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Johnny Marzetti Casserole has been an American classic since the 1920s, when Teresa Marzetti served it to loyal customers at her restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. With its combination of flavors, it’s no surprise that the hearty dish gained momentum on its own.
Comfort casserole doesn’t get any better than this—ground beef, cheese, noodles, and tomato sauce are baked together for a savory, saucy, and satisfying meal. My family asks for this casserole all year long. Cheesy, Beefy, and so easy to make, it’s a great addition to your dinner rotation. You know this casserole can feed a crowd. It also reheats beautifully, making it one of my all-time favorite leftovers.
Do you crave comfort? Do you love hearty beefy casseroles? I hope you’ll try our Sloppy Joe casserole, hamburger casserole, Dorito casserole (kids LOVE this!), and my million-dollar spaghetti!
Why Is It Called Johnny Marzetti?
Here’s Johnny! Well, his casserole, anyway!! The Johnny Marzetti casserole history is colorful and interesting. This baked casserole recipe was originally developed by an Italian immigrant, Teresa Marzetti, for her Italian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. It was named after her brother-in-law.
The restaurant was located near Ohio State University, and this dish was a huge hit with the students. By the 1920s, the recipe’s popularity spread across the Midwest.
Next time you need a bowl of comfort, make this casserole with love and give a little wink to Teresa and Johnny.
What Is The Difference Between Johnny Marzetti and Goulash?
The original Johnny Marzetti recipe is a baked casserole dish that generally includes ground beef, cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles. It’s often compared to American goulash (mine uses oregano as its main herbal flavor) or the very similar American chop suey (which is flavored with green pepper).
While all three of the dishes have similar ingredients, the cooking method is different as is the consistency of the finished dish. American goulash and American chop suey are both made in one large pot on the stovetop. Their consistency is more like a stew.
Johnny Marzetti Casserole Ingredients
- Penne Pasta: I use Barilla pasta in this recipe because I like its flavor, texture, and how it stands up to its initial boiling rather than baking. Be sure to salt the pasta water before bringing it to a boil and cook it until it’s al dente, because it needs to cook more in the oven.
- One Pound Ground Beef: I use 80/20. You can substitute the beef with ground turkey. Switch up the protein as you like!
- Mild Italian Sausage: My family prefers mild, but feel free to spice it up with the spicy sausage!
- Onion: Yellow onion.
- Red Bell Pepper: You can use any color bell pepper. I like the sweeter peppers, but green bell pepper works very well.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, not the stuff from the jar!
- Cremini Mushrooms: I love the flavor of cremini mushrooms, but white button mushrooms will also work.
- Salt + Black Pepper: Our foundational seasoning. We use table salt, not coarse salt, and fine black pepper.
- Italian Seasoning: I use McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Italian seasoning. Their blend is spot on.
- Marinara Sauce: Use jarred sauce or try my easy and delish, homemade marinara sauce.
- Diced Tomatoes: I love the petite diced version best.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, aka, table sugar.
- Mozzarella Cheese + Sharp Cheddar Cheese: I love this cheese combo in this dish, but feel free to use your favorites.
Variations
- Pasta: I like to use mini penne, but you can also use elbow macaroni, shells, rotini pasta, or, in a pinch, egg noodles.
- Cheese: I sprinkle the top of the casserole with mozzarella, but you can opt for a pre-shredded Italian cheese blend. It doesn’t melt as well because it’s coated with cellulose (a wood product) to prevent it from sticking together in the bag.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. Make sure to use an airtight container.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, cooked pasta with sauce can last up to 2 months in the freezer. You can also freeze the sauce sans the pasta (see make-ahead tips), and it’ll last for 2-3 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Typically, I only make the meat/sauce the day before. Then, the next day, I cook my pasta, assemble it, and bake it.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info about food safety, check out this link for cooked pasta and this link for cooked ground beef.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve this dish with my KFC coleslaw, tomato salad, a simple green salad dressed with my super-easy balsamic vinaigrette, or red wine vinaigrette, grinder salad, pizza salad, strawberry spinach salad, strawberry salad, KFC coleslaw, 1905 salad, or our seriously loaded with goodies, Mediterranean salad. All of these salads are fabulous with this casserole.
If you’d prefer a cooked veggie, try our green beans with bacon, southern green beans, candied carrots, creamed peas, simple roasted peppers, or skillet corn.
Of course, my family wants a bit of bread as a side! We like this seriously amazing (no exaggeration!) garlic bread, pull-apart garlic bread, practically no knead bread, beer bread, or my copycat Olive Garden breadsticks.
How to Make Johnny Marzetti Casserole
- Cook the pasta, then drain.
- Cook the beef in a large skillet. Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage. Drain and remove most of the grease. Set aside.
- Make the meat sauce: Saute aromatics, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cooked meat. Stir.
- Combine. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Toss.
- Transfer to the baking dish. Layer pasta and cheese alternately. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven.
- Melt the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese melts.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
More Ground Beef Casserole Recipes
- Lasagna Casserole
- Hamburger Potato Casserole
- Cowboy Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Chili Cornbread Casserole
- Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
- Runza Casserole
- Hamburger Rice Casserole
- Cattle Drive Casserole
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Johnny Marzetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mini penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- 3/4 cup onion chopped
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (14.4 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta (12 ounces) according to package instructions. Drain and return to the pot it saw cooked in.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown and crumble ground beef (1 pound) and Italian sausage (1/2 pound) until cooked through. Transfer cooked meat to a plate. Drain and remove all but 2 tablespoons of grease from the skillet.
- Saute onion (3/4 cup), red bell pepper (1/4 cup), garlic (4 cloves), and cremini mushroom (8 ounces) until vegetables are soft. Stir in salt (3/4 teaspoon), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), marinara sauce (1 jar), diced tomatoes (1 can), sugar (1/4 teaspoon), and cooked meats. Over medium heat, cook the sauce until heated through.
- Pour the sauce over pasta. Toss until evenly combined.
- Spread half the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Top with half the mozzarella and 1/2 the cheddar. Spread the remaining pasta over the cheese layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove and discard foil then top with remaining cheese. Bake in the oven and continue to cook until cheese is melted.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Pasta: I like to use mini penne but you can also use elbow macaroni, shells, or in a pinch even egg noodles.
- Cheese: I use mozzarella in this dish but you can opt for a pre-shredded Italian cheese blend.
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
My husband says this is a keeper!!
Yaaaay! Thanks, Evelyn 🙂
Looking forward to making these dishes………..Thank you
Enjoy, Tina! 🙂