Instant Pot Johnny Marzetti—a simple pasta dish with tomato sauce, Italian sausage, mushrooms and cheese.
Because my 2020 “state” recipe series was so popular I have decided to incorporate more U.S. state recipes this year. To see all my state recipes from 2020 you can visit Instant Pot Recipes From All 50 States. Today’s recipe is a favorite from the Midwest, more specifically Ohio. Greg grew up in Ohio and we have a special place in our heart for our beloved Buckeyes.
Instant Pot Johnny Marzetti
If you are wondering what in the world (or who is the world) is Johnny Marzetti you are not alone. I had no idea about this dish until Greg brought it up to me. Johnny Marzetti is a noodle and ground beef casserole dinner that originated in Columbus, Ohio. It was served at a restaurant, founded in 1896 and run by Teresa Marzetti. She named the dish after her brother-in-law, Johnny. Everyone loved this casserole. It was cheap and flavorful and Marzetti’s was super close to Ohio State University which was full of students looking for cheap, filling foods.
I’m sure there are a thousand versions of Johnny Marzetti recipes out there. My Instant Pot Johnny Marzetti recipe is more of an all-in-one-pot pasta dish instead of a casserole. It tastes great nonetheless and is fast and easy to make. And maybe it’s sacrilegious but I didn’t use ground beef in my recipe, but a more flavorful ground Italian sausage instead. You could, of course, use ground beef in the place of the sausage but you’d definitely want to up the salt and seasonings.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes…
Instant Pot Heavenly Casserole
Instant Pot Church Supper Spaghetti
Instant Pot American Chop Suey
Want more tried and true Instant Pot recipes?
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Instant Pot Johnny Marzetti
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A simple pasta dish with tomato sauce, Italian sausage, mushrooms and cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced onions
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 8 oz rotini pasta
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions and mushrooms. Brown for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the broth and scrape bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Layer the pasta, tomatoes and tomato sauce on top. Don’t stir.
- Sprinkle in the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up move valve back and forth in between venting and sealing every 3 seconds or so, this will prevent foam from spewing out of valve. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the cheeses.
- Scoop up and serve sprinkl with parsley.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Made this recipe for the first time and we loved it. I hate when people say they loved a dish and then add a ton of alterations , but here we are… I read the comments and Karen’s feedback and it was soooo good. I used one pkg Italian sausage and I would not swap that for ground beef. I increased pasta to 14 oz and doubled everything else except I only used 15 oz sauce (and used one onion and one pkg mushrooms). I also mixed the seasoning in with the meat mix instead of on top of the tomatoes and sauce. Finally, I used 2 c Italian cheese. This is definitely going to be new to our meal rotation!!!!
★★★★★
Nom nom! Now I want some! Thanks for the 5 stars Brenda!
Wow! I remember having this at camp! If I were to use 1lb of pasta should I add extra broth? I love your recipes!
Yes, I would double all ingredients and keep the same cooking time
looks delisious, but unless I missed it I don’t see where the instructions say to add the broth!
Hi Carla, it’s in step 2
Wow 🤩 this dish is amazing! I did add 16oz of pasta and added red pepper because I knew it would complement the dish. So tasty! Thank you Karen.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the 5 stars!
I love this recipe. Do you think that it could be doubled in a 6 qt. Instant Pot? Would you do anything special in putting it together?
Yes I think that will fit! I’d keep the same directions!
It was tasty. After reading the reviews, I upped the pasta to 12 oz. Next time will use only 10 oz. Used mini penne in place of rotini. Added a clove of minced garlic after the sausage, onions and mushrooms had browned.
★★★★★
I guess you found the happy medium! 8 oz is too little and 12 oz is too much!
Great, simple recipe! Rather than ground Italian sausage, I used ground lean Italian-seasoned turkey breast. I also used 16 oz. of whole wheat rotini. I knew I wouldn’t use the full amount of cheese mentioned in the recipe, but I wanted to keep the dish hearty and thick. I upped the cooking time to account for the whole wheat pasta and added cheese to the tops of each serving as I served it in dishes. We really enjoyed this! Thanks, Karen!
★★★★★
Love your ideas Kathy!
Thanks, this is a great, easy recipe that’s full of flavor and sauce. I added extra pasta, maybe 14 oz total, and some wine (a Missouri Norton!) for a little more liquid bang! A def repeat for me!
★★★★★
Sounds like a great dinner! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
I made this tonight. I really enjoyed it ; however, there was so much sauce. It did not look like the picture. I went by the instructions line by line. It was more like soup. Any suggestions, for next time?
★★★★★
You could add a bit more pasta or add in cornstarch to thicken perhaps that would help the soupiness factor.
Thank you! I will try more pasta next time. I really do like the recipe.
I made this for dinner this evening before our Boy Scout meeting. It came together quickly and tasted delicious. I added a bit more sausage and 16 oz of the pasta and upped the qty of spices to accommodate. It was flavorful and filling and we will be adding this to the rotation! This is exactly what I needed on a scout night- I had dinner cooked, eaten uniforms on and out the door on time. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Yes! This is what I love to hear! And I’m impressed about getting those uniforms on and out the door on time!
I haven’t made this yet but wanted to say Go Buckeyes!! I’ve got a son at OSU right now finishing his junior year! I might have to send him this recipe to make he’s been cooking a lot lately!
O-H!!!
P.s. I don’t have an instant pot can it be done in an oven or slow cooker? Thanks!
I-O!!!
Go bucks! Too bad they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Oh well…we still got next year!
I am sure you could make this in the oven. I would cook the pasta on the stove until al dente. Brown up the the sausage. Stir it all together (you won’t need the broth) and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.
I HAVEN’T MADE THIS YET BUT WHY DOES THIS ONE FOAM AND NEED THE BACK AND FORTH SEAL AND VENT?
I use it when I want to release the pressure more quickly but don’t want foam spilling out of the valve. It’s equivalent to opening a 2 liter bottle of soda.
I remember having Johnny Marzetti at my Ohio Catholic school cafeteria cooked from scratch way before frozen pizza was offered (1960’s)
★★★★
Nice! I love hearing this.
I have made this and it freezes well. Very easy to make
★★★★★
Thanks Frank!
I love all these casserole dishes you have been presenting. I grew up with one called Party Dish, made by both of my grandmothers. I ‘m not sure who started it, but they were both favorites. Same basic concept of browned ground meat, egg noodles, can of chopped tomatoes, diced bell peppers, corn , a can of whole pitted black olives, and baked in the oven until the noodles were soft enough to eat. Oh yes and topped with shredded cheddar at one Grandmothers house and with Velveeta at the other! I loved it best the nest day when the noodles really plumped out.
I love all things like this too!