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Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe

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4.3 from 30 reviews

This Dutch Oven Lasagna is a hearty and comforting Italian-American classic made easier by using oven-ready noodles and a flameless Dutch oven cooking process. It features layers of a savory tomato meat sauce, creamy cottage cheese mixture, and melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, baked to bubbly perfection. Ideal for family dinners, this recipe combines rich flavors and a homestyle feel all in one pot for easy cleanup and impressive results.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

  • 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (no-boil noodles)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 ounces extra lean ground beef
  • 12 ounces mild Italian sausage (uncooked, casings removed)
  • 1 small onion (grated)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cheese Layers

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cups cottage cheese (full fat)
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Grate the onion, mince the garlic cloves, and grate the cheeses if you haven’t done so already to prepare all ingredients for assembling.
  2. Make The Tomato Meat Sauce: Place a 5 or 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven on medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add olive oil. Once hot, add ground beef and Italian sausage in a single layer, cooking without stirring initially to brown well. Once meats are almost cooked through, stir and break them into smaller pieces for even cooking.
  3. Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add grated onion and 3 cloves minced garlic to the browned meats. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and softened.
  4. Simmer Sauce: Stir in crushed tomatoes, fennel seeds, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer gently for 20 minutes to develop flavor.
  5. Prepare Cheese Mixtures: While the sauce simmers, whisk together egg, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir this into the cottage cheese to create a flavorful cottage cheese layer. In a separate bowl, mix together grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
  6. Assemble Lasagna: Ladle about three-quarters of the meat sauce out of the Dutch oven into a bowl. Spread the remaining sauce in the Dutch oven over the bottom. Lay down a layer of noodles over the sauce. Add a quarter of the reserved sauce on top of the noodles, then half of the cottage cheese mixture, and a third of the mozzarella mixture. Repeat these layers once more (noodles, sauce, remaining cottage cheese, mozzarella). Finish with a final layer of noodles, the last of the sauce, and the last of the mozzarella cheese.
  7. Bake Covered: Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to cook the noodles and blend the flavors.
  8. Broil for Finish: Remove the lid and switch the oven to broil. Bake the lasagna uncovered for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
  9. Rest and Serve: Allow the lasagna to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Optionally, sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese for added flavor.

Notes

  • Using oven-ready noodles eliminates the need for pre-boiling and simplifies assembly.
  • Grating the onion and mincing garlic finely helps them blend seamlessly into the sauce for richer flavor.
  • Simmering the sauce for 20 minutes allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
  • If you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven, use any oven-safe pot with a lid that can withstand the oven temperature.
  • Allowing the lasagna to rest before serving helps it set and makes slicing easier.
  • For a lower-fat alternative, use low-fat cottage cheese and reduce the amount of mozzarella.
  • Author: Madelynn
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian-American

Find it online: https://allyumcooks.com/dutch-oven-lasagna-recipe/