Johnny Marzetti, or simply marzetti, is an American pasta dish in the cuisine of the Midwestern United States prepared with noodles, cheese, ground beef or Italian sausage,[1] and a tomato sauce that may include aromatic vegetables and mushrooms.[2]

Johnny Marzetti
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 originUnited States
Region or stateColumbus, Ohio, Midwestern United States
Created byMarzetti's Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsPasta, ground beef, Italian sausage, tomatoes, cheese
Variationsmushrooms, vegetables, olives

History

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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.[3][4] 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.[5] Teresa Marzetti was the first person to serve the casserole Johnny Marzetti in a restaurant.[6] Proximity to the nearby Ohio State University helped the first restaurant succeed and spread Marzetti's fame.[7]

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.[8] 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, where Panamanian locals referred to the dish as "Johnny Mazetti".[9]

In Season 3, Episode 18 of Gilmore Girls, "Happy Birthday, Baby", Johnny Marzetti casserole is referred to as "Johnny Machete", a dish [10]Richard Gilmore's grandmother made for him when he was feeling sad.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Johnny Marzetti is a Retro Pasta Casserole That Everyone Will Love".
  2. ^ "Johnny Marzetti". Saveur. April 9, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ Charlotte Durham (September 30, 2009), Origin of Johnny Marzetti pasta casserole legendary, The Commercial Appeal, p. M4, retrieved October 20, 2013
  5. ^ "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ^ "T. Marzetti Company - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Teresa Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Johnny Marzetti Recipe". May 2009.
  11. ^ Gilmore Gags (2014-02-20), Richard is making the dinner, retrieved 2018-01-28
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40°00′13″N 83°00′31″W / 40.003693°N 83.008571°W / 40.003693; -83.008571