I discovered Olive Garden’s Neapolitan Ziti during a family dinner years ago when I was craving something beyond the usual pasta offerings. The server recommended this hearty dish, explaining it was a specialty from Naples featuring tube-shaped pasta in a robust sauce. When it disappeared from the menu at my local restaurant, I was determined to recreate it at home. After several test batches and tweaking the ingredients, I’ve perfected this copycat recipe that brings back all the comforting flavors of this beloved Olive Garden classic right to your kitchen table.
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Table of Contents
What Makes the Olive Garden Neapolitan Ziti So Good?
This Neapolitan Ziti recipe perfectly balances hearty pasta with a rich, chunky sauce. The combination of Italian sausage and green peppers creates a robust flavor profile, while the San Marzano tomatoes provide the perfect sweet-acidic base. Unlike basic pasta with jarred sauce, this dish offers heary dish with minimal extra effort, proving that sometimes a few additional steps make all the difference.
Olive Garden Ziti Ingredients
To make ziti pasta Olive Garden style sauce, you’ll need:
- Italian sausage – Provides rich, savory flavor and hearty protein
- Green bell pepper – Adds fresh vegetable flavor and slight sweetness
- Olive oil – Forms the flavor foundation for sautéing and sauce building
- Canned Italian-style or plum tomatoes – Delivers sweet-acidic balance perfect for pasta sauce
- Tomato puree– Creates smooth body and consistent texture in the sauce
- Garlic ) – Creates aromatic depth essential to authentic Italian flavor
- Fresh basil – Contributes bright, herbaceous notes that elevate the sauce
- Salt and pepper – Enhances all the flavors in the dish
- Ziti pasta – The traditional tube shape captures sauce inside and out
- Marinara sauce– Adds convenience while maintaining homemade flavor
- Parsley – Provides fresh, colorful garnish
- Parmesan cheese – Finishes the dish with salty, umami richness
Feel free to use hot or sweet Italian sausages, depending on your preference.
San Marzano tomatoes get their name from the region of Italy where they grow. This variety of plum tomatoes is well-loved for its sweetness and slight acidity, which counterbalances any excessive richness in a dish. Use them if you can, but Redpack (sometimes sold as Red Gold) whole plum tomatoes are commonly available and an excellent substitute.
To make the sauce:
- Fully cook the Italian sausage. The simplest and most hands-off way is baking the sausages on a wire rack over a baking tray at 350°F for 20 minutes. But you can use any method you prefer. You will have plenty of time to start cooking the sauce while the sausages are heating up.
- Split sausages in half then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the green pepper into small pieces and mince the garlic. Set both to the side.
- Crush the tomatoes with your hands and reserve them for later.
- Place a skillet over medium heat and warm two tablespoons of olive oil.
- When the olive oil is hot, Saute the chopped green pepper and minced garlic until the green peppers are just starting to become tender.
- Place a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat and warm the remaining olive oil.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, minced garlic, and coarsely ripped fresh basil to the saucepan.
- Bring the sauce to a hard simmer over moderate heat, stir well, and reduce the heat to low.
- When the sausages are cooked, cut them the long way and then slice them into half-inch pieces. Stir the sliced sausage into the sauce.
- Let the sauce slowly simmer for another five minutes.
To plate Olive Garden Ziti With Sausage and Peppers:
- Finely chop the Italian parsley.
- Portion the cooked ziti onto serving plates and spoon the sauce over the top.
- Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley.
Olive Garden Neapolitan Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
- 1 1/3 cups chopped green bell pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 28 ounces canned Italian-style or plum tomatoes
- 10 3/4 ounces tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 pound ziti pasta prepared according to the package directions
- 5 cups marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bake or pan-fry the sausages until fully cooked; drain and cool. Halve the sausages lengthwise and cut them into 1/2-inch slices.
- In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the bell peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they are no longer crisp, but not yet soft.
- In a heavy saucepan, combine the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and fresh basil and bring to a light simmer over medium heat. Add the sautéed peppers and cooked sausage and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Serve the pasta topped with the sausage, peppers, and marinara sauce and garnish each plate with parsley and Parmesan.
Notes
3 Pro Tips 🌟
- 🍅 Tomato technique! Crush tomatoes by hand rather than blending for the perfect chunky texture that makes this sauce special.
- 🌿 Basil boost! Tear basil leaves rather than chopping to release more oils and flavor into your sauce.
- 🍝 Pasta pro move! Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water before draining to help the sauce cling to the pasta if needed.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Neapolitan Ziti
This dish is hearty enough to serve on its own, but a few sides turn it into a more balanced meal. A simple salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a splash of Italian dressing is the perfect way to sneak in more veggies. Or make one of the Olive Garden soup recipes like minestrone.
Garlic twists or breadsticks are great to have on hand for mopping up any extra sauce!
Favorite Olive Garden Copycat Recipes
- Chicken Parmigiana
- Eggplant Parmigiana
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Formaggio Pizza
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce
- Homemade Marinara
- Three Meat Sauce
- Shrimp Scampi
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Tiramisu
Popular Pasta Recipes
Check out my easy pasta recipes and the best copycat Olive Garden recipes on CopyKat!
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator Storage
- Pasta: Store uncoated pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days
- Sauce: Refrigerate separately in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Freezer Option
The sauce freezes beautifully for up to 2 months. Store in freezer-safe containers, leaving some room for expansion.
Best Reheating Methods
Stovetop Method (Preferred):
- Bring a pot of water to boil
- Heat sauce separately in a saucepan over medium-low heat
- Place cold pasta in a colander and dip into boiling water for 30 seconds
- Combine reheated pasta and sauce
Microwave Method (Quick Option):
- Combine pasta and sauce in a microwave-safe bowl
- Cover with a damp paper towel
- Heat on HIGH for 1½ minutes, stir, then heat for another 30 seconds
I haven’t seen this on the Olive Garden menu in a long time, it was pretty good
This recipe was so good! I love italian sausage so this was a great recipe for me.