Olive Backyard Neapolitan Ziti – CopyKat Recipes

March 9, 2023

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Olive Backyard Neapolitan Ziti is simply the dinner you could be searching for. That is made with pasta and some components that you will discover readily in your fridge. Better of all this meal takes simply minutes to organize. You is usually a little versatile with what you’ve got in your pantry.

Copycat Olive Garden Neapolitan ziti on plates.

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What Makes the Olive Backyard Neapolitan Ziti So Good?

Neapolitan Ziti was fairly fashionable at Olive Backyard again within the day, however many areas appear to have dropped it from their menus. That’s a disgrace as a result of this hearty Italian basic pasta dish is so darn scrumptious.

The wealthy tomato sauce comes loaded with chunks of Italian sausage and inexperienced peppers that pairs splendidly with the thicker ziti pasta. In case your native Olive Backyard now not has Neapolitan Ziti on the menu, now you’ll be able to prepare dinner it your self.

Why You Ought to Strive This Recipe

This pasta dish will not be as simple as simply opening a jar of pasta sauce, however it’s a lot tastier and price your time to make. Though this model of the recipe makes use of sausage and peppers as an alternative of the extra conventional onions and lardon, like in Italy, it’s a spot-on copycat model of the dish the chain used to serve.

Olive Backyard Ziti Substances

To make ziti pasta Olive Backyard model sauce, you’ll want:

Italian sausage
Inexperienced bell pepper
Garlic
Contemporary basil
Olive oil
San Marzano, or one other number of plum tomatoes, canned
Tomato puree
Salt
Pepper
Marinara sauce

Be happy to make use of scorching or candy Italian sausages, relying in your choice.

San Marzano tomatoes get their identify from the area of Italy the place they develop. This number of plum tomatoes is well-loved for his or her sweetness and slight acidity that counterbalances any extreme richness in a dish. Use them for those who can, however Redpack (generally offered as Purple Gold) entire plum tomatoes are generally accessible and a very good substitute.

Use your favourite jarred sauce, or strive making marinara sauce from scratch.

To serve Olive Backyard, you’ll want:

Ziti pasta.cooked in response to the instructions on the package deal
Italian parsley
Parmesan cheese, shredded

You should use shredded Romano cheese as an alternative of Parmesan.

Copycat Olive Garden Neapolitan Ziti ingredients.

To make the sauce:

Totally prepare dinner the Italian sausage. The only and most hands-off means is baking the sausages on a wire rack over a baking tray at 350°F for 20 minutes. However you should utilize any methodology you like. You should have loads of time to begin cooking the sauce whereas the sausages are heating up.
Break up sausages in half then lower them into bite-sized items.
Chop the inexperienced pepper into small items and mince the garlic. Set each to the aspect.
Crush the tomatoes along with your arms and reserve them for later.
Place a skillet over medium warmth and heat two tablespoons of olive oil.
When the olive oil is scorching, Saute the chopped inexperienced pepper and minced garlic till the inexperienced peppers are simply beginning to develop into tender.

Collage of cooking sausage and peppers for Olive Garden Neapolitan ziti.

Place a big heavy sauce pan over medium warmth and heat the remaining olive oil.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, minced garlic, and coarsely ripped recent basil to the saucepan.
Deliver the sauce to a tough simmer over reasonable warmth, stir properly, and cut back the warmth to low.
When the sausages are cooked, lower them the great distance after which slice them into half-inch items. Stir the sliced sausage into the sauce.
Let the sauce slowly simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Collage of making sauce for Olive Garden Neapolitan ziti.

To plate Olive Backyard Ziti With Sausage and Peppers:

Finely chop the Italian parsley.
Portion the cooked ziti onto serving plates and spoon the sauce excessive.
Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley.

Overhead view of copycat Olive Garden Neapolitan ziti pasta.

What to Serve With Neapolitan Ziti

This dish is hearty sufficient to serve by itself, however a couple of sides flip it right into a extra balanced meal. A easy salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a splash of Italian dressing is the right method to sneak in additional veggies. Or make one of many Olive Backyard soup recipes like minestrone.

Garlic twists or breadsticks are nice to have readily available for mopping up any additional sauce!

The right way to Retailer the Leftovers

Refrigerate any additional un-sauced cooked ziti in an hermetic container for as much as three days. Preserve the pasta sauce in a separate container within the fridge for not more than three days, or freeze for as much as two months.

What’s the Finest Technique to Reheat Ziti?

The easiest way to heat up leftover Olive Backyard Neapolitan Ziti is on the range, though it is going to take about 20 minutes:

Deliver a big pot of water to a boil.
Whereas ready for the water to boil, warmth the sauce in a saucepan over medium-low warmth. Stir sometimes to stop burning. If you’re reheating frozen sauce, add some boiling water to the sauce to assist soften it.
Place the cooked ziti in a pasta insert or colander and plunge it into the boiling water for 30 seconds to heat up.

If you wish to can reheat the pasta and sauce, strive the microwave:

Put the cooked ziti right into a shallow bowl.
Add sauce and stir to mix.
Cowl the bowl with a paper towel and warmth it on HIGH for one and a half minutes. Stir the pasta and sauce and warmth for an additional 30 seconds or till scorching.

Overhead view of copycat Olive Garden Neapolitan ziti on three plates.

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