Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta is a copycat version of Olive Garden’s lasagna fritta that is very tasty! You can also fry them in a pan if you do not have access to an air fryer.

Air fryer five-cheese lasagna fritta is fried lasagna with creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheese spread in between rolled lasagna noodles that are then dipped in batter and fried golden crispy.

Serve with marinara and/or Alfredo sauce.

I thought it was going to be difficult to make a copycat version of Olive Garden’s lasagna frittas, but it was actually pretty simple!

What are lasagna frittas?

In case you’ve never had them, lasagna frittas are fried lasagna. They are filled with cheese, rolled up, battered, and fried until they are golden and crispy.

It’s so delicious!

This version of lasagna fritta is a tad larger than the appetizer version Olive Garden serves.

The noodles you buy from the grocery store are just a wee bit bigger, but I guess that means more lasagna fritta, right? Yum!

I decided to do this air fryer style because we don’t need to add more grease on top of a carb-loaded appetizer.

Although, frying them in oil is still super, super tasty which is why I give BOTH recipes here!

Ingredients for Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

Lasagna Noodles
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Romano Cheese
Asiago Cheese
Italian Seasoning
4 Large Eggs (for the filling and the batter)
Finely Grated Parmesan
Italian Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil Spray (other oils work too) – for the air fryer cooking version
Canola/Vegetable Oil – for the pan fried version

Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce

Butter
Grated Parmesan
Heavy Cream
Garlic Salt
Parsley, for topping

Optional – Try the sauce with extra cheese leftover from the lasagna frittas!

1/2 cup Grated Romano
1/2 cup Grated Asiago

How to use an air fryer:

It’s actually very simple! Once you have it assembled, there is no preheating required at all!

I always spray my basket with olive oil to avoid any sticking. Place the food on the tray, set the temperature, and time and that’s it.

The fabulous thing is that the air fryer is very versatile. You can bake a cake in it, fry fish, get french fries nice and crispy, cook bacon, the ideas are limitless!

Can you use Pam nonstick spray in an air fryer?

It’s best not to. It’s been found that air fryer baskets do not tolerate aerosol spray. It causes the coating to peel off the baskets.

To get around it, use a non-aerosol spray bottle of olive oil, or you can rub coconut oil directly on the basket.

What fries the breadcrumbs in an air fryer?

If you leave the breadcrumbs without ANY type of grease or fat it will leave them very dry.

The nice thing with an air fryer is that you can cut out the majority of the oil and fat and have a slightly healthier version of cooking than if you deep-fried the food.

There are two ways to air fry breadcrumbs:

Spray the breadcrumb coating that is already on your food with cooking spray or oil.
Heat a small amount of olive oil with the breadcrumbs prior to coating your food with it. Microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it begins to lightly brown.

How to Make Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

It all begins by boiling your noodles according to the box directions until al dente. They need to be soft to handle and roll-up.

If you are unable to find lasagna without ribbons, it’s best to cut the ribbon edges off. They do not roll well or stay together with the bumpy ribbon edge.

The cheesy mixture needs to be spread evenly on each noodle before you roll them up.

These are of course larger than Olive Garden’s lasagna frittas, but you can, of course, cut the noodle down to try to aim for their size of the appetizer.

How to Make Mini Lasagna Frittas

Mini fried lasagnas are more like the size of Olive Garden’s version.

Cut each lasagna noodle into 4 pieces as shown in the above photo.

Fill each noodle with cheesy mixture, the same as the larger version would be filled.

Resume with the remainder of the directions below – freezing, breading, and then cooking.

Air Fryer Method

For the air fryer cooking method, it is best to still freeze them.

They tend to be messy once you begin dipping them in egg wash and breadcrumbs.

Once they are frozen (in about 1-2 hours) you can immediately start dipping them in the egg wash, and then dip in the breadcrumb/Parmesan coating.

How long and what temperature do you cook lasagna frittas in the air fryer?

You still need to add some form of oil/butter to the breadcrumbs, as previously mentioned.

I used the method mentioned above – microwaving olive oil with the breadcrumbs.

The large, full-size lasagna frittas are cooked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a total of about 16 minutes, flipping halfway.

Mini lasagna frittas are cooked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 4 minutes on each side, a total of 8 minutes.

To check for doneness, open the air fryer tray and peek in on them to see if they are golden brown.

Pan-Frying Method

For the pan-fried cooking method, you will also need to freeze them.

Freezing them for 1-2 hours before they are battered with breadcrumbs keeps the cheesy inside the rolled lasagna noodle.

It’s also important to freeze them before pan-frying because the cheese will immediately come out in the oil as well.

After they are frozen, it is time to batter them.

First, dip them in the egg wash, and then dip in the breadcrumb/Parmesan cheese coating.

For pan-frying, put enough oil in the pan to cover the tops of them like a deep-fry and heat it over medium-high heat.

Flip them halfway (2 minutes on each side) for even cooking.

It’s the same cook time for mini lasagna frittas.

Final Touches for Both Cooking Methods

For serving, place a layer of marinara sauce onto the plate.

Then place the lasagna frittas on top of the sauce and drizzle Alfredo sauce over top.

There was extra Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheese from the lasagna frittas. I put the cheese (about a cup and a half) into the Alfredo sauce.

It turned out fantastic and I might need to do that every time now!

Try these other tasty air fryer recipes:

Enjoy!

Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

Yield: Approximately 10 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes

Freezing Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 36 minutes

Air fryer five-cheese lasagna fritta is fried lasagna with creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and asiago cheese spread in between rolled lasagna noodles that are then dipped in batter and fried golden crispy.

Serve with marinara and/or alfredo sauce.

Ingredients

10 oz Lasagna Noodles (About 10 noodles)
15 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Freshly Grated Romano Cheese
1/2 cup Freshly Grated Asiago Cheese
1/2 cup Freshly Grated Mozzarella Cheese
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 Large Eggs

Batter

1 1/2 cups Italian Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Finely Grated Parmesan
2 Large Eggs

Air Fryer Cooking Method

Spray the basket with olive oil or
Coat the basket with coconut oil

Pan-Fried Cooking Method

Canola Oil

Sauces

Homemade Alfredo Sauce (If you have leftover Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese it is perfect to throw in this recipe.)
Jar of Marinara Sauce

Instructions

Noodle Prep

Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Once cooked, place in a colander and rinse with cold water for handling. If your lasagna noodles have ribbon edges, trim the ribbons off the sides.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together egg, all five cheeses, and Italian seasoning.
Lay lasagna noodles flat. If making minis, cut them according to the above photos. Spread cheese mixture over top of the noodles. Roll the noodles into about a 2-3" length. Place them in a container lined with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking together and freeze for 1-2 hours.

Batter

See notes below about breadcrumbs for air frying.
Scramble egg in a shallow dish and blend the breadcrumbs & finely grated Parmesan in another shallow dish. One by one, dip each rolled lasagna in egg, followed by breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.

Air Fryer Cooking Method

Spray the inside basket of the air fryer with oil and place lasagna frittas in the basket. Lightly spray the top of the lasagna frittas with oil as well. Set to 400 degrees.
For minis, cook for 4 minutes on each side, a total of 8 minutes.
For full-sized, cook for about 8 minutes, flip, and cook for another 6-8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and serve with marinara and/or Alfredo sauce.

Pan-Fried Cooking Method

Heat canola oil in a pan at a medium-high temperature. Carefully place the lasagna frittas in the pan once it is hot. Cook for about 2 minutes, flip, and fry for 2 more minutes until they are golden brown. The cooking time is the same for minis and full-sized lasagna frittas. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with marinara and/or alfredo sauce.

Notes

There are 2 options for how to fry breadcrumbs in the air fryer:

Spray the breadcrumb coating that is already on your food with cooking spray or oil.

Heat a small amount of olive oil with the breadcrumbs prior to coating your food with it. Microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it begins to lightly brown.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 379Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 124mgSodium 752mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 19g

Nutrition information is not always accurate.

Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

What are lasagna frittas?

Ingredients for Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce

Optional – Try the sauce with extra cheese leftover from the lasagna frittas!

How to use an air fryer:

Can you use Pam nonstick spray in an air fryer?

How to Make Air Fryer Five-Cheese Lasagna Fritta

How to Make Mini Lasagna Frittas

Air Fryer Method

How long and what temperature do you cook lasagna frittas in the air fryer?

Pan-Frying Method

Final Touches for Both Cooking Methods