I really liked this recipe not only for the ease of cooking and quickness, but because it reminds me of simple old-fashioned Southern cooking. I used to eat a lot of Hamburger Helper in college, I wish I had had this recipe back then!

I grew up on this recipe and still love it. Adding a little chopped green pepper with the onion is also good - and another way Mom made this was to mix everything together, put it into a casserole dish, cover with grated cheddar and pop it into the oven until the cheddar was melted - YUM!

Mom and Grandma both made this--I think my Mom still does.

They both used chopped green pepper in it (I prefer red sweet pepper), and my Aunt Nancy added garlic to hers.

Sometimes, Mom would also melt cheese on top--but it was never cheddar, but Velveeta. Cheddar would have been better, I must say.

My mom made something like this for us that her mom made for them. The only difference was that it had corn in it, and I don't think my mom used onion (probably simply because she didn't want to chop one -- my mom wasn't a cook). My grandma called it John Marcetti. My mom has no idea why, but that's what we called it too.

I learned a variation of this dish called "Train Wreck" back in college. Saute the ground beef and onion, add two cups of frozen veggies and spaghetti sauce, heat through, add the cooked pasta and then some mozzarella cheese to finish it off. My son called from the military to ask for the ingredients so that he could continue the tradition! (He called again to say that, "It tasted exactly like it was supposed to.") God bless our troops.

It's similar to a famous recipe called:
Johnny Marzetti...which can be found online at the the Chicago Sun-Times website.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/recipe/19aswa.html

Hey, I make something similar, but have a good shortcut to make it even easier. Add a cup or two of water to the ground beef, tomato, onion mixture to make it really soupy, then add the dried pasta straight to that pan. The pasta will cook in with the simmering meat and tomatos, soak up the extra liquid, and pick up all those flavors. Yum! And, you don't have to wash a pasta cooking pan.

My mom had a version of this she called John Marcetti (and I see another post with that name! Small world). I have no idea why either. I am now a vegetarian (although I cook with meat for my family and will try this one) and I'll bet that tempeh or bulgar would make an almost unidentifiable substitute for the beef.

My mom used to make the same thing growing up. We always called it Goulash (hmm.. I don't think I've ever tried to spell goulash before...) I can't remember the last time I had it...must have been over 20 years ago!

That's so great that other people know John Marcetti! I was pretty sure my grandma didn't make that name up. Now I'll have to do some research and find out where that name comes from -- I'm determined. Thanks for that recipe, Dave -- though it's MUCH fancier than what my mom made, and grandma I'm sure. ;-)

My family makes this all the time and we called it goulash also (a rose by any other name..etc).

I some times take it to potlucks when I don't have much time to prepare something fancy and I make it and take it in my crock pot. And it's always a big hit.

People that haven't had it in a while always say "When I was a growing we used to have this all the time"

I think it is one of the best comfort foods out there.

I found this...

What's Johnny Marzetti? Johnny Marzetti is a casserole created in the 1920s by the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Who was Johnny Marzetti? According to the "American Century Cookbook" by Jean Anderson, Johnny Marzetti was the brother of the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant.

Here's the rest of the article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/food/19991104mailbox.asp

:)

My mom made what we called "goop" growing up. she used tomato juice and a can of sliced mushrooms. I have made it my own by using a vegetable juice, celery, green pepper and bring it to a simmer, add the raw ground beef simmer til it's cooked add a little water and a cup of uncooked macaroni and cook til the macaroni is done! yum!! oh --- LOTS of fresh cracked pepper!

Growing up, I just called it hamburger macaroni. My husband's family called it "garbage" for some reason.

I made this for dinner last night, and it was a big hit! My only suggestion is to add about a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. (And, I confess, we added a combination of American and cheddar, and it was perfect!)

As always, thanks, Elise!

HMO must be a universal recipe for several generations. I recall my mother making it as I grew up, but unfortunately her recipe didn't find it's way into the family cookbook. Elegante Mother hasn't made HMO for more than 25 years, so I was delighted to find that you'd featured it. I'm pulling together recipes for one of my grandnephews, and I'll add this to his cookbook. Thanks!

My grandmother also fed us this great dish,,but we called it Slumgullen.

This looks like something my family would love, and a boon to those days where I don't feel much like cooking, but I don't understand using a separate skillet for browning the onions--why not just put them in to sautee with the ground beef? Don't most people do it that way for spaghetti sauce, chili, etc., or is it just me?

Note from Elise: Saves time. You want the hamburger to brown, and it will brown best on high heat, while the onions will cook best on medium high heat.

Wonderful recipe.
I made last night and it was very good.
I put shredded cheese on top of mine, yummy!

This was so yummy! But we don't eat beef so I substituted ground turkey. For those of you who might prefer the turkey option, the meat might turn out a little bland. To fix this, I first sauteed the onion in the saute pan and added the meat to the onion. After the meat had browned, I added the salt, crushed red pepper, celery seed and Worcestershire sauce. I let this simmer for a few minutes to flavor the meat and then added the tomatoes, let it simmer a minute or so and then added the macaroni and parsley. I left the ground turkey in kind've large pieces so it was important to make sure it had flavor! This did the trick. Oh-I also topped this with a little grated pecorino romano at the end. So good. Sometimes the simple things are the best.

My mom used to make a similar dish it was just Macaroni, diced or whole tomatoes from the can (chopped)she didn't like them so small, and spam. She just called it Macaroni & Tomatoes. It's really good, but a very salty dish. I'll have to try this recipe later.

We called this "goulash"! I still make a very similar variant at least twice a month for myself. They also served this at my favorite restaurant (which is no longer open) back home in Iowa on Wednesdays at lunchtime. Yum! :)

In our household, this is called Slopparoni or Glopparoni, as the spirit moves us.

Actually, anything with a macaroni base would fit that title. Here in Minnesota, it's a "hotdish" and the crushed red peppers would be regarded with suspiscion, the cook opting instead for a Lutheran whitening agent such as sour cream or cream of mushroom soup. Bliss.

My mom used to make a form of this for us when I was little, it was great for us because there were four of us kids and it was easy to make a huge batch plus leftovers. We always called it Grunt'n'Growl. Where that name came from I have no idea.

I also had something similar growing up...we called it Mixed Up Mess...because I guess my mom added whatever was in the frig. Onions, celery, peppers, zucchini, corn, beans, mushrooms, etc.
I still make it and I still use whatever I have in the frig.

We've been making this for generations and have always called it "American Chop Suey." Ours is simpler with just meat, onions and a large can of diced tomatoes, then add the macaroni. Nice to know it's comfort food in so many regions!

My mother-in-law made this for my husband when he was growing up. I never had it myself. He told me about it so I tried to make it for him. I had no tomatoes so I substituted salsa. He liked it and that is what I have been using ever since. I mentioned it to his sister and she was horrified that I messed with the "family recipe"!

I made something very similar to this in the pressure cooker last night, my one-pot miracle. I used ground pork instead of hamburger and cellentani noodles. Brown the meat, add everything else, and cook for 6 minutes! I used fennel seeds and a little red wine, no Worcestershire sauce. My two year old said, "No!" when I put it in front of him, but we have a "you have to eat one bite" rule, and after that he ate three bowls full.

My mom made a version of this called "moola," which was passed down from her mom. It began with frying up some chopped bacon, then browning the ground beef and onions in the bacon grease (these were the old days of working hard outdoors all day, so there was no sissy draining of the grease). V-8 juice provided the liquid, and swiss cheese was melted on top at the end. Delicious, if artery-hardening.

I made this last night. With all the rain we're having in the Northeast, it's still comfort food weather! Anyway, after reading some of the posts, I added green peppers. Otherwise I stuck with the recipe. It was delish but next time I think I will also add a 1/2 can or so of tomato sauce as I would have liked it a little less dry... I almost omitted the Worcestire Sauce but thought better of it and grabbed some at a convenience store. I am glad I did not leave it out!

I never had this until I joined the military. At both Fort Jackson, S.C. and Fort Sam-Houston, TX it was referred to as "chili-mac". I loved it then, and make it for my friends now. 25 minutes or less, you can prepare enough food for 8 people.

I have been looking for this type of recipe for quite some time. My Mom used to make this for us when we were growing up. There were four of us children and we always called it "GARBAGE" I don't know why. Sometime there were one or two pork chops left over from a previous dinner and my Mom would throw them in and it was always a game to see who would get the pork chop with their serving. What a great Mom my Mom was.

My 91-year-old grandma makes this. She calls it "Hotdish," and we all know what she is referring to since she makes no other caserole-type dish. She uses a quart of HOME-CANNED tomatoes which break down into a slurry, with no distinct tomato chunks. When she wants to get FANCY, she adds diced green or red pepper.

Just wanted to add that we've always called this "American Chop Suey" as well (I think this name is an East Coast thing, maybe?) and have it at least once a month. It's a rare thing when there's actually leftovers. Definitely one of those 'go to' meals when you want something fast, yummy and totally comforting. And most of the ingredients are always in my pantry. :)

I tried this, but found that a can of tomato paste was needed, as well. It turned out nicely.

this recipe comes up as gluten free but worchestire sauce is not GF. An important distinction for those of us who can get really sick by consuming the smallest amount of gluten...

This is a good recipe but to make it even better add some Italian seasonings and lots of cheese.

I remember having this at least twice a month at our school cafeteria. It was called American Chop Suey, and I'm from Northern Maine so maybe it is an east coast name. Every family I knew had it once in a while with slightly different versions. I liked it without onions, but was so enamored with it, I'd eat the schools version with onions anyway. We used to have great food back then, all homemade everyday! Now my kids have the option of crustables, a PB&J sandwich made by Smuckers. UGH!

My mother-in-law makes this dish, but instead to plain canned tomatoes she uses canned stewed tomatoes, it adds the extra sweetness that Johnny Marzetti has.

This was a breeze to make and a substantial, one-skillet hearty meal. Be proud to serve this to anyone from your kids to your boss. The second time I made this I did add another 1 tsp of salt and only 1/2 of the pasta. Deeelicious!

WoW!! This recipe was great! I had to look it up for a class and it was AWESOME!

I plan on making this tonight. But what's "vegesal"? Is it similar to Mrs. Dash? Or is it more like Lawry's seasoned salt? I don't use Lawry's anymore (although, I grew up on the stuff) because of the msg.

So, would it be okay to just use regular sea salt?

Thanks, and love your blog, and love your wonderful pictures!

I have made this two times now. My husband said it was really good the first time, so I made it again last night. I actually use low carb pasta to make it a lower carb dish so that I can also enjoy it. There's a really good low carb pasta out there that I've been feeding to my husband for a long while now, and I don't think he knows it. Anyway the only things I did different was to add italian seasoning and put parmesan cheese on top of it after it's dished. This recipe comes together quickly and it's tasty and filling!

I always had fond memories of eating american chop suey in elementary school, but was disheartened when it was discontinued. I was so happy to come across this recipe - I made enough to last for about 3 days! I noticed it tastes better the day after (doesn't all pasta?), once all the ingredients have really been absorbed by the pasta. Thanks!!

Great recipe! Easily converted to a chili-mac recipe with chili spices, some green pepper, a can of kidney beans, a can of corn, and a tablespoon or two of brown sugar.

This was very good. I doubled the receipe and used red bell pepper, a can of chopped green chili's, and instead of the celery seed(didn't have any) I used a Mexican seasoning blend. It was great and will be gone by tomorrow night! My husband wants to make it with some ground Elk.

I make this recipe often as well, and learned it from my mother. The only thing I do differently is, I only cook the pasta half way and let it finish cooking in the tomato sauce so that it gets that tomato-y flavor in the pasta.

Hi, I'm from Asia and had another similar version of this dish. We called it Fried Macaroni. We are using a mixture of chili sauce, tomato sauce, soy sauce (to replace Worcestershire sauce and tomato). Cooking method is similar as above. Eventhough haven't try this yet, but I know this will taste good.

My mom used to make something similar to this. Only since my family loved spicy food she used some cayenne pepper or chili powder to give it a little extra kick, but if your family doesn't agree on the level of spice it might be something best left for each person to add.

It was quite tasty and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe on your website! I'm looking forward to trying out more of your recipes in the future.

Hi Elise,

I didn't grow up on this so it was a new experience for me and it was TASTY!!!

I thought I had all ingredients but was missing the worchestershire, parsley and celery seed. I threw in a red bell pepper, some diced celery and garlic powder w/ parsley. I can't wait to make it again with all the "correct ingredients".

I am definitely going to be making this at least once a month. Thanks for another favorite!

This is a very good recipe and has been in my family for five generations now.I research recipes and this one comes from minnesota during the lumbering boom in northern MN and yes it's called gulash, green peppers being added is a newer version and is always baked to finish .Perfect dish for those cold nights.tip always use stewed tomatoes and a little catsup to taste never spaghetti sauce.the tomatoe taste should not be over powering.

I love the recipe. I made it last night for my fiance and me and it was a HUGE success. Next time Im gonna try putting mushrooms in and maybe some bell peppers. I LOVE your website. Its a favourite on my computers.....work and home! :)

My momma used to make a very similar dish and had a special name for it too: Pasta-Shooty. I don't know where the name came from, but whenever she asked what we wanted for dinner we immediately yelled Pasta-Shooty!

I'm making this tonight.

Great recipe! Made it last night and I must add that the worchestshire sauce really ties everything together. Easy to make, super-tasty and comforting...what's not to like? Thanks again.

Made this last night using 1 tsp. Ozark Seasoning from Penzeys instead of Vegesal and ~1 Tbsp. dried parsley instead of fresh (added with the sauce). My man loved it...although he did add some hot sauce. :-) It was very easy to make!

Add plenty of chopped garlic and a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the mix and you will die.

I make something very similar, and it's my 12 year old daughter's favorite dinner! I start browning my ground beef, then add in onions and green peppers. When the beef is cooked and the veggies are soft, I add a jar of spaghetti sauce and 2 TBSP of chili powder, and let simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cooked macaroni. Put a helping in a bowl, top it with a handful of shredded cheddar and a glob of sour cream, and we call it "chili mac"!

I made this today for the "daycare kids." (I run a home daycare.) They ALL loved it. The true test of a good recipe...a houseful of kiddies! (I loved it too!) I've been looking for something like this....I guess I'm the one gal whose mom didn't make it!

My Grandparents made a similar recipe called "Poor Man's Supper". You can make a lot for very little money and it goes a long ways. My Grandparents had four girls and money was very tight back then. My Grandparents raised enormous gardens and canned just about everything to last all year. In their recipe they would use home canned tomatoes. When money was very tight and they couldn't afford the hamburger, they would just have macaroni, homemade canned tomatoes and salt and pepper. We today in my family still call it "Poor Man's Supper" and just love it.

Add me to the American Chop Suey camp, which appears to be a New England variant. My mother's recipe was very similar, except regular salt and pepper, no celery seed or Worcestershire. Instead, she added canned bean sprouts, cheddar cheese, and served it with a dash of soy sauce. I still make it her way. Divine!

I made this tonight and found it very good. Like others, I'm left thinking it could use *something* ... but I'm not sure what.

One thought was to use the "flavored" diced tomatoes. DelMonte has several varieties -- Basil, Garlic and Oregano; Garlic and Onion; Green Pepper and Onion; and some Chile style. I've used the Green Pepper and Onion in other recipes and found it pretty tasty. But I'm not sure which of those "matches" the basic celery seed/Worchestershire flavor. My suspicion is the Garlic and Onion would, but I'm fearful of adding garlic to the recipe.

Any thoughts?

Oh, I added a sprinkling of grated Parmesan to my dish tonight and it was a nice combination.