Johnny Marzetti is an American pasta dish in the cuisine of the Midwestern United States prepared with noodles, cheese, ground beef, and a tomato sauce that may include aromatic vegetables and mushrooms.[1] It is similar to American chop suey and American goulash.
![]() Johnny Marzetti is a pasta casserole popular in the American Midwest and the former Panama Canal Zone | |
Alternative names | American chop suey, American goulash |
---|---|
Course | Main dish |
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | Columbus, Ohio, Midwestern United States |
Created by | Marzetti’s Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Pasta, ground beef, tomatoes |
Variations | Cheese, mushrooms, vegetables |
Johnny Marzetti originated in Columbus, Ohio at Marzetti's, an Italian restaurant established in 1896 at Woodruff Avenue and High Street by an Italian immigrant named Teresa Marzetti.[2][3] 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.[4] Teresa Marzetti was the first person to serve the casserole Johnny Marzetti in a restaurant.[5] Proximity to the nearby Ohio State University helped the first restaurant succeed and spread Marzetti's fame.[6]
By the 1920s, it had become popular across Ohio and the Midwestern United States. The original restaurant closed in 1942, but a second location, opened in 1919, remained in operation until Teresa Marzetti died in 1972.[7] Marzetti's later became known for various salad dressings, which are still produced under the T. Marzetti Company label.
Johnny Marzetti also became a popular dish in the former Panama Canal Zone. Some locals in this region felt that the dish originated there, and typically referred to it as "Johnny Mazetti".[8]
Pasta dishes | |
---|---|
| |
| |
![]() |