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Campfire Spaghetti Bake

Campfire spaghetti bake is a Dutch oven pasta dinner with cheesy, golden, bubbly layers of spaghetti and meat sauce. It’s cooked over campfire coals for a melty top you can scoop straight from the pot.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
resting 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Spaghetti sauce
  • 1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti
  • 1 lb spaghetti, cooked
Mozzarella
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated If needed, measure closer to 1/2 cup total.
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
Cooking spray
  • 1 Cooking spray

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over campfire until fully cooked, then drain excess fat.
Assemble the bake
  1. Mix the cooked spaghetti, beef, spaghetti sauce, half the mozzarella, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in one pot until evenly combined.
  2. Spray the Dutch oven with cooking spray, then add the spaghetti mixture and spread it into an even layer.
  3. Top with the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan so the surface will melt and brown.
Bake over coals
  1. Cover the Dutch oven and place it on campfire coals with additional coals on top of the lid to create even heat.
  2. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and visibly bubbly across the top.
Rest and serve
  1. Let the bake cool for 5 minutes before serving so it sets slightly and scoops cleanly.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the Dutch oven heat balanced by matching coals on the lid and beneath the pot for a uniformly bubbly cheese top. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat until hot in the oven or microwave. Freezing is yes—freeze in portions up to 2 months and thaw overnight before reheating. For a lower-fat option, use lean ground beef and part-skim mozzarella while keeping the cook time the same.