Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti
Olive Garden’s Four Cheese Manicotti is the kind of pasta dish that makes you plan your afternoon around it. Tender pasta tubes are stuffed with a creamy four-cheese ricotta filling, nestled in a slow-simmered homemade marinara, and finished with a bubbling layer of golden mozzarella. Making it at home means you control every layer, from the sauce to the filling, and the result is noticeably better than anything from a jar. Set aside an afternoon, and you’ll have a comforting Italian-American dinner that easily feeds a crowd.
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What makes the stuffed manicotti at Olive Garden so good?
Manicotti are large, ridged pasta tubes designed to hold generous amounts of filling. At Olive Garden, the Four Cheese Manicotti is a menu staple built around a ricotta-based filling enriched with Parmesan, a shredded Italian cheese blend, and egg, all baked in marinara and finished with a layer of melted mozzarella.
This copycat recipe builds the dish from scratch, starting with a homemade marinara that simmers for 40 minutes before it ever touches the pasta. The filling is straightforward to assemble but rewards a bit of patience, particularly when draining the ricotta ahead of time. The result is a layered baked pasta dish that tastes considerably fresher and more flavorful than anything from a jarred sauce or a freezer box.
Why this recipe works
Okay, so Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti is a bit of a project. But an afternoon spent cooking becomes a dinner to remember. This dish really stands out for its slowly simmered homemade marinara sauce that will beat any jarred sauce hands down. Add the creamy ricotta filling and a golden-brown layer of melted mozzarella to the mix, and what you wind up with is serious comfort food. Serve Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti with soft breadsticks and a simple salad to transform your dining room into an old-world trattoria.
Ingredients and their role in the dish
For the Marinara Sauce
- Olive oil – carries heat evenly and contributes a smooth, rounded mouthfeel to the finished sauce.
- Garlic, sliced – provides mild sharpness that cuts through the richness of the tomatoes and cheese.
- Tomato puree – thickens the sauce and deepens the overall tomato flavor.
- Diced tomatoes, canned – form the chunky, textured base of the marinara.
- Italian seasoning – contributes the classic herbal notes of a traditional marinara in a single step.
- Dried basil – amplifies the basil element beyond what Italian seasoning alone provides.
- Red pepper flakes – add gentle background warmth without making the sauce noticeably spicy.
- Salt – enhances and balances every other flavor in the sauce.
- Ground black pepper – adds warmth and subtle depth without heat.
- White sugar (optional) – corrects excessive acidity when the canned tomatoes run sharp, without making the sauce sweet.
- Unsalted butter, cold (optional) – stirred in at the end to mellow acidity and give the sauce a silkier consistency.
For the Manicotti Filling
- Ricotta cheese – serves as the creamy, rich base of the filling.
- Egg, lightly beaten – binds the cheeses together so the filling holds its shape during baking.
- Parmesan cheese, grated – adds a salty, nutty sharpness that deepens the filling’s overall complexity.
- Italian cheese blend, finely shredded – boosts the cheesiness of the filling with melty, stretchy cheeses.
To Finish
- Manicotti pasta – large ridged tubes that hold the filling and absorb the marinara during baking.
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded – melts into a golden-brown topping with a satisfying cheese pull.
- Parmesan cheese for topping (optional) – adds an extra layer of salty, nutty flavor over the finished dish.
- Parsley, finely chopped – adds a pop of color and a note of freshness to the plated manicotti.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole-milk ricotta produces a noticeably creamier filling than part-skim. Use it when you can find it.
- A block of Parmesan you grate yourself melts more cleanly than pre-grated, which often contains anti-caking agents that affect texture.
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes work well here if your regular diced tomatoes taste flat or overly acidic.
How to make 4 Cheese Manicotti like Olive Garden
To prepare the marinara sauce:
- Place a saucepan over medium heat, and add the olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic to the pan. Cook until the garlic starts to soften.
- Stir in the tomato puree, the diced tomatoes with their liquid, Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Adjust the heat so the sauce barely simmers and cook uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the sauce. If it is too acidic, add some sugar, but avoid making the sauce too sweet.
- Turn off the heat. For a richer sauce, stir in the cold unsalted butter and let the residual heat melt it.
To prepare the manicotti filling:
- Drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer for one hour.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the drained ricotta with the remaining filling ingredients.
- Stir until just smooth; avoid over-mixing.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a food-safe storage bag and cut off one of the lower corners.
To finish the stuffed manicotti:
- Cook the manicotti for one minute less than the package suggests. Drain and lay on wax paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread a thick layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.
- Pipe the filling into the cooked manicotti. Sticking the piping nozzle halfway into the pasta and squeezing the bag as you pull it back works well. Fill from both sides.
- Arrange stuffed manicotti in a single layer in the baking dish.
- Cover with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan, if you want.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Plate and garnish with chopped parsley.
What to serve with stuffed manicotti
Diners at the restaurant can pair the Four Cheese Manicotti Olive Garden serves with other favorites. Here are three of the chain’s most popular menu items you can make yourself.
Olive Garden’s Peach Iced Tea – Sip on something delicious with this Peach Iced Tea recipe. The combination of homemade peach syrup made with fresh peaches and real sugar and black tea is a light and refreshing drink that goes with just about anything.
Olive Garden Breadsticks – What’s a trip to the Olive Garden without their legendary breadsticks? These pillowy-soft breadsticks are brushed with a buttery sauce made with sharp garlic, nutty Parmesan cheese, and earthy oregano, then baked to perfection. They’re great for mopping up extra marinara sauce.
Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake – Finish your meal with Lemon Cream Cake. The bright, lemony cake with layers of mascarpone cream makes it both decadent and light. The lemon-crumble topping adds just enough crunch to keep things interesting.
Storing and reheating instructions
- Refrigerator storage – Allow the stuffed manicotti to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freezer storage – Olive Garden 4 Cheese Manicotti freezes well and keeps for up to a month. Wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, or portion the stuffed manicotti into separate freezer-safe containers.
- Reheating instructions: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated 350°F oven. Warm thawed stuffed manicotti for 20 to 30 minutes. If frozen, cook for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to allow the cheese to crisp.
More Olive Garden copycat pasta recipes
- Capellini Pomodoro
- Five Cheese Lasagna
- Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
- Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Tortellini al Forno
Check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best copycat Olive Garden recipes right here on CopyKat!
Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Olive Garden Four Cheese Manicotti
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 28 ounces tomato puree
- 14 to 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar if needed
- 2 tablespoons butter optional, for finishing
Manicotti Filling
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups finely shredded Italian cheese blend
Pasta and Topping
- 1 box manicotti pasta (8 ounces)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- additional Parmesan cheese for topping optional
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just beginning to soften. Stir in the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, mixing well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and add sugar if needed to balance the acidity. For a richer finish, stir in butter at the end of cooking if desired.
- Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, and Italian cheese blend. Stir until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Cook the manicotti according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and lay the pasta out on wax paper so the pieces do not stick together.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a generous layer of marinara sauce across the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish.
- Carefully fill each manicotti shell with the cheese mixture using a spoon or butter knife. Arrange the filled manicotti in a single layer in the baking dish. Cover the pasta completely with the remaining marinara sauce, then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Add a light sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden. Let the manicotti rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so it sets properly. Garnish with finely chopped parsley.
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