Johnny Marzetti is a Midwestern Italian American pasta dish consisting of noodles, cheese, ground beef, and a tomato sauce that typically includes aromatic vegetables and mushrooms.
History
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. 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. Proximity to the nearby Ohio State University helped the first restaurant succeed and spread Marzetti's fame.
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. 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".
See also
- List of casserole dishes
- List of pasta dishes
References
External links
- Kitchen Mailbox: Johnny Marzetti immortalized as casserole