Easy and Cheesy Hamburger Casserole: Johnny Marzetti Twist

Johnny Marzetti is a classic comfort food casserole that we Southerners just can’t get enough of. While my recipe deviates a little from how your grandmother made it (no Velvetta), the result is a super simple stove top meal that doesn’t require a lot of work. The combination of ground beef, onion, green pepper, and egg noodles in a cheesy sauce is just about as comforting and easy as you can get.

Johnny MarzettiPhoto byButter & Baggage

Make a Hamburger Casserole for Dinner Tonight

Did you grow up eating Johnny Marzetti? Weird name for a hamburger casserole but it was on my Mother-in-laws dinner rotation and became one of my favorite casseroles. However, her recipe uses Velveeta and canned tomato soup. With a few tweaks and changes, this recipe is even better.

American cheese from the deli gives it that creamy texture but with so much more flavor than processed cheese and a homemade bechamel sauce holds it all together without the need for canned soup.

The unique flavor that you will see in this casserole over other hamburger casseroles is from the use of green pepper. It can be a strong flavor but it’s needed to give this casserole it’s distinct flavor. It tastes completely different from a traditional ground beef casserole with potatoes or hamburger casserole with biscuits or mac and cheese with chili.

Making just a couple of homemade tweaks can make these old fashioned casseroles so much more flavorful and it doesn’t take much more time. Traditionally, this dish is baked in the oven, but the stovetop method makes it super simple.

What You'll Need for Johnny Marzetti

• ▢1 lb ground beef
• ▢1 onion large, diced
• ▢1 green pepper diced
• ▢2 tablespoons butter
• ▢2 tablespoons flour
• ▢1 cup milk
• ▢1 cup chicken broth
• ▢15 oz tomato sauce
• ▢8 ounces egg noodles
• ▢8 ounces American Cheese cubed

Tips for Making Johnny Marzetti

• Cook the flour in the butter for at least a minute – it gets rid of that chalky texture that raw flour has.

• Don’t overcook the peppers! They should still be a little bit crunchy.

• Undercook the pasta just a little bit – I like to take about a minute off of the package directions for ‘al dente,’ which for most noodles is about 6 minutes. Slightly undercooking the pasta allows it to absorb all of the sauce without getting mushy.

More Weeknight Casseroles to Try

• Shepherds Pie
• Scallopped Potatoes and Ham
• Tamale Pie Casserole
• Million Dollar Chicken Casserole