This vegetarian spinach campfire lasagna is cooked in a cast-iron Dutch oven, and is perfect for camping meals and cookouts.

Campfire Lasagna in a Dutch Oven After Baking

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 some delicious camping meals, like a campfire shrimp boil, campfire pizza, camping fish curry, campfire pasta with vodka cream sauce, or (of course) this campfire lasagna.

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.

Want to add meat (or a plant-based substitute)? This campfire lasagna with sausage is also delicious.

We devoured this tasty campfire lasagna while staying at Mather Campground, not once, but twice before hiking into the Grand Canyon.

The first time, we managed to eat the entire batch all by ourselves. The second time, we shared our lasagna with friends.

Meal planning for your trip? Check out more of my camping recipe ideas!

What Type of Dutch Oven Should I Use on a Campfire?

Use an non-enameled Dutch oven. Do not bring your pretty, expensive, enameled Dutch oven on a camping trip.

Ideally, use a Dutch oven made specifically for campfires. These specialized cooking pots have a flat lid (for piling coals on top) and feet (to raise it above the coals). They're ideal for lots of camping recipes.

If you have a regular, non-enameled Dutch oven (without feet or a flat lid), you can use that instead.

How to Bake in a Dutch Oven

To use your Dutch oven as an oven, and not just a soup pan, heat a campfire with coals.

Arrange the coals into a ring a little smaller than your Dutch oven.

Set the pot (full of whatever you want to bake) on the campfire coals with the lid on.

If you're using a regular Dutch oven, and not a campfire Dutch oven, set the lid on upside-down.

Lasagna cooking in a dutch oven with coals on top

Use long-handled tongs to add some hot coals to the top of the Dutch oven, and bake according to your recipe directions.

If you want more tips for campfire Dutch oven cooking, check out one of my favorite camping cookbooks, The New Camp Cookbook.

Campfire Lasagna 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. We use an Igloo BMX cooler.

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 lasagna 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 Campfire Lasagna in a Dutch Oven

Begin preparing the campfire (or have your camping buddy do that part), and then start assembling the lasagna.

Mix together cheese with some canned spinach, spices, and salt.

Assemble the lasagna inside the Dutch oven. Layer the a third of the cheese mixture, pasta sauce and enough noodles to cover the sauce.

Add ⅓ Cheese + Spinach Mixture to Dutch Oven. — Add One-Third Cheese + Spinach Mixture to Dutch Oven

Add ⅓ Pasta Sauce + Noodles. — Add Pasta Sauce + Noodles

It's totally fine to break the noodles as needed to fit them in the pan.

Next, repeat the process two more times with more cheese, sauce and noodles.

Add Another Layer of Cheese. — Add Another Layer of Cheese

Add More Sauce and Noodles. — Add More Sauce and Noodles

Add a little water to the pot and top the noodles with extra cheese.

If you like, you can add even more cheese than the recipe calls for. Because we all need a little extra cheese in our lives.

Top the Lasagna with Cheese. — Top the Lasagna with Cheese

Set the lid on the Dutch oven, and then move it over to the coals.

Use long-handled tongs to move some coals to the top of the oven. We used about 15 coals.

Place Dutch Oven on Coals + Top with More Coals. — Place Dutch Oven on Coals + Top with More Coals

Let your lasagna bake for about 25 minutes, and then carefully remove the lid.

There will probably be a little extra water in the lasagna.

Campfire Lasagna After Cooking. — Campfire Lasagna After Cooking

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.

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5 from 13 votes