Johnny Marzetti Casserole

Casserole in baking dish with a spoon scooping a serving.

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4.89 from 9 votes

Johnny Marzetti Casserole is a hearty ground beef Italian casserole with lots of cheese and a thick, rich tomato sauce.

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: ground beef, pasta

Servings:

Equipment

9x13-inch baking dish

Ingredients

1 pound large elbow pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 medium yellow or sweet onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (24-ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
40-50 pepperoni slices

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain well.
While water for pasta is coming to a boil, start cooking sauce.
Brown and crumble ground beef in a large nonstick skillet.
Drain off any grease.
Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft.
Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, tomato paste, pasta sauce, and water.
Simmer until thickened some. Remove from heat.
Place cooked pasta in the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Sprinkle half the mozzarella and half the cheddar cheese on top of the noodles,
Spread sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese.
Sprinkle with half the Parmesan.
Scatter the pepperoni on top. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet in case there is any over flow.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

Notes

For the pasta, my favorite is large elbow pasta but you can use penne, ziti, rotini, or egg noodles. You can use a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage if you want a little extra flavor.

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