Five Cheese Marinara
Copycat Olive Garden Five Cheese Marinara pasta sauce recipe made with Rigatoni. Make it Al Forno, baked Zita style, to up your spaghetti.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 13gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 607mgPotassium: 389mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 326IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 251mgIron: 2mg
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