Johnny Marzetti

Last updated
Johnny Marzetti
Johnny Marzetti.jpg
Johnny Marzetti is a pasta casserole popular in the American Midwest and the former Panama Canal Zone.
Alternative namesMarzetti, Johnny Mazetti, Mazetti, Johnny Machete, Joe Mazzotti, Jo Mazzotti
CourseMain dish
Place of origin United States
Region or stateColumbus, Ohio, Midwestern United States
Created byMarzetti's Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients Pasta, ground beef, Italian sausage, tomatoes, cheese
Variationsmushrooms, vegetables, olives
Similar dishes Chili mac [1] , American goulash [2]

Johnny Marzetti, also John Marzetti, John Mazzeti, [3] or Joe Mazetti [4] , is an American pasta dish in the cuisine of the Midwestern United States prepared with noodles, cheese, ground beef or Italian sausage, [5] and a tomato sauce that may include aromatic vegetables and mushrooms. [6] It has been described as a signature dish of Columbus, Ohio. [7] [8] It is similar to American goulash and Chili mac. [9] [10]

Contents

History

Common accounts state that Johnny Marzetti originated in Columbus, Ohio, at Marzetti's, an Italian restaurant established in 1896 at Woodruff Avenue and High Street by Italian immigrant Teresa (née Piacentini) Marzetti. [11] [12] 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 Marzetti. [13] [7] Teresa Marzetti was the first person to serve the casserole Johnny Marzetti in a restaurant. [14] Proximity to the nearby Ohio State University helped the first restaurant succeed and spread Marzetti's fame. [15] [16]

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. [17] Marzetti's later became known for various salad dressings, which are still produced under the T. Marzetti Company label. [18]

However, later statements by the Marzetti company, including company historians, dispute Teresa's creation and naming of the dish, stating that there is no evidence for this story and it is not one the T. Marzetti corporation shares. [8] [19] [18]

It is described as a popular party recipie from the 1950s and 1960s by Jean Anderson. [20]

Johnny Marzetti also became a popular dish in the former Panama Canal Zone, where Zonians referred to the dish as "Johnny Mazetti". [21] It was a common offering in school cafeterias but declined in popularity due to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 advocated for by Michelle Obama. [18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti a legend at lunch". The Akron Beacon Journal. 2007-08-08. pp. D001. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  2. ↑ "Serving up Johnny Marzetti". Connecticut Post. 2002-03-13. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  3. ↑ "Lunchroom fare recalls days before food pyramid became law (Johnny Marzetti mentioned)". The Daily Journal. 2005-04-01. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  4. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti still a popular guy". The Huntsville Times. 2007-03-28. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  5. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti is a Retro Pasta Casserole That Everyone Will Love".
  6. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti". Saveur. April 9, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Searching for Johnny Marzetti". Chicago Tribune. 2018-10-31. pp. 6–4. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  8. 1 2 Vitale, Bob. "What are Ohio's most iconic foods? See our list". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  9. ↑ "Serving up Johnny Marzetti". Connecticut Post. 2002-03-13. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  10. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti a legend at lunch". The Akron Beacon Journal. 2007-08-08. pp. D001. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  11. ↑ Edward Pfau (April 4, 2013), Casserole indeed started in Columbus, The Columbus Dispatch, p. 18A, archived from the original on October 19, 2021, retrieved October 20, 2013
  12. ↑ Charlotte Durham (September 30, 2009), Origin of Johnny Marzetti pasta casserole legendary, The Commercial Appeal, p. M4, retrieved October 20, 2013
  13. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". ohiohistorycentral.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "T. Marzetti Company - Ohio History Central". Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "Johnny Marzetti: Ohioans use many versions". The Cincinnati Post. 1974-07-24. p. 46. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  17. ↑ "Teresa Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 Lyttle, Eric. "The disappearance of Johnny Marzetti". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  19. ↑ Writer, Staff. "'Johnny Marzetti' casserole might have Columbus roots". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  20. ↑ Anderson, Jean (1997). The American century cook-book. Internet Archive. New York : C. Potter. ISBN   978-0-517-70576-6.
  21. ↑ Darbee, Jeff (August 20, 2014). "City Quotient: What is Columbus' definitive local food?". Columbus Monthly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2015.

40°00′13″N83°00′31″W / 40.003693°N 83.008571°W / 40.003693; -83.008571

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.