Johnny Marzetti
Johnny Marzetti is an Italian American pasta dish in the cuisine of the Midwestern United States prepared with noodles, cheese, ground beef, and a tomato sauce that typically includes aromatic vegetables and mushrooms.[1] It is similar to American chop suey and American goulash.
Johnny Marzetti is a pasta casserole popular in the American Midwest and the former Panama Canal Zone | |
Alternative names | American chop suey, American goulash |
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Course | Main dish |
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | Columbus, Ohio, Midwestern United States |
Created by | Marzetti’s Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Pasta, ground beef, tomatoes |
Variations | Cheese, mushrooms, vegetables |
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.[2][3] 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.[4] Teresa Marzetti was the first person to serve the casserole Johnny Marzetti in a restaurant.[5] Proximity to the nearby Ohio State University helped the first restaurant succeed and spread Marzetti's fame.[6]
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.[7] Marzetti's later became known for various salad dressings, which are still produced under the T. Marzetti Company label.
References
- "Johnny Marzetti". Saveur. April 9, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- Edward Pfau (April 4, 2013), Casserole indeed started in Columbus, The Columbus Dispatch, p. 18A, retrieved October 20, 2013
- Charlotte Durham (September 30, 2009), Origin of Johnny Marzetti pasta casserole legendary, The Commercial Appeal, p. M4, retrieved October 20, 2013
- "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- "Johnny Marzetti - Ohio History Central". ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- "T. Marzetti Company - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- "Teresa Marzetti - Ohio History Central". Retrieved 23 September 2014.