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    Home » Our latest posts » Beef and Lamb

    Mezetti Casserole - Inexpensive Hearty Meal

    June 20, 2021 Filed Under: Beef and Lamb, Main Courses with Meat

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    This simple beef, mushroom and noodle casserole is a delicious one pot meal the whole family will love. Great for camping.

    Mezetti Casserole (aka Johnny Marzetti Casserole or just Marzetti Casserole) makes an inexpensive hearty one pot meal.

    Beef and noodle casserole on a plate with text overlay "Mezetti Casserole aka Johnny Marzetti Casserole"

    Growing up this dish was called Mezetti in my house. Curious about the SEO possibilities of such a recipe name, I googled it and found that somehow the name had been changed from Johnny Marzetti Casserole somewhere along the line before getting to my family.

    The original was a cheap but filling dish created at an Italian restaurant near Ohio State University to serve college students on a budget. Get the full backstory and the original Johnny Marzetti Casserole recipe at The Sun Sentinel.

    Mom (and probably Grandma Ruth before her) always made it with fine egg noodles, but any kind of pasta will do, including the angel hair pasta pictured above.

    Mezetti: First Night Camping Meal

    Mezetti was usually our dinner on the first night of a camping trip.

    All you need to do is cook the ground beef, vegetables and spices at home, then store in a zip to lock bag. Mix with the remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet covered with foil and put it over the fire while you are setting up camp.

    Be sure to peek at it a few times to make sure it has enough water and give it a stir. Easy peasy!

    More Campout Recipes from #OurFamilyTable

    Our family table logo

    We are going on a virtual campout this week with plenty of delicious recipes you can make even if you are just camping in your own living room.

    • Campfire Mezetti from That Recipe
    • Campfire S'mores Banana Boats from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
    • Campfire Style Organic Homemade Marshmallows from Art of Natural Living
    • Cheeseburger Hobo Dinner Packets from Blogghetti
    We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, follow our Pinterest board, too!

    Mezetti – Beef and Noodle Skillet

    Beef and noodle casserole on a plate with text overlay "Mezetti Casserole aka Johnny Marzetti Casserole"
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
    • ½ cup green bell pepper (diced)
    • ½ cup onion (diced)
    • 1-2 clove garlic (minced)
    • 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms and stems with liquid
    • 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
    • ¾ cups water
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 8 ounces fine egg noodles (or ½ pack angel hair pasta broken in about 2)
    • 1 cup Cheddar or Mozzarella (grated)

    Instructions
     

    • Brown meat with bell pepper, onion and garlic in large heavy skillet.
    • Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, water, chili powder, salt and pepper.
    • Sprinkle egg noodles evenly over top.
    • Cover skillet; bring liquid to steaming (not quite boiling). Turn heat to low and cook for 25 minutes until noodles are soft.
    • Sprinkle grated cheese over top of noodles and cook uncovered another 5 minutes to melt cheese.

    Notes

    This works great on camping trips. Precook the beef, vegetables and spices and bring to camp in a zip to lock bag. Then add to a cast iron skillet with lid (or foil) or Dutch oven with the remaining ingredients and cook over the camp fire. Adjust cooking time as needed. Plan this for your first night's dinner so you have plenty of time for the camp ground set up. 

    Sound fabulous? Share it!

    More One Pot Meals

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    Until next time, happy eating!
    ~Audrey

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joanne T Ferguson

      October 13, 2014 at 5:28 pm

      G'day! This so reminds me of childhood yum!
      Cheers! Joanne

      Reply
    2. Jamie

      October 13, 2014 at 5:57 pm

      YUM!! Looks easy to make and tasty - I love that kind!! #ibabloggers

      Reply
    3. Sarah @ MePlus3...Today!

      October 13, 2014 at 6:26 pm

      I love the fact that it is a one skillet meal. Less dishes to clean! #ibabloggers

      Reply
    4. Elizabeth

      October 13, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      Love egg noodles. There is just something about them with beef that really makes my mouth water! Thank you. #ibabloggers!

      Reply
    5. Stacey Gannett

      October 13, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      This looks great! I think that for our family, I would stick with the Angel Hair pasta. I make something similar only with rice. Have a great week! #ibablogger

      Reply
    6. Sinea Pies

      October 15, 2014 at 6:18 am

      Audrey, this sounds so good and I love how easy it is to make. Pinned it!
      Have you shared it at this week's Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop on Ducks 'n a Row yet?
      Please do!!! 🙂

      Reply
    7. Judy

      October 19, 2014 at 7:58 am

      Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker ! I hope to see you there!
      [email protected] http://www.bakeatmidnite.com

      Reply
    8. Lou Lou Girls

      October 20, 2014 at 8:23 am

      Oh yummy! Pinned. Lou Lou Girls

      Reply
    9. Hezzi-D

      June 20, 2021 at 3:27 am

      Yum! Sounds like a really tasty and hearty meal to serve up. Of course, I like just about anything with pasta so this would be a definite yes from me.

      Reply
    10. Lisa Kerhin

      June 20, 2021 at 11:40 am

      I'm in! Love that this can be ,made in a skillet or over the campfire.

      Reply
    11. Inger @ Art of Natural Liivng

      June 24, 2021 at 5:34 am

      Great camping recipe. I can see kids flocking to this!

      Reply

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