Story goes it was something they had in the menu so people got a decent meal in the 30s if I remember. I grew up in the Columbus area and probably had it available as school lunch food. Ground beef, cheddar cheese, noodles, very midwestern stick-to-the-ribs fare.

I've seen YouTube videos (Townsend? Tasting History? Early American?) that prepared the same basic thing with old recipes that went back to the 1700s or early 1800s. Noodles, tomatoes (fresh or home-jarred maybe), herbs, whatever cheese you had, have some meat you need to use mince it and add it, baked.

You'll get a lot of suggestions and variations, a lot of regional tweaks.

And I still make it every once in a while. However, there was no soup in it, rather it was made with a quick no frills sauce similar to our Italian family tomato sauce recipe so far as ingredients are concerned.

It is a great dish they just fucked it up. I would eat yours I am sure.

My mother in law made this. After much prompting, she gave me the recipe. Everyone in my family, including picky children, ate it.

This recipe is listed in so many church and organization fund raising cookbooks, I can't count how many. It sometimes varies a bit, but Johnny Marzetti is the name I've always heard. I'll see if I can dig out one of my old cookbooks and see if the ingredients are the same.

She wrote the I Hate to Cook Book back in the 60's.

Very glad to have learned the background of this family tradition.

A local sorority group funding raising cookbook:
Johnny Marzetti
4 oz med noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion
1 8-oz can mushrooms
1 can tomato soup
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/3 c water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb grated cheese

The ingredients may be a bit different, but I imagine the taste is similar. There are many variations, I think.

I suspect you are right about the variations, lol. Looks like the basic ingredients are the meat, noodles, cheese and tomato soup or sauce. Wouldn't have thought of worcestershire sauce, that sounds like a lovely addition. I would love to do the mushrooms, but have several family members who are allergic to them.
Thanks again, everyone, you are the best! 😃

added a drained can of corn to it but changed the name. She called it Noodle Poodle. I really like it with the corn.

Corn would be an interesting variation, sounds delish!

I had a small collection before I moved to Germany. Fun to look at regional differences for recipes.
It seems like producing them is quite a cottage industry.

Members contribute the recipes, they get the cookbook publisher to print them up, and most people will buy a cookbook when they might not buy something else. If nothing else, the buyer knows they can give it as an easy gift to someone. I've got to say, I use that type of cookbook much more than the Joy of Cooking.