This Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe is a Vegetarian Dutch Oven Lasagna! It’s cooked in a cast iron Dutch oven over a fire, and is perfect for camping, “glamping,” and campfire dinners at home!
Camping trips can leave you full of dilemmas– You’re starving, you’ve been hiking all day, and yet just as you want one of the biggest, most filling meals ever, you find yourself without electricity, refrigeration, or even an oven. What’s a hungry hiker to do?!?!
I’ll tell you what you’re going to do– you’re going to eat!!! With a little planning and preparation– you can find yourself chowing down on Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe! This Dutch oven lasagna is vegetarian, simple to prepare, and delicious.
It’s also a fantastic way to eat a few more carbs than normal, especially before or after a big hike. We devoured this tasty campfire lasagna the night before our hike into the Grand Canyon, and managed to eat the entire batch all by ourselves.
Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe: How to Use a Dutch Oven
Did you know that you can use a cast iron dutch oven as an actual oven? I didn’t. Not until the husband started talking about how his mom used to bake bread on their camping trips, using the same dutch oven she passed on to me. I was amazed.
Quick Tip: You’ll want to use a regular, non-enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
To use your dutch oven as an oven, and not just a soup pan, set the pot on campfire coals with the lid upside down, and then pile some coals on top. As I was scouring the internet for campfire cooking ideas, I found this lasagna recipe from Fresh Off the Grid. Their recipe looked delicious, used the same campfire dutch oven trick, and was pretty similar to the vegetarian spinach lasagna recipe I already use at home.
I knew, however, that I probably wouldn’t have much access to fresh ingredients while on my camping trip to the national parks.
Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe: Gathering Ingredients
You’ll need cheese for this recipe, which you can store in a cooler, or swing by a market after hiking to buy some. Everything else in this recipe is shelf-stable, and will be fine waiting on you in your car while you explore nature.
I’ve used no-boil noodles here instead of standard noodles, because I didn’t want to deal with boiling noodles while camping. If you have access to fresh pasta (I didn’t), or want to pre-boil your noodles– go for it. The no-boil noodles worked very well for me in this recipe, however, and they’re easier. Just remember to add the extra liquid after putting the lasagna layers together.
Making Vegetarian Campfire Lasagna in a Dutch Oven
To cook this Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe, start by getting a campfire ready using coals. Get them very hot. Using tongs, move a few coals aside (we used about 15).
Prepare your lasagna in the dutch oven, place the lid on UPSIDE DOWN, and then move it over to the fire. Set the dutch oven on the main batch of coals, and then use tongs to set the reserved coals on top.
Let your lasagna bake for about 25 minutes, and then carefully remove the lid. Let it cook uncovered a few more minutes, until the excess liquid has boiled down. Remove the lasagna from the heat, and let it cool down for a few minutes. Dig in, and enjoy your camping trip.
Need more help? Check out these Camping Recipes for a Happy Glamper for tips on making campground cooking easier and more recipe ideas!
Campfire Dutch Oven Recipe: Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
- 15 oz of full-fat ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (fresh preferred), divided
- 1 15oz can spinach, drained (reserve liquid)
- 1 28oz jar pasta sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ~2 TB dried herbs (use Italian blend, or a mixture of dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary).
Equipment Needed:
- access to a campfire ring or campfire area
- 1 small bag campfire coals
- 1 cast iron dutch oven (not enameled)
- tongs (for moving coals)
- pot holders
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cup
- knife (for cutting lasagna)
- can opener (if can isn't pop-top)
Instructions
- Preheat campfire coals until very hot. Once coals are hot, set aside around 15 coals aside for easy access (you'll be setting them on top of your dutch oven).
- Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, spinach, salt, and herb mixture together. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
- Spread 1/3 mixture in the bottom of cast iron dutch oven. Top with 1/3 pasta sauce.
- Add one layer of lasagna noodles-- break them as necessary to fit into the round pot. Repeat twice with remaining spinach cheese mixture, pasta sauce, and noodles (you may have some noodles leftover).
- Pour reserved liquid from spinach can into a measuring cup, and add water until you have 3/4 cup of liquid total. Pour liquid into lasagna along the edge. Top mixture with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Place dutch oven lid on upside down. Set oven directly on the main batch of coals. Using tongs, set reserved coals on top of lid, and let it bake for about 25 minutes.
- Next, remove lid, and leave the dutch oven on the fire uncovered for about 5 more minutes. The excess liquid should be boiled off. If needed, let it cook a few more minutes until any extra liquid has thickened.
- Remove dutch oven from heat (if your campfire ring has a grate, you can pull the grate down and set the oven on that). Allow lasagna to cool slightly before serving.
This is GOLD! I’m planning a camping trip soon, and I am definitely going to be making these!
I did not know that about dutch ovens! How brilliant! I love using mine and this is an extra reason to love it more. You sure know how to camp, Sarah. This recipe sounds absolutely DELICIOUS! Even if I wasn’t camping, I’d have to try it out 🙂
As soon as I saw the words “campfire spinach lasagna” I thought “no she didn’t!” I’m so impressed right now. Can you be my camping buddy please?!
“Oh yes I did!” *snap snap* lololol… Sure thing! Next time we’ll tag team it 😉
I’ve actually seen a Dutch Oven made with a recess on the lid for the coals, so you don’t have to flip it over.
I’d only thought of using it for bread, though – lasagna is a great idea! Because you’re right – you need a hearty meal after a day hiking!
I’ve seen those! They’re super cool!
I love that you’re starting a section of Glamping recipes! I was just searching for some recipes as we are going camping next week and yours is just perfect for this! So making it!
Oh awesome!!! Enjoy!!
We love hiking and we are targeting one National park at a time. So far we have hiked at about 12 national parks and soon we will be doing Grand Canyon. I am just waiting for my 6 year old to grow up a little more before we conquer that. We have never camped but that is something we want to try out soon. We are always scared about the cooking part as we are vegetarians and we have very few friends who understand it. This recipe looks awesome and if I master this, we could literally eat just this all our camping trip 🙂
Aw that’s awesome! Yes it’s kind of hard to find good vegetarian camping recipes! Check out the other ones on my site (Go to Resources > Cooking Lessons > Glamping), and I should be posting some more this summer!
I love cast iron baking – we used to do it all the time camping as kids. Never for anything as fancy as a lasagna, but we did lots of homemade bread or brownies. We also did a lot of solar oven cooking with our DIY solar oven. Now I’m all nostalgic for my childhood camping trips!
I’ve never tried solar oven cooking! Bread and brownies sound awesome- I never make either so that would make me more nervous than pasta! Lol
I give you credit — glamping…. I’ve only camped on a handful of occasions and I can assure you that our meals looked nothing like that! Well done. I imagine I could make it in an oven as well… yes??? Spinach lasagna is one of my all time favorites, too!
Thanks Lisa! Lol- yes you could totally do this in an oven! I’d have to check the cook time and temperature beforehand (and I’d probably use more fresh ingredients). I’ll get around to posting that at some point! Lol
I love this post Sarah! We used to cook “Glampfood” when we went camping too! No hot dogs and canned beans for us! One time we even made king crab, Hahaha!
King crab sounds AMAZING!!
I love lasagne and I will need this recipe next time we go camping! Last week I made cookies in a dutch oven when we went camping. They turned out great! Next time I’ll try to make a lasagna.
I hadn’t thought about cookies! Maybe I’ll try that next time!
For the record, I want to go camping with you. We usually just have hot dogs and hamburgers and s’mores! but lasagna…girl, when do we leave?!
Those old cook pots are such an amazing vessel. I love that you’ve focused a meal totally around it. This read brings back childhood with fishing and camping, how much fun and what a great way to share a meal!!
I love how easy you’re making it to eat fab food whilst ‘glamping’! I’d never think of making this kind of food on a campfire, but I think I’ll have to up my camping food game now!
If you are making this with cooked noodles, do you still need to add the water as well? Just curious. We are camping this weekend and I am so excited to make this! Sounds delish and perfect for an easy meal while enjoying the outdoors!
You shouldn’t need the extra water if you’re using cooked noodles! BUT it also shouldn’t hurt anything if you use it, because you can just let it boil off at the end. It’s just to help the uncooked pasta cook 😁 Let me know how it turns out!