Vintage Johnny Marzetti Recipe
Johnny Marzetti is a macaroni, tomato sauce, hamburger and cheese casserole served at school cafeteria’s all over Ohio. Remember that showing up on the lunch menu? Now you can make it at home!
This hot and filling dish is easy to make, with only a few ingredients and a couple steps to prepare, you’ll love this recipe for weeknight suppers.
We always got excited to see this dish on the lunch menu at school. When I pulled this recipe out to share with my husband, he had no idea what I was talking about.
Schools in Ohio serve Johnny Marzetti on a regular basis. Pennsylvania schools, not so much. I had to describe the dish to my husband in detail before he agreed it sounded good.
I did a little research, and it turns out there’s good reason Pennsylvania isn’t familiar with Johnny Marzetti. It’s the brainstorm recipe created at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio by the Marzetti family and named for a son in law.
Variations:
As with any good pasta dish, you can really dress this recipe up. Add olives, pepperoni, ham, sausage, peppers or mushrooms. You could also substitute Alfredo sauce, but that’s probably a Marzetti by another name.
Leave out the ground beef and add some of those vegetables above, you’ll have a Meatless Monday dish that the family will love.
Make It a Meal:
My elementary school always served Johnny Marzetti with a tossed salad (vinegar and oil dressing over iceberg lettuce) and bread with butter. We probably had cookies or an ice cream cup for dessert.
Those classic sides are still good with Johnny Marzetti today. Add some fancier bread: Garlic Bites, Pepperoni Rolls and a cheesecake for dessert.
Pin It:
If you love this recipe and want to save it for later, pin it to your Pinterest account.
Did you make this recipe or another one on my site? I’d love to hear from you how it turned out! Send me an email to noel @ ApronFreeCooking.com, post a photo and tag me on social media … or come back and comment on the recipe here.
How to Store Johnny Marzetti:
Refrigerator: cover baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate. Johnny Marzetti will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezer: once dish is cooled completely, wrap plastic wrap and freeze. You can store this dish in the freezer for up to a month.
Johnny Marzetti Recipe
Ingredients:
Macaroni, tomato pasta sauce, ground beef, onion, cheese.
Recipe Directions:
Cook and drain macaroni. Brown ground beef and onion. Mix sauce into hamburger and onion mixture. Toss with macaroni. Top with cheese, bake.
Vintage Johnny Marzetti Recipe
A classic recipe for macaroni casserole that is inexpensive, filling and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dried Macaroni Pasta
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 large Onion
- 16 ounces Tomato Pasta Sauce
- 2 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Chive
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Using large sauce pan, boil water and cook macaroni according to package directions.
-
Dice onion.
-
Place skillet on medium heat and brown ground beef and cook onions.
-
Drain cooked macaroni and set aside.
-
Drain grease from ground beef.
-
Add pasta sauce to ground beef.
-
Toss macaroni with pasta sauce, beef, and onion mixture.
-
Spread macaroni mixture in 9×13 casserole dish.
-
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over macaroni mixture.
-
Mix spices in small bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle over cheese.
-
Bake macaroni for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Approximate Nutritional Information:
Servings Per Recipe: 16, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118, Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 28g, Sodium: 157mg, Carbs: 10g, Protein: 11g
(please remember these are approximate and will vary slightly based on your ingredient selections.)
Interested in one of the books pictured above? You can purchase on Amazon here.
Follow ApronFreeCooking:
This post may contain affiliate links. There are no additional costs passed on to you if you click on the links in this post. Any money earned from commission helps me cover the cost of maintaining this website.