The ultimate classic Italian dish, lasagna is no longer reserved for the dinner table. You can enjoy this cheesy, rich lasagna recipe that’s easily assembled and cooked on the campfire - it’s sure to be a crowd favorite on your next camping excursion!

Nothing is better after a long day of adventuring on a camping trip than a hearty meal enjoyed in the twilight by the campfire. And nothing fits the bill any better than lasagna.

People don’t just like lasagna, they love lasagna, and it’s easy to see why.

Take one ingredient that’s delicious all on its own, pasta, and add several other delicious things, like mozzarella cheese, rich tomato sauce, and ground beef or sausage, and you’ve made an epic meal to trump all other meals. It’s impossible to go wrong. 

Can I bake lasagna in a Dutch oven?

Luckily, we’ve found a way to make a delicious lasagna with just a campfire Dutch oven and some charcoal briquettes. 

Read below to try one of the best Dutch oven camping recipes over fire for lasagna that will knock your socks off. 

Check out this delicious Dutch Oven Lasagna recipe! 

Dutch Oven Lasagna: A Cast-Iron Recipe Over a Campfire

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Servings

6

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra-lean ground beef or Italian sausage

• 1 24-oz jar of tomato sauce

• 12 Oven-ready lasagna noodles

• ½ medium cooking onion, chopped

• ½ red bell pepper, chopped

• 4 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

• ¼ c. parmesan cheese, grated

• 3 eggs

• 3 tbsp 2% milk

• Italian seasoning, to taste

• Garlic powder, to taste

• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Start 35 charcoal briquettes in the chimney and let them heat up while you prepare your ingredients.

2. In a small-sized mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs and milk. Add the grated parmesan, mixing well. Set the bowl aside.

3. Wait until the coals are grey-white outside and glowing red-hot on the inside. Preheat the campfire Dutch oven with 17 coals on top of the lid and 8 underneath the base. This will help your pot to heat up to 350°F.

4. Once heated, remove the campfire Dutch oven from the coals with fireproof gloves and carefully take off the lid.

5. Brown the ground beef or sausage, chopped onions, red pepper, and seasonings inside the oven.

6. Once your meat is fully cooked, remove it from the Dutch oven and place it into a mixing bowl.

7. Mix the tomato sauce into the cooked meat.

8. You don’t need to oil the oven before cooking, but you can add a drizzle of olive oil to the base if you’d like. Spread ~ ⅓ of the beef sauce mixture onto the bottom of the pot very carefully, as the Dutch oven will be scorching, and the sauce will pop and spit up at you when it hits the bottom of the pan.

9. Add a single layer of ⅓ of the noodles. You may break the noodles apart as necessary to help them to fit correctly.

10. Spoon ⅓ of the egg mixture and grated mozzarella cheese on top of the noodles.

11. Repeat this process, creating three layers of noodles, egg, and cheese. Finish with a final layer of the lasagna noodles and the remaining egg mixture and mozzarella cheese.

12. Place the campfire Dutch oven lid on top, and place the Dutch pot back into the fire pit.

13. Replenish any coals, as needed. You should still have 17 coals on top and 8 underneath to maintain the 350°F temperature.

14. Bake your lasagna in the oven for 45 mins, or until the top is bubbly with melted cheese.

15. Remove the Dutch pot from the heat. Remove the lid, and let the lasagna rest with the top off for 15-20 mins before serving.

16. Serve and enjoy your Dutch oven lasagna!

How to Make Dutch Oven Lasagna

Before we get started, you’re going to need a few tools to cook on the campfire. Grab a 12-inch Camping topf, a bag of charcoal briquettes, and a charcoal chimney to light them with ease.

Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe - FAQ

Do I need to use oven-ready lasagna noodles?

Yes! Using oven-ready noodles is necessary; otherwise, they won’t cook through and soften. 

If you don’t have oven-ready noodles, you can use regular dried lasagna noodles, but they’re not as easy to make. You’ll need to boil them to the cooking directions on the package first, which can be tough to do when you’re on a campsite. 

Can I make this recipe vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free?

This campfire lasagna can adjust easily for most food preferences and allergies. 

Make the lasagna vegetarian by removing the meat and replacing it with mushrooms or baby spinach instead. 

There are plenty of gluten-free lasagna noodles on the market, and you can omit the dairy from this lasagna by using grated dairy-free cheese, like soy or nut cheese. 

Can I use a smaller or larger Dutch oven than a 12-inch?

You can absolutely use a smaller or larger Dutch pot to make your lasagna! 

You cut down the ingredients to ~ ¾ the portions for a 10-inch pot and cut them down by ½ for an 8-inch oven. You’ll also need to use fewer briquettes; otherwise, the temperature will get too high, and you’ll overcook your lasagna.

Do I need a Dutch oven for lasagna sauce? 

Not necessarily. We cook our sauce in the Dutch oven, but you could also assemble and precook the sauce ahead of time, store it, and bring it with you. You can then get to work making the lasagna when the time is right. 

Final Notes: Campfire Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe

This lasagna is super-simple to make and cook on a campfire, same as dutch oven quiche or pizza. 

Making the lasagna sauce ahead of time will save you some time on the campsite if you’d rather keep things as low-maintenance as possible while you’re camping.