effective meal use 1 ¼ cup Italian Cheese blend found in the shredded cheese section of most grocery stores. This has a blend of delicious cheese that will pair well with this recipe.
- Be sure to have the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes. This will give the tomatoes a chance to soften and become a smooth sauce.
- If you can only find, or only have 3 or 4 of the cheeses, that's ok. Double what you have to have the same amount of cheese as the recipe states.
- Use a baked potato as the base for this sauce instead of noodles. This will also make it a gluten free meal.
- Use a baked potato as the base for this sauce instead of noodles. This will also make it a gluten free meal.
- For a spicy option, you can add crushed red pepper to your taste. Either top individual bowls or mix into the sauce.
Andrea
I love Five cheese Marinara at olive garden and this is such a good copycat recipe. I used the Italian Cheese Blend suggestion and it tasted great. A family favorite for sure.