There is a category of weeknight dinner that asks almost nothing of you and delivers something that tastes considerably more involved than the effort warranted. This oven-baked casserole — a streamlined take on the classic Midwestern church-supper dish known as Johnny Marzetti — belongs squarely in that category. The method is genuinely simple: raw elbow macaroni goes into the bottom of a baking dish, browned ground beef goes on top, canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce are poured over everything, cheese goes on top, and then the whole thing bakes covered until the pasta has cooked directly in the sauce and absorbed all of its tomato flavor. No boiling pasta separately. No making a sauce. One pan, four ingredients, about an hour in the oven, and what comes out is a bubbling, cheesy, completely satisfying casserole that tastes like it has been simmering all afternoon.
The no-boil method is the key detail that makes this recipe so practical. Dry pasta baked in sauce absorbs the tomato liquid as it cooks, which means the pasta ends up with tomato flavor cooked into every bite rather than sitting under a sauce added afterward. The result has the comforting, cohesive quality of the kind of pasta bake that used to appear at every church basement potluck and school cafeteria in the Midwest — the kind of food that is not fashionable but is completely, stubbornly delicious in the way that honest, unfussy cooking always is.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 200 grams) dry elbow macaroni — uncooked, straight from the box. Do not boil first
- 1 pound (450 grams) ground beef — 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio is ideal for flavor; drain excess fat after browning so the finished casserole is not greasy
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, with all their juice — do not drain; the juice provides liquid for cooking the pasta
- 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
- Half a cup water — helps ensure the pasta cooks through completely and keeps the sauce from becoming too thick during baking
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided — sharp cheddar produces the best flavor; mild cheddar works but is less interesting. Use 1 and a half cups inside the casserole and reserve half a cup for the final topping
- Half a teaspoon garlic powder
- Half a teaspoon onion powder
- Half a teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Glass or ceramic is preferred over metal for this recipe — these materials conduct heat more gently and evenly, which helps the pasta cook through without the bottom layer overcooking before the center is done.
