Cheesy Dutch Oven Lasagna Made Simple

Dutch Oven Lasagna has to be one of the best comfort foods ever – perfect for those chilly winter days when you’re craving something hearty and filling, and super easy to make in your Dutch oven!

The layers of browned meat, sauce, cheese mixture, and fork-tender noodles are assembled in a Dutch oven which does an amazing job of cooking everything evenly and intensifying the flavors.

Serve this Dutch oven lasagna with homemade dinner rolls, a side of roasted veggies, or a leafy green salad.

DO I NEED TO BOIL THE NOODLES BEFORE ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNA?

No. The liquid from the beef and sausage mixture, as well as the sauce, will be absorbed into the noodles in the Dutch oven, cooking them sufficiently with the rest of the dish.  

HOW SHOULD I STORE DUTCH OVEN LASAGNA?

This lasagna can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze it for up to 3-6months.

Thaw frozen lasagna overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, until heated throughout.

CAN I MAKE LASAGNA IN THE INSTANT POT?

Yes, you can! You’ll want to follow these recipe steps, first browning the meat in the Instant Pot, removing it, and draining the pot of meat drippings. Continue by cooking the onion in the Instant Pot, removing it once sauteed.  

Next, add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot as well as a trivet. Once all the ingredients (including the sauce) are prepared, add a 7×13-inch springform pan to the instant pot and start assembling the layers of the lasagna in the springform pan.

Once assembled, cover the top of the springform pan with aluminum foil. To help you move the springform pan in and out of the Instant Pot, it’s a good idea to place the pan on a tin foil “sling”.

Place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high for about 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 15 minutes, followed by a quick release. Once the lasagna is removed from the Instant Pot, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

TIPS FOR MAKING MY DUTCH POT LASAGNA

• Regardless of the cooking method used to make this lasagna, one main cause of a runny lasagna is overly wet ricotta cheese. While this recipe doesn’t call for straining the ricotta cheese first, I recommend taking this step if you want to lessen the risk.
• This Dutch oven lasagna can be assembled a day or so ahead of time and stored in the fridge (if there’s space to accommodate the Dutch oven).
• Adding egg to the cheese mixture will help bind the ingredients so that the cheese mixture doesn’t spill out when the lasagna is cut into serving portions.
• For a gluten-free lasagna, use gluten-free noodles – it’s that easy!

Dutch Oven Lasagna

My Dutch Oven Lasagna has to be one of the best comfort foods ever – perfect for those chilly winter days when you’re craving something hearty and filling!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 6 Servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 15 oz carton ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup dry or semi-dry red wine can replace with water or chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon 2-3 dashes red pepper flakes
• 32-48 oz. marinara sauce your favorite
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or slices of fresh mozzarella
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• fresh basil rough chopped

Method

 

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, ricotta and parsley. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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 the marinara sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes. Transfer the marinara mixture to the bowl with the meat and mix to combine.
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. The lasagna should be layered like this from the bottom layer to the top layer:
7. Marinara meat sauce, noodles, marinara meat sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles, marinara, mozzarella and finish with Parmesan.
8. 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 noodles have softened, it can be placed under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
9. After removing the lasagna from the heat, garnish it with fresh basil and let it rest 10-15 minutes before serving.