Cora's Cottage

Casseroles are some of my favorite meals, especially to prepare ahead and freeze. However, I only have so many 9×13 pans, so it was time to get creative and turn some of my top 9×13 casseroles into dutch oven casseroles!

Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes and simple to make, so it easily made the list! This dutch oven lasagna casserole is the perfect make-ahead dish that can also feed your family on the night you make it. A win-win for a busy family!

Even if you are not looking to put some extra food away in the freezer for later, this is a great dish for a large family or to provide leftovers. It even has the added bonus of being a great dish for families that have a dairy intolerance because there is no dairy except for the optional cheese garnish that can be added to each serving individually!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple: This recipe is simple to make, even for the beginner in the kitchen. It also uses simple ingredients that are either already stocked in most kitchens or can be easily found at most, if not all, grocery stores.

Fast: This recipe requires very little prep time and only takes about 40 minutes. As a bonus, the bulk of those 40 minutes is time spent cooking the noodles, and doesn’t need you to be actively at the stove!

Large Quantity: Dutch Oven Lasagna Casserole makes a lot of food! This makes it the perfect recipe if you are needing leftovers, have a large family or group to feed, or if you would like to pack some food away in the freezer for future use. 

Tips and Tricks

Ground Meat: Any ground meat will work for this recipe from beef to pork to wild game.

Broth: You can use a store-bought broth or use bullion to make broth if you would like, but I prefer to use homemade bone broth to add some extra nutrients to the recipe!

Herbs and Spices: These are my preferred herbs and spices to make an Italian dish, but by all means adjust the amounts, add, and remove herbs and spices to fit your family’s tastes and preferences. All herbs are dried herbs, however fresh could be used. If you are using fresh herbs instead of dried herbs, keep in mind that amounts needed to get the same flavor will vary.

Onion: I measure the amount of onion for recipes by the cup because our family uses a lot of onion in our weekly meals. For this reason, we keep a large jar of freshly chopped onion in our refrigerator that gets refilled at least weekly. However, included are the rough number and size of onions that would be needed to equal the amount of onion used. 

Noodles: Our family purchases our noodles in bulk, so we do not have most noodles in the box. Therefore, this is an ingredient that is listed in cups in my recipes. However, I will include the rough amount number of standard sized boxes that are needed for a recipe.

Tools

Dutch Oven, at least 6 Quarts (I love my Lodge enamel cast iron dutch oven!)

Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

Wooden Spoon

Knife

Cutting Board

Ingredients

Ground Meat

Broth

Fennel Seeds

Oregano

Basil

Parsley

Thyme

Rosemary

Cilantro

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Onion

Tomato Juice

Noodles

Shredded Cheese (optional)

How to Make Dutch Oven Lasagna Casserole

Start by chopping your onion finely and sautéing it with oil or butter. When the onion has started to become soft, add in the ground meat to brown. When browning your ground meat (i.e. beef, pork, wild game) add all the herbs and spices (fennel seeds, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, pepper, and garlic powder).

When the meat has browned completely and no pink is visible and the onions are completely soft, add in the tomato juice, bone broth, and noodles. Turn the dish to high until it boils, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer until the noodles are cooked to your desired tenderness. 

Time will vary depending on how soft you like your noodles and how hard of simmer you keep the dish at, but it will take approximately 20 minutes to cook the noodles completely.

When the noodles are completely cooked, turn off the heat and serve hot. My family likes to add shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese to the top of the dish and to pair it with garlic bread or toast.

Homemade Garlic Toast

Take slices of bread and lay them out on a greased cookie sheet. Spread each slice with soft or melted butter before sprinkling generously with garlic powder. 

If you desire, you can add sliced or shredded cheese to the top of each slice of bread. Our family prefers to use shredded cheese and often uses a calico or mozzarella cheese.

Place the bread into the oven at 350°F until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. This will take approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove the garlic toast from the oven and serve hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. It is best to allow the dish to mostly cool before placing it into the refrigerator for storing.

Can I freeze this dish to be used later?

Yes! This dish is the perfect make ahead meal. Allow the casserole to cool before placing it into a freezer-safe storage container, labeling, and placing in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that if you do not have a freezer-safe storage container, it can freezer burn and therefore may not be able to stay in the freezer for a full 3 months.

What size dutch oven do I need?

The dutch oven that I use is 6 quarts and it gets pretty full making stirring difficult. Therefore, you want a dutch oven that is at least 6 quarts, but a little larger would be great to give you room to stir without having to worry about spilling nearly as much.

Do I have to use a dutch oven, or can I use a stockpot?

You can definitely use a stockpot if you don’t have a dutch oven! Just be sure that your stockpot is at least 6 quarts or larger so that you have enough room to cook the whole dish without a mess.

This recipes seems to call for a lot of liquid. Is it all necessary?

Yes, a lot of liquid is cooked off/absorbed by the noodles while they are cooking.