Copycat Olive Garden Ravioli Carbonara Recipe

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Tender ravioli covered with a rich cheesy sauce and baked till browned and bubbling might be one of the most comforting and satisfying dishes ever. Olive Garden's ravioli carbonara delivers on gooey cheesiness and savory flavor, and Mashed Recipe developer Patterson Watkin's easy copycat recipe might just be better than the restaurant version. Watkins says of her ravioli, "The trio of cheeses (mozz, Parmesan, and Asiago) makes for a very tasty cheese sauce, and I love how the combo of bacon and crispy bread crumb topping adds a nice textural variety to this dish." This pasta dish is special enough for company, but since it comes together in half an hour in one pan, it makes a hearty and crowd-pleasing weeknight meal as well.

Watkins does have one quibble with the Olive Garden dish. "It is not a carbonara! It is more of a bacon-y cheesy baked alfredo/ravioli mac and cheese because there are zero eggs or yolks in the dish." (Real carbonara sauce is made with eggs.) She admits, though, that "That OG executive marketing decision to mistakenly call this dish a carbonara doesn't deter from its deliciousness," and she's duplicated it with great success. After all, Olive Garden may style itself as an Italian restaurant, but it's really more of an Italian-style, or rather Italian-inspired, restaurant. Many of its dishes, such as mozzarella sticks and chicken Parmesan, might not be traditionally Italian, but that doesn't mean they're not delicious.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

The carbonara(ish) sauce for this dish is made with butter, yellow onion, garlic, flour, chicken broth, heavy cream, whole milk, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Asiago cheese. You'll also need frozen ravioli, of course, plus breadcrumbs for the topping and bacon and parsley to garnish the dish.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Place the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Cook the bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the skillet, and set it aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove about 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet and place them in a medium-sized bowl.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the panko breadcrumbs to the bowl and stir to combine with the bacon drippings.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and spread them out in an even layer. Set them aside to cool.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the butter.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Once the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic, stir to combine, and saute for 2 minutes.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the flour to the skillet, stir to combine the roux, and cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the broth, cream, and milk to the skillet and whisk to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Place the mozzarella, Parmesan, and Asiago cheese in a medium bowl and toss to combine them.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove ⅓ of the cheese from the bowl and set aside (we'll be using this for the topping).

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Preheat the oven to broil on low.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cheese (larger portion) to the cream mixture, whisk until melted.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the cooked ravioli to the skillet and gently stir to coat.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Sprinkle the skillet with the remaining cheese.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Sprinkle the skillet with the breadcrumbs.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Place in the oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until melty, bubbly, and lightly browned.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove the skillet from the oven and top with bacon and parsley before serving.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Cheese sauce success starts with choosing the right cheese. For ultimate gooey cheesiness, you want to pick cheeses that melt well and have complementary flavors. The funky Asiago, mild mozzarella, and sharp nutty Parmesan called for in this recipe will give you the most Olive Garden-like results, but you could work in some provolone, too, to take the place of all or part of the Asiago. No matter the variety, though, the best cheese sauce comes from using block cheese and grating it yourself. Watkins tells us, "Those pre-grated cheeses are treated with a cornstarch-like coating to keep those shreds from sticking together in the bag. That little minuscule amount of starch can cause havoc on your cheese sauce. Either making it gluey and clumpy or, the horror, potentially causing your cheese sauce to break."

It's also important to keep a close eye on the temperature as you simmer the sauce so it doesn't get too hot, since the dairy components can easily scorch. In fact, you shouldn't add the cheeses while the sauce is still cooking because it might cause the sauce to break down. Instead, turn off the burner and move the pot to an unoccupied (and cooler) one before you stir in the cheese. The residual heat will melt it gently so it can be incorporated as smoothly as possible.

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

One tricky part of this dish involves making sure that the pasta doesn't overcook when it goes into the oven. For that reason, you should boil it until it's no more than al dente as per the package directions — in fact, you might want to shave off a minute or two from the recommended time because the ravioli will continue to soften in the hot cheese sauce.

Rinsing the ravioli is also an important part of temperature control. Start rinsing it in cool water as soon as you've drained it, then keep rinsing it every few minutes until you put the casserole together. Don't coat it with oil to keep it from sticking, though, since oil may cause the cheese sauce to slide right off. Instead, use your hands to gently separate any attached ravioli.

This recipe calls for frozen ravioli because it makes for the most convenient option. You may substitute fresh ravioli if you prefer (or even homemade, if you're really ambitious), but in that case, you'll need to be extra-gentle since it tends to be more delicate than the frozen kind.