Dolly Parton's Go-To Casserole Only Requires 5 Ingredients

It's no secret that not every celebrity is considered to be a world-class cook. However, many have a handful of recipes that can really astonish foodies looking for inspiration on a new dish. For example, Meryl Streep swears by Julie Child's tarragon chicken recipe, while Snoop Dogg is incredibly proud of his rendition of mac and cheese bites. However, Dolly Parton's most notable recipes are her go-to casseroles, one of which has impressed many by being simultaneously high-quality and easy to make, thus it's a great dish that just about anyone can try their hand at whipping up at home.

The five-ingredient recipe sees Parton combine ground beef, sliced onions, diced tomatoes, green bell peppers, and russet potatoes, which are also the best for potato skins. This makes an incredibly hearty dish full of both protein and flavor. The key to making Dolly's five-ingredient casserole the same way that she does, however, is to layer them in the correct order and form to get the best possible result. First slice the potatoes and place them at the bottom of your casserole dish before adding cooked ground beef, sliced onions, diced tomatoes, and green bell peppers in that order (and adding salt and pepper to each layer along the way). Then cover it in foil and cook it. You will get a tremendous union of each ingredient's flavor in each and every bite you take of the finished product.

Now, one of the best things about the simplicity of Dolly Parton's iconic casserole is just how customizable it becomes as a result. Looking at the core ingredients themselves, using pre-browned onions can give the dish a bit more richness that many will appreciate. Alternatively, using spicy or fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular ones can amplify either the heat or the overall taste of the pivotal ingredient.

Beyond that, however, one ingredient that many believe this recipe is missing is shredded cheese (ideally cheddar), a staple of many of the best casseroles you can think of. This inclusion can be used either as a sixth layer atop the bell peppers to obtain a nice melted cheese finish or as a second layer for the casserole, accompanying your potatoes and ground beef to improve their taste and better bind them together.

Another addition that can be made to the casserole comes in the last step, as mixing up the type of peppers you use can be a real difference maker. While Parton uses green bell peppers — the most earthy of the three most common bell peppers – substituting some of them with their red and yellow cousins can give the top layer of your casserole an exciting new flavor profile. Or, if you really want to change things up, adding jalapeños alongside your bell peppers can really bring the heat if that's what you believe the dish is missing.