"Johnny Marzetti"

 

Below is an article about the dish known as "Johnny Marzetti":




"JOHNNY MARZETTI"

Until recently, I had never heard of the pasta dish called Johnny Marzetti. Honestly, I had stumbled across it, while reading an article about pastas on the Internet. Originated in the American Midwest, Johnny Marzetti consisted of noodles, cheese, ground beef or Italian sausage, and a tomato sauce with vegetables and mushrooms.

In 1896, an Italian woman named Teresa Marzetti and her family had immigrated to the United States and settled in Columbus, Ohio. Not long after their arrival, she and her husband Joseph started a restaurant called Marzetti's, located on High Street. Due to its location near the Ohio State University, Marzetti's became very popular with the university's students. I do not know exactly when Teresa Marzetti had created her famous casserole, but according to food critic John F. Mariani, she had created the dish in the 1920s and named it after her brother-in-law. But it is possible that Mrs. Marzetti had created the casserole a lot earlier.

Johnny Marzetti became popular with the Ohio State University students. Its fame later spread throughout Columbus, the state of Ohio and eventually the entire Midwest. The casserole eventually became a popular dish in the former Panama Canal Zone. The local Panamanians referred to it as "Johnny Mazetti", instead of Johnny Marzetti. The latter was even mentioned in an episode of the WB comedy-drama, "GILMORE GIRLS".


Below is a recipe for "Johnny Marzetti" from the Ohio Thoughts blog and the Ohio Historical Society:


Johnny Marzetti

Ingredients:

*3 tablespoons olive oil
*1 large onion, chopped
*3⁄4 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
*2 pounds lean ground beef
*3 1⁄2 cups tomato sauce
*1 1⁄2 pounds cheddar cheese, shredded
*1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained


Preparations:

*Sauté onion in oil until limp, about 3 minutes.
*Add mushrooms and fry until juices are released, 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 cup of cheese.
*Transfer to greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish and add macaroni.
*Toss gently to mix. Scatter remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in 350-degree oven until browned and bubbling (35 to 40 minutes). Serves 10 to 12.