Johnny Marzetti Casserole is a baked pasta casserole of ground beef and mild Italian sausage in a tomato sauce with onion, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning, layered with rotini and an Italian cheese blend, then finished with sharp Cheddar. It bakes covered in a 9×13-inch dish for 45 minutes, gets a Cheddar top, and rests a few minutes before serving. It serves 8.
How to make it: Cook the rotini to a firm al dente and rinse it. Brown the beef and sausage until they reach 160°F, soften the onion and mushrooms in a little of the drippings, and stir in the garlic, seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar. Layer sauce, pasta, Italian cheese and the rest of the sauce, cover and bake at 350°F, then top with Cheddar and bake until the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Two meats: beef and sausage share the sauce.
- Two cheeses: an Italian blend inside the layers and sharp Cheddar on top.
- Oven or slow cooker: bake it, or finish it in the slow cooker.
- Serves 8: a full 9×13 dish for a family dinner or a potluck.
What Is Johnny Marzetti?
Johnny Marzetti is a Midwest baked casserole of ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce and cheese. Versions differ on the pasta (rotini, elbow macaroni or egg noodles), the meat and the add-ins. This one adds Italian sausage and mushrooms to the beef and layers the dish with two cheeses.
Ingredient Notes
Rotini: 2 cups, dry.
Meat: 1 pound of ground beef and 1/2 pound of ground mild Italian sausage.
Onion, mushrooms and garlic: 3/4 cup of diced onion, 1/2 pound of white mushrooms (washed and chopped) and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
Tomatoes: one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes and one 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
Seasoning: 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of white sugar.
Cheese: 2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend for the layers and 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp Cheddar for the top.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotini pasta, dry
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage, ground, mild
- 3/4 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 pound white mushrooms, washed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
How to Make Johnny Marzetti Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta. Cook the rotini in boiling water according to the package directions, stopping at a firm al dente because it cooks again in the oven. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.
3. Brown the meat. Cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet until browned and cooked through (ground meat reaches 160°F). Drain the grease, keeping about 1 tablespoon in the pan, and move the meat to a bowl.
4. Soften the vegetables. Cook the onion and mushrooms in the skillet grease until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Make the meat sauce. Stir in the Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Simmer briefly, then stir the meat back in and take the pan off the heat.
6. Start the layers. Spread a little of the meat sauce over the bottom of the dish, then top with the pasta.
7. Add the cheese and sauce. Sprinkle the Italian cheese blend over the pasta, then pour the rest of the meat sauce over the top.
8. Bake covered. Cover the dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling.
9. Add the Cheddar. Uncover, sprinkle the Cheddar over the top and bake again until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the center reaches 165°F.
10. Rest and serve. Let the casserole sit for 5 to 10 minutes to set, then spoon it onto plates.
How to Keep the Pasta From Getting Mushy
The rotini cooks twice, once in the pot and again for 45 minutes in the oven. A few habits keep it firm:
- Stop early. Pull the pasta at a firm al dente, or about 1 minute before the package time.
- Rinse it. Run cold water over the drained pasta to stop the cooking right away.
- Layer, don’t stir. Sauce on the bottom, then pasta, cheese and the rest of the sauce. The sauce on top keeps the pasta covered while it bakes.
- Cover it first. Bake it covered for the first 45 minutes, then uncover it only for the Cheddar.
- Let it set. Five to 10 minutes out of the oven makes it easier to spoon out.
What Gives Johnny Marzetti Its Flavor?
The flavor comes from what goes into the sauce: browned beef and Italian sausage, onion and mushrooms softened in a spoonful of the drippings, garlic, Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar. The Italian cheese blend inside and the sharp Cheddar on top finish it.
Variations
- Slow cooker: grease the slow cooker, spread a little sauce on the bottom, add the firm al dente pasta and the rest of the sauce, then cook covered on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the center reaches 165°F. Sprinkle the Cheddar on top and cover again until it melts.
- Other pasta: elbow macaroni or egg noodles work in place of rotini.
- Beef only: skip the sausage and use more ground beef.
- No mushrooms: leave them out, or use 1/2 cup of diced celery instead.
- All Cheddar: use Cheddar in the layers as well as on top.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers for 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water in a leak-proof bag, or in the microwave. A casserole reheated from frozen takes about one and a half times as long.
Reheating: Reheat covered in the oven or microwave until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
A green side balances the rich sauce. Try smothered green beans or a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. For more baked pasta dinners, make baked goulash casserole, million dollar spaghetti casserole, baked mostaccioli or slow cooker baked ziti.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gives Johnny Marzetti its flavor?
Beef and sausage, onion, mushrooms, garlic, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, and two cheeses: an Italian blend and sharp Cheddar.
Can Johnny Marzetti be made in the oven or in a slow cooker?
Both. Bake it at 350°F, or layer it in a greased slow cooker and cook on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the center reaches 165°F.
How do I keep the pasta from getting mushy?
Cook it to a firm al dente, rinse it under cold water, and bake the casserole covered for the first 45 minutes.
Can I freeze Johnny Marzetti?
Yes. Freeze leftovers for 3 to 4 months and reheat until they reach 165°F.
Final Notes
Make the sauce while the pasta boils and it’s in the oven in about 25 minutes. If you try it with elbow macaroni, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Johnny Marzetti Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 cups rotini pasta dry
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage ground, mild
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 1/2 pound white mushrooms washed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 can diced tomatoes 15 ounces
- 1 can tomato sauce 15 ounces
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar white
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend shredded
- 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the rotini in boiling water according to the package directions, stopping at a firm al dente because it cooks again in the oven. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet until browned and cooked through (ground meat reaches 160°F). Drain the grease, keeping about 1 tablespoon in the pan, and move the meat to a bowl.
- Cook the onion and mushrooms in the skillet grease until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Simmer briefly, then stir the meat back in and take the pan off the heat.
- Spread a little of the meat sauce over the bottom of the dish, then top with the pasta.
- Sprinkle the Italian cheese blend over the pasta, then pour the rest of the meat sauce over the top.
- Cover the dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling.
- Uncover, sprinkle the Cheddar over the top and bake again until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the center reaches 165°F.
- Let the casserole sit for 5 to 10 minutes to set, then spoon it onto plates.
