Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (2024)

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Johnny Marzetti is a lasagna casserole recipe that is comfort food at its finest. This popular Italian American dinner is a great way to feed a crowd on a budget, without sacrificing flavor!

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (1)

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (2)

If you’ve tried my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce or Homemade Lasagna with Fresh Ingredients recipes then you’ll want to make this Johnny Marzetti Lasagna Casserole.

What is Johnny Marzetti?

Johnny Marzetti is an Italian American pasta casserole, popular in the Midwestern United States. It’s pretty much the same as a traditional lasagna recipe, however, it voids the ricotta cheese, and it uses a smaller pasta, so there is no layering of the lasagna noodles required.

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (3)
I love casserole meals and realized that I haven’t even shared one with you until now. So if you love casserole recipes as well, be sure to stay up to do with all of My Heavenly Recipes social media and be sure to join my Weekly Newsletter to get the latest recipes from my kitchen into yours.

Budget Friendly Pasta Dinners

I may have mentioned this before, but when I was growing up, we ate a lot of budget friendly pasta dinners. Hamburger Helper (which I now REFUSE to eat), Tuna Casserole (which I still haven’t made as an adult!), Skyline chili, and Spaghetti O’s.

We were a family of 6, always on the go and my parents hustled to get us to and from practices every day of the week. As the oldest and the only girl, I would oftentimes get out eaten by my brothers. In fact, I would often hide food in my room, just in case I would get hungry!

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (4)

I vowed to myself to never make my kids eat the same things like that over and over again. I think that is why I created My Heavenly Recipes – to help you get out of that food rut we often get in. I was finding myself making the same things over and over again. Then realized ya’ll needed some of my best recipes and decided I needed out of that rut!

Johnny Marzetti is a great meal to double up the recipe and take to a friend in need. Deliver it to a Mom who just had a baby, drop some off to a elderly family member or just to freeze and heat on those nights that you are crazy busy and in need of a quick meal.

What to Serve with Johnny Marzetti

I often serve Johnny Marzetti alongside a salad and homemade garlic bread. My kids and husband leave nothing left on their plate and many times get a second serving. I say that Johnny Marzetti lasagna casserole is a Heavenly Recipe that’s kid tested & Husband approved!

Other Recipes You’ll Be Interested In:

  • Homemade Manwich Recipe
  • Taco Salad Dip
  • How to Make the Perfect Homemade Lasagna
  • Homemade Lasagna Recipe with Fresh Ingredients

Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more Heavenly Recipes.

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (5)

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Johnny Marzetti - Lasagna Casserole

Johnny Marzetti is a lasagna casserole recipe that is comfort food at its finest. This popular pasta dinner is a great way to feed a crowd on a budget, It also makes a great freezer meal.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword budget friendly dinners, Johnny Marzetti, lasagna casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 ½ tbsp ITALIAN seasoning
  • 1 lb hamburger cooked and drained
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 box penne or macaroni noodles
  • 2 C Hunts tomato sauce
  • ¾ c water

Instructions

  • In a large pot boil water and cook noodles according to box, drain. I use penne noodles.

  • In a large skillet brown onion & hamburger until hamburger is cooked through.

  • Drain.

  • Place meat mixture back into the skillet adding in Italian Seasoning, sugar, pepper, tomato sauce and water. Mix together.

  • In the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish place 4 tablespoons of meat mixture and spread. This will ensure the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan as if you were cooking Lasagna.

  • Spoon noodles over the top of the sauce and add another layer of sauce, alternating until no more noodles and sauce mixture remain. Toss together to coat all the noodles.

  • Top with your favorite cheese.

  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes until the casserole is heated all the way through and the cheese is melted. If you want to brown the cheese a bit remove the foil and let cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 806kcal | Carbohydrates: 158g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 876mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 7.4mg

Johnny Marzetti | Lasagna Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do they call it Johnny Marzetti? ›

One of the dishes Marzetti offered her customers was a baked casserole of ground beef, cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles that she named for her brother-in-law, Johnny. Teresa Marzetti was the first person to serve the casserole Johnny Marzetti in a restaurant.

What is the difference between Johnny Marzetti and Goulash? ›

This easy Johnny Marzetti recipe is similar to American goulash but with lots and lots of cheese. It is a comfort dinner recipe that is easy to prepare and so delicious.

What is Johnny Marzetti made of? ›

The original Johnny Marzetti recipe was a humble mixture of noodles, ground beef, tomato sauce, and cheese and was sold for just 45 cents. The dish was a raving success, and it's fame spread throughout the Midwest, even showing up in school cafeterias for decades.

Can you freeze cooked Johnny Marzetti? ›

Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. You can refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered, for up to 4 days. The baked casserole freezes well.

What is slumgullion made of? ›

Ground beef, macaroni and tomato, great flavor and a quick cooking time.

What is American goulash made of? ›

This hardy American Goulash Recipe is one of my kids' favorites. It is a classic dish from our childhoods similar to Hamburger Helper, with ground beef and elbow macaroni cooked in a savory tomato sauce and topped with cheese. It's so easy to make this comforting one-pot meal.

What is American chop suey called? ›

American chop suey is an American pasta casserole made with ground beef, macaroni and a seasoned tomato sauce, found in the cuisine of New England and other regions of the United States. Outside New England it is sometimes called American goulash or Johnny Marzetti, among other names.

Is goulash the same as beefaroni? ›

Beefaroni is the same thing as American Goulash – the difference in what you call it is mostly regional.

Are chili mac and goulash the same? ›

What's the Difference Between Chili Mac and Goulash? Chili mac is very similar to American goulash — a one-pot meal made with ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese. American goulash, however, doesn't call for evaporated milk, and also isn't made with beans.

What is the dish Richard makes in Gilmore Girls? ›

Well, other than the fact that those Girls eat a lot of it, there is one particular episode (in Season 3) in which a strange casserole is mentioned: Johnny Machete. Nothing is said except that it contains cream of mushroom soup, and come on now, every casserole worth its weight contains cream of mushroom soup.

How many calories are in Johnny Marzetti? ›

Per serving: 621 calories, 23 grams fat (9 grams saturated fat), 87 milligrams cholesterol, 1,410 milligrams sodium, 59 grams total carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 46 grams protein.

What is Johnny's seasoning made of? ›

Salt, sugar, paprika, garlic, spices, microcrystalline cellulose (anti-caking).

How to make Marsetta? ›

Brown meat and onion. Cook noodles and drain, then put into baking dish, add meat, cheese, tomatoes, salt and pepper, mushrooms. Sprinkle bread crumbs on the top. Cook in a slow oven for 3 hours.

Can you freeze mango chunks? ›

If you want to use as much mango as possible, you can cut around the outside of the stone to get some extra mango pieces. Once you've cut up all the mangoes, place the pieces on the tray lined with baking paper. Make sure all the pieces are spaced apart, so they freeze individually.

Can you freeze foil packet meals? ›

Freeze the packets: Stack the packets on top of each other and slide them into a gallon-sized zip-top freezer bag. Press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Why do they call them Johnny Cakes? ›

The settlers took it all over the islands of the Caribbean, and after several linguistic and cultural modifications, it became also just as well-known under the name of Johnny cake. Historians also believe that “janiken”, a Native American word meaning “corn bread” could also be at the root of this cake.

Why do they call Johnny Johnny bananas? ›

Devenanzio earned the nickname "Johnny Bananas" during his time in college at Penn State. Because of his crazy antics at PSU, friends and classmates would often comment that his pranks were "bananas" and the nickname stuck.

Who was the founder of Marzetti? ›

In 1896, Teresa Marzetti arrived in Columbus, Ohio from Florence and opened her small Italian restaurant. Marzetti's Restaurant grew from a local favorite into a four-star restaurant known for its salad dressings.

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