Johnny Marzetti is a classic ground beef casserole with egg noodles, tomato soup, veggies, and cheese -- all baked into one delicious comfort food dish!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword casserole with egg noodles, ground beef casserole, Johnny Marzetti, Johnny Marzetti casserole, Johnny Marzetti recipe
Prep Time 50 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Calories 393kcal
Author Blair Lonergan
Ingredients
1 ½lbs.ground beef
½lb.pork sausage(or use additional ground beef)
1green bell pepper, diced
1yellow onion, diced
1(28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, not drained
2(10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup, not diluted (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
1(4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
1(7 ounce)jar green olives, drained (optional)
1cupgrated sharp cheddar cheese
Kosher salt and ground black pepper,to taste
Instructions
Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef, sausage, bell pepper, and onion in the skillet; drain. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add tomatoes (with juice), crushing them slightly with a wooden spoon, condensed soup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and garlic powder. Simmer over very low heat for about 30 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and olives, if using.
Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in a large pot of well salted boiling water for about 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large rectangular baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Remove the sauce mixture from the heat; toss with the cooked noodles.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
Notes
Omit the green olives and/or sliced mushrooms if your family doesn't care for those ingredients.
Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste preferences. For instance, you might like to omit the brown sugar for a less sweet tomato sauce, add cayenne to make it spicy, or include chili powder for a zestier flavor.
Boil the noodles in well-salted water. This is your opportunity to really season the pasta.
Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than al dente. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven, so you want to slightly under-boil them so that they don’t become mushy after baking.
Garnish the casserole with fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, basil or oregano) for a bright, fresh touch. Sliced green onions are also good!