Stove Top Johnny Marzetti Casserole with American Cheese
This one-pot Johnny Marzetti is the kind of hamburger casserole you’ll want on repeat tender egg noodles, savory ground beef, and a creamy homemade sauce. No canned soup, no Velveeta, just hearty, weeknight comfort in half an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion (large, diced)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 8 ounces American Cheese (cubed)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, make a white sauce. Add 2 tablespoons butter to a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk and chicken broth whisking until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet with a lid, cook hamburger, onions and green peppers until the hamburger is browned and the onions have softened. The green peppers should still have some crunch to them. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Drain any grease, if needed.
- Add the white sauce and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Add cooked egg noodles and stir to combine.
- Place cheese cubes on the top and cover with a lid. Heat over low heat until cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- Cook the flour in the butter for at least a minute – it gets rid of that chalky texture that raw flour has.
- Don’t overcook the peppers! They should still be a little bit crunchy.
- Undercook the pasta just a little bit – I like to take about a minute off of the package directions for ‘al dente,’ which for most noodles is about 6 minutes. Slightly undercooking the pasta allows it to absorb all of the sauce without getting mushy.
Nutrition
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 1156mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 440mg | Iron: 3mg
