Johnny Marzetti Casserole

This recipe comes from a couple I met in Key West, FL back in the mid-1950's. I always thought it was something they'd cooked up themselves, and I'm sure this version was their own, however, the original recipe going under the name ofJohnny Marzetti came from Columbus, Ohio 30 years before I knew anything about it.

An Italian restaurant there named "Marzetti's" invented it in 1920, and it was probably one of the first real "casserole" dishes that we know about.

Today, there are literally dozens of different versions of this delicious Italian recipe. Every time I've ever looked up anything about it, there seems to be at least another 3-4 versions, so I have to assume that every cook makes it to suit themselves or their own family or the Restaurant Owner if they are a professional.

My friends, Red and Lois who lived at the Southern Cross Hotel when I was there, gave me their version which is still my favorite and the best I've ever tasted. You just can't make a small amount of it simply because they liked to use several types of pastas, several kinds of wonderful cheeses and olives among other things like meats. Read the recipe over then choose what you want in your own Johnny Marzetti. I don't think there is such a thing as a "right way or wrong way" to make this delicious hearty Italian main dish. It's time consuming but very easy.

Here's is Red and Lois' version of Johnny Marzetti. You may pick and choose which and how much of each ingredient you'd like to use. Red used all this and sometimes more. It would be baked in the huge professional bake pans, every ingredient carefully pre-cooked and layered until he was satisfied that everything was "just right". He worked with the same care and enthusiasm as any artist you could imagine. You might want to call in all the help you can get - not only for the work involved, but for the fun you all will have making this dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. lean ground beef (like sirloin)
• 2 lb. ground chuck (fat gives lots of flavor)
• 2 lb. fresh Italian sausage (fat links)
• 2-3 very large onions, chopped
• 3-4 ribs celery, chopped
• 4-5 large Italian sweet peppers, chopped
• 6 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lb. fresh button mushrooms, halved
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
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• 2 tsp. dried fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp, salt (or to taste)
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 3 (24-28-32) oz. jars spaghetti sauce (can all be different)
• 8 oz. elbow macaroni
• 8 oz. thin spaghetti (broken into inch long pieces)
• 8 oz. Ziti
• 8 oz. small seashell macaroni
• 12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 16 oz. large-curd cottage cheese
• 16 oz. ricotta cheese
• 16 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Parmesan or Romano Cheese, fresh grated if possible
• 1/2 cup olive oil (for pastora)
• 1/2-2/3 cup Parmesan / Romano Cheese, fresh grated if possible (for pasta)
• 1 (12 oz.) jar Manzanita green olives - stuffed with pimento,drained)
• 2 large cans (15 oz.) medium black olives, drained
• 1 (8 oz.) jar pickled Italian peperoncini peppers (drained)
• 3-4 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs

Directions:

In a medium skillet, cook Italian sausage until it's brown, beginning to caramelize and thoroughly done. Drain on paper towel, squeezing to remove as much grease as possible and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside

In a very large pot, brown lean ground beef and ground chuck together. Drain all fat off and add chopped celery, Italian peppers, and onions. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, parsley, and garlic. Stir constantly until meat is almost done.

Add mushrooms and continue to stir until they are starting to turn dark. Lower heat, cover and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the 3 jars spaghetti sauce, Italian sausage, green and black olives, and peperoncini. Mix all together well and cover. Keep hot.

Boil water for pastas. If you have a really large pot, you may cook them all at once by adding the ziti first, the elbow macaroni 5 minutes later, seashell pasta 2 minutes after that. and the thin spaghetti last. Allow to boil in salted water for 8-10 more minutes. Remove from heat, drain carefully, and put it all back into the large pot. I have to cook each pasta separately, then mix them together in a large plastic dishpan.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of olive oil, and the 1/2-2/3 cup of Parmesan / Romano cheese (doesn't have to be exact). Cover with foil and set aside.

In a very large mixing bowl, mix the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, shredded cheddar, and mozzarella cheeses together as evenly as possible.

To assemble all the prepared ingredients, begin by greasing the large baking pan with olive oil. Add a thin layer of the mixed pastas. Add a layer of the meat and sauce mixture so that the pasta is covered. Add a layer of the mixedcheeses and sprinkle on Parmesan / Romano Cheese.

Repeat until you have used all the pasta, meat mixture, and cheese. You'll want to make the final layer cheese, then sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs.

Cover pan tightly with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 1 hour. Uncover the pan and continue baking until top is lightly browned and food is all hot and bubbly. (Another 30-45 minutes depending on your oven.

Serve with green salad and loaves of crispy garlic bread or hot Italian bread baguettes.

Call in all the family, friends and neighbors. This may be the most "Italian" dish I've ever made. The aroma when it's baking is just heavenly and the flavors only get better if you should have leftovers the next day.

Source: The recipe came directly to me from Red and Lois who were always the ring-leaders of our cooking adventures. Our group all lived at the Southern Cross Hotel which is still standing incidentally, right there on downtown Duval Street, Key West, FL. Although no food was prepared anymore to be sold to guests, there were a few of us who loved to cook well enough that we usually had the run of the big kitchen still being used by the owner's family. They allowed us to keep foods in the big refrigerators, cook on the professional gas stoves and of course, use the wonderful big gas ovens. We only had to clean-up after ourselves, and the family was often there to help us do that. They loved it when we cooked since the mother worked the 12-hour daytime shift at the desk, and rarely had time to cook for their three children. We all benefited greatly from their generosity and kindness.

When our bunch of "cooks" got together, almost anything was possible as we'd pool our money to buy all the ingredients and when it was all cooked most of the hotel's guests would eat with us. Although there were those like my husband and me who were "military", there were also a couple of elementary school teachers and a business manager for one of the big unions living there all year long. We also had our own private R.N. who was great about helping with sunburns, minor injuries like cuts and scrapes and upset stomachs when called upon.

You would never know Key West was the same city today as it's grown so much and there are numerous changes in culture and the large numbers of people making their year-around homes there. Many who were serving in the military back in the 50's ended up buying homes there and are now living the good life as military retirees.

We still have friends in Key West, so we know how worried they all are right now about the dreadful oil spill and what it's going to mean to our entire state and country. It's like losing a great huge chunk of American Life and History, which is exactly what is happening. There is no amount of money which can ever take the place of what we're losing personally besides the great loss of our birds and sea life. It can never ever be the same again.

By Julia from Boca Raton, FL