Recipes & Cooking Dinner & Meal Ideas Casseroles Beef Casseroles Johnny Marzetti Casserole Has Been a Family Favorite for More Than 100 Years 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews This beloved Midwestern dish is worth the hype. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 29, 2024 Recipe tested by Juliana Hale Recipe tested by Juliana Hale Juliana Hale is a senior culinary specialist in the test kitchen with 20 years of experience in recipe testing and development. She works closely with AllRecipes, Forks Over Knives, Midwest Living, and Traditional Home overseeing testing in the test kitchen for those titles. Juli is an expert in all fields of cooking, but is particularly geeky about mixology and has taught her class, Fun with Sours, to internal staff. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Rachel Marek. Prop Styling: Addelyn Evans Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Bake Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 12 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Meet your new favorite family dinner. This hearty casserole is made with crowd-pleasing (and inexpensive ingredients!) like ground beef, canned tomatoes, and pasta. It reminded several of our recipe testers of classic goulash. Get our Test Kitchen's take on the classic Johnny Marzetti casserole recipe. This big-batch meal feeds 12 and reheats beautifully. Why Is it Called Johnny Marzetti Casserole? While the history of the casserole isn't clearly known, the general consensus is that it was created at Marzetti's restaurant in the 1920s by Teresa Marzetti. The dish was named after her brother-in-law, Johnny. The restaurant was close to Ohio State where the hearty dish became popular with students. The cheesy casserole has grown in popularity ever since. Johnny Marzetti Casserole Ingredients Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make this ground beef casserole at home. Meat: A combination of ground beef and Italian sausage is the base of the casserole. Choose a lean ground beef like 90/10 or 93/7. Veggies: Chop onions, garlic, and bell pepper. You'll saute them before adding them to the casserole dish. Tomatoes: Two kinds of canned tomatoes provide flavor and texture to the dish. Our recipe testers found that tomato sauce and diced tomatoes made the best combination. Worcestershire Sauce: Add savory flavor with a few dashes. Sugar: Round out the sweetness of the tomatoes with a bit of brown sugar. Seasonings: Add crushed red pepper and dried oregano. If you want less spice, omit the pepper flakes. Pasta: Cook your elbow macaroni according to package directions before adding to the casserole. Cheese: Mix in shredded cheese and top with more before baking. You'll need both Italian blend cheese and cheddar cheese. How to Make This Johnny Marzetti Casserole Your Own The great thing about this casserole recipe is how easy it is to customize. Here are a few of our favorite ways to make this dish your own. Change up the meat: If you don't like the flavor of Italian sausage, try using all ground beef. If you want a little more heat in the recipe, try using hot Italian sausage instead of mild. Add veggies: Try tossing in spinach, chopped kale, or broccoli if you'd like an extra serving of vegetables. Try a different pasta: The classic casserole is made with macaroni noodles but you could easily use shells, penne, or fusilli. Swap the cheese: Rather than a blend of Italian and cheddar cheese, use all of one or the other. What to Serve with Johnny Marzetti Casserole The great thing about this casserole is that it's almost a complete meal in on pan. If you're hoping to round out the plate with more veggies, try serving the dish with steamed veggies, roasted broccoli, or a fresh green salad. It's also delicious with a nice crusty piece of garlic bread. Ingredients Nonstick cooking spray 1 pound lean ground beef 1 pound bulk italian sausage 1 cup onion, chopped (1 cup) 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) 2 clove garlic, minced 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 12 ounces dried elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions 1 (8-ounce pkg.) shredded Italian-blend cheese 1 (8-ounce pkg.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray. In a 4-to 5-quart Dutch oven cook ground beef, sausage, onion, and green pepper over medium-high heat until meat is browned, 8 minutes. Drain and discard fat. Add garlic, cook 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, undrained diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered 5 to 10 minutes to develop flavor. Add cooked macaroni to the prepared baking dish. Top with Italian blend cheese. Spoon meat and sauce mixture evenly over the cheese layer. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until melted and bubbly. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 382 Calories 23g Fat 18g Carbs 26g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 381.9 % Daily Value * Total Fat 22.6g 29% Saturated Fat 9.8g 49% Cholesterol 76.2mg 25% Sodium 700.9mg 30% Total Carbohydrate 18.5g 7% Dietary Fiber 2.3g 8% Total Sugars 5.6g Protein 25.9g 52% Vitamin D 0.6mcg 3% Vitamin C 16.9mg 19% Calcium 196.3mg 15% Iron 3mg 17% Potassium 565.1mg 12% Fatty acids, total trans 0.4g Vitamin D 24.6IU Alanine 1.4g Arginine 1.5g Ash 3.4g Aspartic acid 2.3g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 3mcg Choline, total 77.8mg Copper, Cu 0.2mg Cystine 0.3g Energy 1599.4kJ Fluoride, F 17.9mcg Folate, total 42.8mcg Glutamic acid 4.9g Glycine 1.4g Histidine 0.8g Isoleucine 1.1g Leucine 2g Lysine 2g Methionine 0.6g Magnesium, Mg 41.3mg Manganese, Mn 0.2mg Niacin 5.4mg Phosphorus, P 300.4mg Pantothenic acid 0.6mg Phenylalanine 1.1g Phytosterols 4.8mg Proline 1.7g Retinol 61mcg Selenium, Se 30.7mcg Serine 1.1g Starch 7.4g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 1g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.2mg Tryptophan 0.2g Tyrosine 0.9g Valine 1.3g Vitamin A, IU 606.3IU Vitamin A, RAE 81.2mcg Vitamin B-12 1.7mcg Vitamin B-6 0.5mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 6.6mcg Water 162g Zinc, Zn 4.6mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.