This Dutch oven lasagna is the greatest comfort food, an easy recipe made in the oven. With layers of noodles, from-scratch meat sauce, and a yummy cheese filling, it’s a homemade dish the entire family will love!
This post will teach you how to make an easy dutch oven lasagna. Hands down, this is the BEST lasagna recipe ever!
The Best Homemade Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe
While it may seem like a lot of time is involved in making this homemade dutch oven lasagna, it requires minimal kitchen preparation time.
And, I assure you, making this easy dinner meal from scratch is worth the time.
The ingredients in this easy lasagna recipe are simple. All you’ll need for this easy dutch oven lasagna recipe is one large cast iron skillet, one large bowl, and a large dutch oven!
This well-loved family meal is quick enough to bake on a busy weeknight with plenty of leftovers for the next day.
What to cook Lasagna In
While this recipe is geared toward cooking lasagna in a dutch oven, you can use a deep lasagna pan!
Just be sure to use a baking dish with deep sides and large handles, as lasagna can be heavy to remove from the oven.
This dutch oven is the workhorse of my kitchen! I use it to make many of our family’s best dutch oven recipes.
Like homemade meatloaf, pulled pork, whole chicken, Sunday dinner pot roast, and MORE easy dutch oven recipes!
How to make the Best Dutch Oven Lasagna
Lasagna is basically a layered Italian casserole made up of three parts: meat sauce, cheese mixture, and pasta.
This is how to make and assemble the best homemade cast iron dutch oven lasagna.
See the printable recipe card below for full recipe details and ingredient measurements.
Kitchen Essentials You May Need
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- Dutch Oven: A dutch oven is my preferred way of making this cast iron lasagna recipe. Whether you’re using a budget-friendly Lodge or, my favorite, the Field Company dutch oven.
- Large Cast Iron Skillet: the perfect size skillet for making the meat sauce.
- Mixing Bowls: I love these stoneware mixing bowls.
Dutch Oven Lasagna Ingredients
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- Ground Beef: I use 90% lean ground beef for this recipe.
- Ground Sausage: the secret to the best-tasting homemade oven baked lasagna is to use ground sausage and ground beef! Sweet, spicy, or Italian sausage – you choose!
- Small Onion
- Garlic
- Herbs and Spices: basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and parsley, or use a pre-mixed Italian seasoning. All add savory flavor to the sauce.
- Salt and Pepper
- Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste: these canned tomato products create the base of the homemade lasagna sauce. Choose a high-quality organic brand for the best flavor.
- Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese – adds a thick, creamy, cheesy layer to the dish. Either can be used interchangeably, as it is just a personal preference.
- Parmesan Cheese – use a good quality cheese that needs to be shredded.
- Mozzarella Cheese – buy whole milk mozzarella and slice or shred it yourself. This will give you the best cheesy, creamy lasagna around. Avoid pre-shredded mozzarella as it has a coating that prevents it from melting well.
- Eggs: the eggs serve as a binder in this recipe.
- Lasagna Noodles – For this recipe, lasagna noodles can be made from scratch or use regular lasagna noodles or oven-ready noodles. If you need to make this gluten-free, use Jovial Lasagna Gluten-Free Pasta
How to Make Lasagna Meat Sauce
The most important part of this whole lasagna is the sauce. It’s rich in flavor and spices.
The sauce is made with a mix of ground beef and pork. If you don’t want to use pork, use beef to replace it. However, the pork adds a delicious flavor to the homemade lasagna meat sauce.
Instead of using a pre-mixed jar of spaghetti sauce, make your delicious red meat sauce! Mixing up using tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a mixture of garlic, onion, and herbs is easy.
Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef and Ground Pork
Add the ground beef and sausage to a large cast iron skillet. Over medium-high heat, brown beef and sausage, and break the meat apart as it browns.
Add in onions and saute. Drain the fat off the meat using a colander and then return it to the large skillet.
Step 2: Add Ingredients for Lasagna Meat Sauce
To the ground meat mixture, add minced garlic. Then pour in tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, salt, and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, then gently simmer on medium heat for a minimum of 20 minutes on the stovetop.
How to make Lasagna Cheese Filling
You only need four simple ingredients to make the classic lasagna cheese filling. Instead of using a ricotta mixture, this recipe uses cottage cheese.
Step 3: Make the Cheese Filling
While the meat sauce simmers, stir together cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated parmesan, parsley, and salt. Set aside.
Can You Make Lasagna Without Eggs?
Yes, you can make lasagna without eggs. However, adding eggs to cottage cheese helps bind the cheese together and maintains overall stability, so it does not seep out of the casserole when cut.
Is Lasagna Better with Ricotta or Cottage Cheese?
This is a matter of individual choice, but homemade lasagna tastes just as good as either ricotta cheese or cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese will give you a slightly lower-in-fat lasagna, while ricotta will provide a thicker, richer, more creamy texture.
Step 4: Cook the Lasagna Noodles
For pre-cook pasta noodles, bring a large pot of water to boiling, and add a tablespoon of olive oil into the water. Adding olive oil helps the noodles keep from sticking together.
Boil noodles, stirring them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cooking the lasagna noodles until “al dente” (not overly cooked). Drain.
Regardless of the brand of lasagna noodles, check out the packaging instructions.
How to Layer Dutch Oven Lasagna
Start with a bit of meat sauce in the bottom of a large dutch oven, then add a layer of lasagna noodles. Top with the cheese mixture and a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers.
How Many Layers Should Be in Lasagna
There is no traditional number of layers in lasagna. However, lasagnas have between three to four layers, with most recipes having a 3 layer lasagna.
What is the Correct Layering for Lasagna?
Technically, there’s no right or wrong way to layer dutch oven lasagna, but here are the layers for my basic process:
Step 5: Layer the Lasagna
- Spread a thin meat sauce layer in the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Make a layer of cooked lasagna noodles over top of the sauce.
- Spread an even layer of the cottage cheese mixture over top of the noodles
- Spread an even layer of meat sauce.
- Place a thinly sliced or shredded layer of mozzarella cheese on top of the meat sauce.
- Repeat those layers one or two times.
- Top the final layer of noodles with meat sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
Step 6: Bake the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the layered lasagna with the dutch oven lid and place it in the oven. Bake until the cheese has browned and the lasagna is bubbly.
How Long Do You Cook Lasagna in the Oven at 375
Dutch oven lasagna needs to cook in the oven for a total of 65 minutes. 50 minutes covered with the dutch oven lid and 15 minutes uncovered.
Step 7: Let the Lasagna Rest
After the lasagna is pulled out of the oven, let it rest. It is tempting to serve the lasagna immediately, but allowing it to rest for at least 20 minutes will let it firm up.
Step 8: Serve
Serve and savor! This hearty, homemade lasagna is delicious when served with dinner rolls!
How To store Leftover Dutch Oven Lasagna
One of the best things about making lasagna is having leftovers to eat the next day again. Let the lasagna cool before placing it in airtight containers.
Store Leftover Lasagna in the Fridge
Store leftover lasagna in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Properly stored, cooked lasagna in the fridge will last 3 to 5 days.
How to Reheat Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the lasagna in an oven-safe dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the lasagna is heated.
tips for Making the Best Dutch Oven Lasagna
- Allow the Meat Sauce to Simmer: Don’t skip the step of letting the meat sauce simmer. This gives all the flavors a chance to meld together, making a delicious-tasting sauce.
- Use the Right Size Baking Dish: Use at least a 4.5-quart dutch oven size or a deep dish lasagna pan for this recipe. This will help to ensure that the top layer does not bubble over the side and into the bottom of your oven.
- Allow the Lasagna to Rest: to avoid a soupy mess and make the lasagna easier to cut, let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes after baking.
Printable Recipe Card – Homemade Dutch Oven Lasagna
Easy Homemade Dutch Oven Lasagna
This Dutch oven lasagna is the greatest comfort food, an easy recipe made in the oven. With layers of noodles, from-scratch meat sauce, and a yummy cheese filling, it’s a homemade dish the entire family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 package (10 ounces) lasagna noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Meat Sauce
- 1 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tbsp dried garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon basil
- 1/2 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (6 ounce) tomato paste
Cheese Filling
- 3 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Prepare the Lasagna
Add the ground beef and sausage to a large cast iron skillet. Break meat apart as it browns. Add in onions and saute. Drain the fat off the meat using a colander and then return it to the skillet.
To the ground meat mixture, add minced garlic. Then pour in tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 20 minutes on the stovetop.
While the meat sauce simmers, stir together cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated parmesan, parsley, and salt. Set aside.
For pre-cook pasta noodles, bring a large pot of water to boiling, and add a tablespoon of olive oil into the water. Adding olive oil helps the noodles keep from sticking together.
Stir them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cooking the lasagna noodles until “al dente” (not overly cooked). Drain.
Shred or slice a pound of whole milk mozzarella cheese.
Layer the Lasagna
- Spread a very thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Make a layer of cooked lasagna noodles.
- Spread an even layer of the cottage cheese mixture.
- Spread an even layer of meat sauce.
- Place thinly sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the meat sauce.
- Repeat those layers one or two times.
- Top the last layer of noodles with meat sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
Bake the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the layered lasagna with the dutch oven lid and place it in the oven. Bake until the cheese has browned and the lasagna is bubbly.
Dutch oven lasagna needs to cook in the oven for a total of 65 minutes. 50 minutes covered with the dutch oven lid and 15 minutes uncovered.
After the lasagna is pulled out of the oven, let it rest. It is tempting to serve the lasagna immediately, but allowing it to rest for at least 20 minutes will let it firm up.
Serve and savor!
This is sure to be a recipe that your whole family loves! For more easy dutch oven recipe ideas, check out the recipes listed below!
Have you experienced any problems cooking tomato sauce in your cast iron cook ware?
This looks so good can’t wait to try it, thanks for the recipe.
Making this for dinner. Excited to try all the suggested recipes for the Dutch oven.