This Dutch oven lasagna recipe totally blew my mind. I don’t think I’ll make lasagna any other way ever again! I am positively addicted to this melty, cheesy, and ridiculously simple Italian recipe. Everything is made in one pot, and it all comes together right on the stove. Layered with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, there’s plenty of cheese to go around!
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I am a big lasagna lover, and this Dutch oven lasagna recipe has simplified my life so much! Doing the dishes is the last thing on my mind after a long work week, and this recipe saves me so much time, hassle, and cleanup. This is comfort food at its finest. Nothing better than noodles, tomatoes, cheese, and basil. It’s just that simple!
What’s in This Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe?
- Egg: Helps bind the ricotta so it doesn’t turn out runny once cooked.
- Ricotta Cheese: Adds creaminess to the filling. You can also use cottage cheese if you prefer.
- Parsley: Adds a pop of fresh herbal flavor to the ricotta.
- Meat: I used a mixture of ground chuck and Italian sausage, but any combination of ground meats will work.
- Onion + Garlic: Create a savory base for the sauce.
- Red Wine: I prefer to use a dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. If you’re not a drinker, you can replace this with an equal amount of water or broth instead.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add a touch of spice to the sauce.
- Marinara Sauce: Forms the base of the meat sauce. Use your favorite store-bought sauce to make things easy.
- Lasagna Noodles: Using no-boil noodles means you can skip the boiling part and get right to assembling the lasagna. If you can’t find no-boil lasagna noodles, you can use regular noodles for this recipe. You’ll just have to boil them beforehand, and then follow the recipe as is.
- Cheese: Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese make this dish super rich and cheesy.
Tips for Success
- I like to keep a large mixing bowl next to the stove so I can use it to mix the meat and sauce between steps.
- When assembling the lasagna, start with a layer of sauce, otherwise the noodles will stick to the bottom
- The lasagna is done when the noodles have hydrated/softened, everything is fully heated through, and the cheese will be hot and bubbly.
- I like to broil my lasagna with the lid off for a few minutes to get the cheese brown and bubbly.
- It will be very hot when you dig in, so I recommend letting the lasagna rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Dutch oven lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating covered in a 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this Dutch oven lasagna with classic Italian sides, like garlic bread, cheese focaccia, Caesar salad, or lemon Parmesan roasted broccoli,
5-Star Review
“I bought a Dutch oven and have been trying new recipes. I made this last week and it was fabulous! This is the best Lasagna I’ve had and I will definitely be making again and again. I sent our guest home with a couple of servings as she really loved it as well. Wish I had taken a pic but we were to eager to try it out, but it looked great as well!” -Dawn
Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (1 tub)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 32-48 ounces marinara sauce (2 jars)
- 9 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles (1 box)
- 2 cups freshly shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
- Chopped fresh basil optional, for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg, ricotta, and parsley. Set aside.1 large egg, 15 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- In the Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, brown the beef and sausage. Drain the meat reserving 2 tablespoons fat (add 2 tablespoons olive oil, if there isn’t enough reserved fat). Transfer the drained meat to a large, heatproof bowl and set aside.1 pound ground chuck, 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- In the same pot, sauté the diced onion until it becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add red wine, red pepper flakes, and marinara sauce, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Transfer the marinara mixture to the bowl with the meat and mix to combine.1 medium yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, ½ cup dry red wine, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 32-48 ounces marinara sauce
- With the Dutch oven over low-medium heat, ladle 2 cups of the marinara meat mixture into the bottom of the pot and cover the sauce with a layer of lasagna noodles (breaking the noodles to fit). Then, ladle the noodles with a layer of the marinara meat mixture.9 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
- Place spoonfuls of the ricotta/egg mixture over the marinara mixture and then add some mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Repeat the layers three more times (except there will be only three layers with the ricotta mixture). The lasagna should be layered like this from the bottom layer to the top layer: sauce, noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles, marinara, mozzarella and finish with Parmesan.2 cups freshly shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Switch heat to low and cook, covered, 30-40 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through, and the lasagna is hot & bubbly. When the lasagna is cooked through and the noodles have softened, it can be placed under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
- After removing the lasagna from the heat, garnish it with fresh basil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.Chopped fresh basil
Video
Becky’s Tips
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Dutch Oven Lasagna Step by Step
Mix the Ricotta: In a small bowl, beat together 1 large egg, 15 ounces (1 tub) of ricotta cheese, and 1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley. Set aside.
Brown the Meat: In the Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, brown 1 pound of ground chuck and 1 pound of ground Italian sausage. Drain the meat reserving 2 tablespoons fat (add 2 tablespoons olive oil, if there isn’t enough reserved fat). Transfer the drained meat to a large, heatproof bowl and set aside.
Make the Sauce: In the same pot, sauté 1 medium diced onion until it becomes translucent. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add ½ cup of dry red wine, ⅛ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, and 32-48 ounces (2 jars) of marinara sauce, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Transfer the marinara mixture to the bowl with the meat and mix to combine.
Protect the Pot: With the Dutch oven over low-medium heat, ladle 2 cups of the marinara meat mixture into the bottom of the pot and cover the sauce with a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles (breaking the noodles to fit). Then, ladle the noodles with a layer of the marinara meat mixture.
Layer the Lasagna: Place spoonfuls of the ricotta/egg mixture over the marinara mixture and then add some mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Repeat the layers three more times (except there will be only three layers with the ricotta mixture). The lasagna should be layered like this from the bottom layer to the top layer: sauce, noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles, marinara, mozzarella and finish with Parmesan. Make sure to use all 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, leaving enough to top off the lasagna.
Cook the Lasagna: Switch heat to low and cook, covered, 30-40 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through, and the lasagna is hot & bubbly. When the lasagna is cooked through and the noodles have softened, it can be placed under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese. After removing the lasagna from the heat, garnish it with fresh basil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Is there a reason to do this on the stove top rather than baking it? I’m worried about burning the bottom!
I was worried about burning the bottom of mine, too. But I bit my lip and did it anyway; although I added more liquid which made it a little wetter than necessary. Just the same, it turned out great and my Italian partner and his son are very critical connoisseurs.
My family loved this lasagna. Perfect balance of flavors along with the perfect consistency and texture!
Thanks, Taylor!
How big is the dutch oven you are making this in? It looks great. I think I am going to try to make it over a campfire!
While in theory this sounds good. This took way longer to cook than the recipe states.. should have just made it in the oven..
Oh I’m sorry!
How big of a Dutch oven did you use? I have a 4 quart one would that be to small?
A 4 qt should work well :)
This sounds amazing! I just bought a Dutch oven and I can’t wait to try it!
What kind of sauce does everyone use? I’m still trying to find one that I enjoy besides Prego and Ragu.
Can I make this with zucchini noodles instead of pasta noodles? How would the recipe differ?
Sure! Would be tasty.
So i just bought my dutch oven and this was the first thing i cooked. Ricotta is hard to come by out here so i had to make a facsimile using reconstituted powdered milk and vinegar. Also, italian sausage is not available on this side of the planet, so i made a suitable substitute with ground pork and italian spices. Finally, i had to make my own marinara sauce from tomato sauce, paSte, diced tomatoes and spices. Needless to say, the prep time was more like an hour and a half, but the result was well worth it. It was a little bit salTy, probably from the combination of recipes and the salt in the cheeses. still it was a decent lasagna. Is the blakened quarter inch on the bottom unavoidable? Or did i have the heat too high when starting it? Thanks for posting this.
This looked so good in the picture so I tried it with my new Dutch oven I got for Christmas! Followed recipe exactly with layers as listed and an hour later it’s still not done. Noodles AREN’T Cooked soft yet even though they are no boil kind and middle is not Hot! Are you sure the low temperature is correct? It sure looked amazing in the picture and the blog convinced me to try It! Not a great result for my first try at a Dutch oven!
Darn I’m so sorry to hear that. We tried this more than once before posting so I’m not sure what could be wrong. It does sound like you followed the instructions correctly. Im so sorry it wasn’t a success!
Becky – even though it took a long time to cook, I wanted to let you know that it still tasted great! It was really cheesy and tasted like i imagined it would from the pictures! I’m definitely trying it again since this was my first attempt with a Dutch oven.
Oh good! I called my Mom and we were making sure that’s definitely how we made it. I adjusted the cook time just a bit in case it takes longer for other people as well. Thanks so much for letting me know you ended up loving it :)
If i don’t have a dUtch oven handy what can i use instead? Can i bake it in a pan as an alternatiVe? Thanks!
I’m so sorry but this is a Dutch Oven recipe…you can definitely bake in a pan but I don’t know the exact proportions.