Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti
Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti is a fan favorite but now you don’t have to wait for it to pop up on the menu. This copycat Olive Garden manicotti recipe is loaded with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan for the ultimate cheesy pasta dinner at home. Topped with rich marinara and baked until bubbly, it’s a restaurant favorite you can make anytime. The cheese pull alone is worth it!
Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Manicotti
This is a great recipe for a lot of reasons – here’s a few of my favorite:
- ⏱ Great make-ahead dinner – assemble earlier and bake later
- 🥶 Freezer friendly – perfect for meal prep nights
- 🧀 Ultra cheesy – four cheeses create the creamiest filling
- 🍝 Restaurant copycat – tastes just like Olive Garden
- 💰 Budget friendly – feeds a family for less than one restaurant meal
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
Here’s the biggest mystery for me – Olive Garden does NOT use manicotti! Based on that – I don’t understand the name of the dish – manicotti noodles have ridges and are substantially larger. Olive Garden actually uses cannelloni – which are skinnier tubes that are smooth. (Cannelloni is also typically no-cook which makes it easier to fill.)
For the recipe though – it doesn’t matter! I made it twice so I could try each type of pasta. I recommend manicotti because it holds more filling and is widely available for less than $3. I had to get Cannelloni on Amazon for $11+! But I had to do it to make sure I tried them both!
Olive Garden Manicotti Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Marinara – you can buy your own – but my Olive Garden Marinara recipe is delicious and better than any jar! You’ll need: garlic, onion, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar & dried basil
- Pasta – as mentioned above – you can use manicotti or cannelloni. I would go with manicotti because it’s cheaper, easier to find and larger!
- Cheeses – Ricotta, Mozzarella, Provolone & Parmesan Cheese
- Ricotta – don’t sub it with cottage cheese – for the love of everything Italian!!! Ricotta gives you the creamy texture this dish needs.
- Provolone – this isn’t typically sold in a block. I buy 1/2 pound from the deli and ask for it to be in a chunk and not sliced.
- Binder – one little ol’ egg – you can leave this out if you’re allergic but it helps the filling hold together
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning, garlic and salt
Short Cuts & Variations
Whether you want to go quicker, easier or change it up – I’ve got you covered!
- Marinara – I love my copycat Olive Garden marinara – but you can use a store-bought marinara sauce if you like. I typically have a jar of Rao’s on hand. Or swap it with the five cheese marinara for more cheese!!!
- You can also make the marinara ahead of time – you only need 1/2 the recipe for this dish – use the other half for spaghetti on another night for two family dinners in one!
- Cut the Cheese – Haha…I’m funny. What I mean is you could just use mozzarella and ricotta and it would fine. Or buy a pizza blend to go with the ricotta.
- Sausage – add cooked Italian sausage to the ricotta mixture for some amazing meaty manicotti!
- Spinach & Mushrooms – add some veggies!!! Lightly sauteed mushrooms and spinach (or frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained) in the ricotta mixture is good as well!
- White Manicotti – add grilled chicken to the manicotti and use alfredo instead of marinara!
How to make Copycat Olive Garden Manicotti Recipe
- MAKE THE MARINARA – If you’re going to make it from scratch for the familiar flavors of the Olive Garden – do that first! It takes longer so that way it’s ready for when you are going to put this in the oven.
- PREHEAT the oven to 400º. Spray a large 9×13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add about 1 cup of marinara to the bottom of the dish.
- PREPARE your noodles – if you’re using manicotti – you’ll need to boil them to al dente (no more!!!). These noodles will tear as you’re filling them if they’re too done – so a little more firm is what you want.
- MIX your filling! In a large bowl – mix together all those cheeses, egg and seasonings. (Full instructions and amounts in recipe card below.)
- GET YOUR PIPING BAG – I tried doing this with a ziploc and just snipping off a corner but the filling is really thick. It works best with some type of bag – either a piping bag or a thicker large ziploc bag and a PIPING TIP. Use a tip with a large opening vs. a fancy decorative one. This works well for either bag or noodle. Fill the bag with the cheese mixture.
- DRAIN & RINSE noodles with cool water to stop the cooking.
- FILL the noodles with the ricotta filling. Lay each filled noodle into the prepared baking dish.
- TOP with more marinara and mozzarella. Be sure to cover all pasta with marinara to prevent it from drying out – especially if using no-bake cannelloni.
- BAKE for 20-25 minutes covered with foil.
What to Serve With Olive Garden Manicotti
Turn this cheesy pasta into a full Italian dinner with a few classic sides:
- Garlic bread or breadsticks
- Caesar salad
- Olive Garden copycat salad with Italian Dressing
- Steakhouse broccoli or green beans
- Italian sausage or grilled chicken
Tips Tricks & FAQs
More Olive Garden Recipes
More Ricotta Recipes
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti
Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti is a fan favorite but now you don't have to wait for it to pop up on the menu. This copycat Olive Garden manicotti recipe is loaded with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan for the ultimate cheesy pasta dinner at home. Topped with rich marinara and baked until bubbly, it's a restaurant favorite you can make anytime. The cheese pull alone is worth it!
Equipment
Join Our Facebook Group!Check out Copycat Recipes Galore!!
Ingredients
- 8 oz manicotti 12 shells or 16 cannelloni shells (these were NO BOIL)
- 4 cups ricotta cheese
- 1.5 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1.5 cup provolone shredded
- 2 cup Parmesan shredded/grated
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups Olive Garden Marinara recipe below
- 1 cup Mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- In a large pot, on high, bring half pan water to boil. Add 1 tbsp salt to water. When boiling, add manicotti and reduce heat to medium high. Uncover and simmer for 9 min. When done, rinse with cold water and set aside.8 oz manicotti
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and garlic. Stir well.4 cups ricotta cheese, 1.5 cup mozzarella, 1.5 cup provolone, 2 cup Parmesan, 1 egg, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 2 tsp garlic, 2 tsp salt
- Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a tip in the bottom. (I tried ziplock bags and it was too messy – need the piping tip with WIDE opening)
- Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray
- Using the piping bag of cheese filling, stuff each manicotti shell with 3-4 tbsp filling per shell. Place each shell in the baking dish.
- Top with marinara and remaining 1 c mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and Bake at 400 for 20 min3 cups Olive Garden Marinara, 1 cup Mozzarella
- Remove foil and turn oven to broil-low for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Watch closely!
Notes
If making whole box of manicotti – need this much filling.
If using cannelloni – can do 2/3 of the filling. Be sure to cover noodles entirely with sauce to avoid crispy edges
If making marinara from scratch with this recipe – you can make HALF the recipe and that will be enough.
Nutrition
Serving: 2shellsCalories: 858kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 57gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 31gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 2574mgPotassium: 758mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2186IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 1267mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
