Leftovers Are Us

My husband likes leftovers. Part of that is out of sympathy for me – we both have full-time jobs. But he’s one of those guys who really likes a little of this, a little of that for dinner.

That said, not everything makes a good leftover. A leftover rotisserie chicken is great, but more complex chicken dishes often taste a little off.

One thing that always tastes good reheated is pasta. And this time of year, we like something that people in Ohio call Johnny Marzetti. It was a wildly popular casserole first served at Marzetti’s restaurant in downtown Columbus starting around 1919. It was created by one of the owners, Teresa Marzetti, who named it after her brother-in-law.

At its heart, it’s just ground beef, tomato sauce, elbow macaroni, onion and cheese. The original recipe called for cheddar cheese and also had mushrooms, which my husband doesn’t like.

The Quick & Easy Cheesy Mac Casserole from Kroger makes it as easy as can be. And it reheats beautifully. Believe me, I would know.