Name: Dutch Oven Beef Lasagne
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 brown onions, sliced; 500g beef mince; 80g streaky bacon, diced; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 carrot, diced; 1 celery stalk, diced; 4 button mushrooms, sliced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp porcini powder; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 c beef stock; 700g jar of passata; 1/2 c red wine; 1 bay leaf; 2 sprigs thyme / 1 tsp dried thyme; 50g unsalted butter; 1/4 c flour; 500ml full cream milk; 100g vintage cheddar cheese, grated; 1 heaped tablespoon grana padano or reggiano parmesan cheese, freshly grated; sea salt flakes, to season; freshly ground black pepper, to season; 1 pkt lasagne sheets, you’ll need approx 250g; 100g mozzarella cheese, grated

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Dutch oven Beef Lasagna…. It’s hearty. It’s slow-cooked. It’s loaded with melted cheese. And it all gets baked in a big, beautiful pot. What’s not to love?

A baked cheesy lasagna cooked in an enamel Dutch oven.

We’re talking about a rich beef bolognese, creamy béchamel sauce, and three cheeses all layered together and baked until golden and delicious. Sounds pretty good, huh?! Whether it’s a Sunday night supper, a batch-cooked dinner, or you just need something warming to get through the week, this cast-iron lasagna is comfort food done right.

I’m on a bit of a quest at the moment to clean out our freezer and pantry. I do this every six months or so, just to make sure that we’re not wasting food by it getting lost in the pantry or wedged under something in the bottom of the freezer. This time round, I’ve come across quite a selection of pasta, mainly because we’ve been trying new pasta brands for Martha’s, so hold onto your hats, I feel a few new pasta recipes are headed this way!

Here Is Why You’ll Love This Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe

Prep it ahead of time. Batch cooks, listen up! I always have a stash of the beef bolognese filling in my freezer for easy mid-week pasta dinners. Then you’ve only got to defrost, make the bechamel sauce, and layer it into a cast-iron Dutch oven before baking. It definitely cuts down on time when you’ve got a craving for lasagna and limited time to make it.

It’s freezer-friendly and tastes even better the next day. I make it for the Night shift weeks in our house. We’re eating lasagna two nights in a row, but I’ve never had anyone complain about having too much lasagna!

You can easily double this recipe to feed a crowd. This one feeds six big / eight if you’re serving it with a side, portions; however, if you’re planning on serving it up for the holidays or when you’ve got a crowd gathered, I’d double the recipe and make it in a large baking dish, instead of the Dutch oven, to make portioning easier

What You Need To Get Started

Meat – ground beef mince, streaky bacon
Vegetables – brown onions, fresh garlic cloves, celery stalk, carrot, button mushrooms.
Red wine. I usually opt for a cheap cabernet or pinot noir when I’m cooking with red wine. I buy the odd cheap bottle with the groceries and leave it in the pantry for slow-cooking recipes like this one.
Pantry essentials – Tomato Paste, beef stock, extra virgin olive oil, plain, all-purpose flour, sea salt flakes, and freshly ground black pepper to season
Fresh Herbs – Dried oregano, bay leaf, fresh thyme
Porcini powder, I LOVE this stuff! Honestly, it’s that good! Add a tablespoon to your slow-cooked soups, stews, and casseroles to give a good oomph of depth and flavor. A few dried porcini mushrooms will do a similar thing.
Tomato Passata. You can also use canned diced tomatoes. I tend to prefer passata as it results in a creamier texture than canned tomatoes.

Dairy – Butter, full cream milk, grated parmesan cheese (I use grana padano), mozzarella cheese, and grated mature cheddar.
Fresh lasagne sheets (ones that you don’t need to precook!). I normally get the Community Go or San Remo lasagne sheets from the supermarket. It’s as simple as microwaving them for 30 seconds to help them pull apart and layer them in your lasagne. They cook along with your dish, so no need to pre-boil noodles, Yay!

Step-by-Step…

Bolognese Sauce

Preheat the oven.
Sauté the onion, bacon, and garlic.
Add the minced beef and saute until cooked.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 2 hours.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

Everything in the pot prior to slow cooking in the oven.

Cheesy Bechamel Sauce

Make a roux with the butter and flour.
Add the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously until the mixture resembles a thick, creamy sauce.
Add the grated cheeses and stir through.
Season and pop aside, ready to layer your lasagna.

Plain flour is added to the pot of melted butter.

A red whisk is stirring the butter and flour together to form a roux.

To Assemble…

1. Layer your lasagna and finish the top layer of bechamel with grated mozzarella.

2. Pop on the Dutch oven lid and bake until golden.

A dutch oven with the base covered in lasagna noodles.

Equipment

I use a Le Creuset 24cm enamel Dutch oven to make the bolognese and to bake my lasagna in. For the bechamel sauce, I use a 20cm enamel Dutch oven; however, you could also use a saucepan of a similar size.

You’ll also need a stirring or wooden spoon, a silicone whisk, a cheese grater, measuring tools, and a large ladle – An essential tool for layering your lasagne evenly!

If you’re tossing up which pot to buy, I’ve written a full guide comparing Le Creuset vs Staub. Spoiler: I love both — it depends on your cooking style.

Cooks notes

Want to amp up the vegetables? Add grated zuccini and additional grated carrot to the pot along with the celery and they’ll never know that you’ve loaded it with veggies!

Maker sure that you don’t skip the resting time. I know it’s hard. But 10–15 minutes makes all the difference for nice, portioned slices that don’t fall apart.

Let’s Serve It Up!

Keep it simple, shall we? Whenever I serve up lasagna, I make a small salad to go alongside – and it never gets eaten! The mum in me will keep making that salad even if I’m the only one who eats it! So yes, a simple side salad or even a Caprese salad is a great side to this slow-cooked beef lasagna.

Garlic bread or this skillet focaccia. Better yet, make garlic bread with the skillet focaccia!

A glass of good red wine (I’m a pinot noir girl when it comes to red wine, but you do you.)

Making an occasion out of it and follow up this Dutch oven lasagna recipe with an Italian dessert. I’m thinking tiramisu. If you’re making this for the holidays, try my speculoos tiramisu. It’s a festive take on my favorite dessert!

FAQ’s

Whisk in a splash of extra milk to thin it out.

Definitely. Most slow-cooked dinners taste better the next day anyway! Make both the Bolognese and bechamel sauce, and assemble up to and including step 9. Let it cool, then cover and pop it into the fridge until you are ready to bake. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before it goes into the oven, and continue with steps 10 & 11.

Both the sauces could be cooked in stainless steel pots, although I wouldn’t pop them in the oven as they work better on top of the stove. You can also assemble the lasagne in a baking dish, although you will probably need to allow for extra pasta sheets.

Have Leftovers?

This one keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days (stored in either the Dutch oven or an airtight container), making it perfect for those with shift workers in the house like us! To reheat the whole lasagna if you’ve pre-made it, pop the whole thing in the oven with the lid on for 30 minutes at 180°C until it bubbles and is hot throughout. To warm up individual portions, pop them (covered) in the microwave and warm in 30-second bursts until hot.

Lasagna freezes beautifully in portions, plus, honestly, it’s even better the next day, so batch away. During the busy months at the store, I’ll make a batch of lasagna and portion it into two disposable baking trays before popping them in the freezer. It makes dinner a breeze when you’ve only got to pop the whole tray in the oven (defrost it in the fridge overnight prior to reheating) for 40 minutes and make a quick salad.