Johnny Marzetti Recipe and History (2024)

I have beenmakingJohnny Marzettifor years and years. Recently my son asked if I have

my recipes in our familycookbook.

Before opening the original restaurant, Marzetti wrote, "We will start a new place and serve good food. At a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but we will serve good food."

A baked casserole, the dish included ground beef,cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles. It was a sensation at 45 cents.

Then the ColumbusPublic Schools got wind of it and served it in school cafeterias. This made thecasserole a staple in schools throughout the state. It remains the No. 1cafeteria dish fondly remembered and duplicated at home.

Other ingredientsand seasonings have been added over the years, to adjust to the tasteof differentcooks. The dish spread to other parts of the United Stateswhen Marzetti released the recipe and variations of it were published inmagazines and cookbooks during the mid-20th century. The dish is still served,especially at social gatherings and in school lunchrooms.

Building of the Panama Canal

Although the Marzetti’s restaurant is long gone, her salad dressings continue on with theMarzetti Company, and her signature casserole dish is still popular.Even the U.S. Armygrabbed it for battlefield kitchens. Troops in Panama ate so much of it, itspilled over into the community.
Locals still call it “Johnny Marzetti” and addolives and Arturo sauce. They also claim it as their national dish.

The Ohio Historical Society has preserved Teresa Marzetti’s original recipe.
It’s themother recipe for all the ones that followed.
Here it is:

THE ORIGINAL JOHNNYMARZETTI RECIPE

3 tablespoonsolive oil

1 large onion,chopped
3⁄4 poundmushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 pounds leanground beef
3 1⁄2 cups tomatosauce
1 1⁄2 poundscheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound elbowmacaroni, cooked and drained


Sauté onion inoil until limp, about 3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and fry until juices arereleased, about 5 minutes.
Add beef and cook, stirring, breaking up clumps,until no longer red.
Remove from heat and mix in tomato sauce and all but 1 cupof cheese.
Transfer to greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish and add macaroni.
Tossgently to mix. Scatter remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in 350-degreeoven until browned and bubbling (35 to 40 minutes). Serves 10 to 12.

My husband Bill toldme that when growing up in Wisconsin,his family ate a similar casserole, but his Mother called it Goulash.

Just so you know thedifference, Goulash ( Hungarian: gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat, noodles andvegetables (especially potato),seasoned with paprikaand other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in many countriesincluding Austria,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,Liechtenstein,Lithuania,Latvia,Poland,Romania,Russia,Serbia,Slovakia,Slovenia,Ukraineand others.

Here is my ownversion of Johnny Marzetti. I’m not surewhere I originallyfound the recipe, but I think I got it from the 1976 paperback edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. I founda really similarJohnny Marzetti recipe on page 461 called Family Goulash, and with celery added. I also flipped to page 468, the Hungarian Goulash, and it's more of the soup/stew version. Since I have been making it since the late 1970’s to early 1980’s Ipretty surethis cookbook iswhere I firstfound the recipe. I can tell you I nearly cooked the cover off that paperback, being ayoung wife and mother.

Elizabeth’s JohnnyMarzetti

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (more if desired)

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, (or 1 diced, one stewed) drain a little
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1tablespoon chopped parsley

Pinch of sea salt

Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
2 - 8 oz packages of grated cheddar, Italian or mozzarella cheese
About 3 cups dried or 12 ozs of macaroni noodles

Cook noodles; drain and set aside.

In a large skillet cook ground beef until mostly brown. Add onion, garlic and celery;

Cook until meatis done and vegetables are tender.Drain off grease. Add tomatosauce, diced tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heatand let cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix cooked noodles with meat mixture. Mix in 1 to1 ½ packages of cheese. I use both shreddedcheddar and mozzarella mixed together.And don’t be afraid to add more cheese, if like me, you love cheese!

Use butter to grease a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Spread the meat noodle mixture into thecasserole dish and then sprinkle the top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

Serve with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

My neighbor just had a baby and this is the casserole dish I took over. It is a great comfort food, easy to double and perfect for parties, BBQ's, church suppers and potlucks.

Enjoy,