ground beef, green bell pepper, tomatoes, cheddar cheese –
Growing up, my family’s best guess at the name of this beloved dish was “Mexican casserole”. It flew in the face of the Spanish olives and egg noodles, but what else could we call it?
Apparently, it’s proper name is Johnny Marzetti Casserole. And it’s a Midwestern-US Italian-American creation.
How did my Northeastern-US (presumably) German-American Grammy know about it? To avoid being as wrong as I was when I called it Mexican, I’m just going to admit:
I don’t know.
does Johnny Marzetti Casserole vegan?
Adhere to my recommendations to make the best vegan version of this meaty cheese-covered classic. I’m not affiliated with any of them; I’ve simply done my homework:
You’ll use shredded vegan cheddar in this recipe. However, my shredded vegan mozzarella review reveals which US-nationally available brand of shredded vegan cheese melts the best.
what about the egg noodles?
Look for Great Value Egg-Free Pasta Ribbons if you live near a Walmart.
Otherwise, fusilli will work too.
Community Spotlight: Johnny Marzetti Casserole
Description
Generally, any recipe that calls for 1/2 anything is automatically doubled in my house. This one, however, makes a ton of food!
serves 8
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare Produce.
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Peel and chop onion into small dice. Set aside.
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Core and chop pepper into small dice. Set next to onion.
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Peel and mince garlic. Set next to pepper.
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Finally, slice olives and roughly chop parsley. Set aside.
The onion, pepper, and garlic are needed for the next steps; olives and parsley are needed later.
Make Sauce.
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In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown ground "beef" for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and set aside, but nearby.
In between stirring during Steps 5-6, measure and open cans as needed from mustard through sugar. -
Add onion to newly emptied pot. Sauté in oil rendered from "beef" for 3 minutes, then add pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes more until onion is translucent and pepper is soft.
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Add garlic. Sauté for 1 minute, then add mustard powder and sauté for 1 minute more.
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Add tomato paste. Sauté for 2 minutes until slightly deeper in aroma and color.
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Add diced tomatoes (with their juices) and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil.
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Return cooked ground "beef" to pot. Stir until uniformly mixed, then partially cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and move onto Step 12.
Boil Pasta.
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Subtract 1 minute from low end of cooking time, then drain and set aside.
For example, if your package says to boil pasta for 7-8 minutes, boil it for 6. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Assemble Casserole.
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Remove sauce from heat. Incorporate olives, then pasta.
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Transfer noodle mixture to a high heat-tolerant casserole dish. Evenly cover with "cheese", then bake for 20 minutes.
If desired, brown cheese by:
- broiling for 1-3 additional minutes; or
- increasing heat to 500°F/260°C for the last 5 minutes.
Vegan cheeses brown differently than dairy cheeses - if at all. Keep an eye on your food to avoid burning, or skip browning altogether. -
Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Note
I'm not sure how other bloggers predict the length of time their food will keep. I think the longest this recipe lasted in my house was 4 days? It was covered and refrigerated in between dinner times.
I imagine it would freeze well in one or multiple airtight container(s), but I haven't tested that either!
Thankfully, I can say exactly why I recommend Impossible and Daiya.
