Babysitter's Spaghetti Casserole

Named for the kind of meal anyone can pull off, even the babysitter.

Ground beef gets browned and crumbled, then simmered with onions, celery, green pepper, and canned tomatoes into a quick, chunky meat sauce.

Toss it with cooked spaghetti and a bit of crumbled blue cheese (trust the process), pile it into a buttered casserole, and blanket the top with grated Parmesan.

Twenty minutes in the oven and you’ve got a bubbly, golden-topped baked pasta that feeds four hungry people with zero fuss.

Kitchen Tips

• Brown the beef until crumbly and no pink remains before adding the vegetables. Soggy, grey meat won’t develop any flavor.
• The blue cheese is optional but don’t skip it if you can help it. Just two teaspoons adds a funky depth that makes people ask “what’s in this?" without being overpowering.
• Use any pasta shape you have on hand. Penne or rigatoni catch the sauce even better than spaghetti in a casserole.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes after pulling from the oven so each serving holds together on the plate.