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Campfire Spaghetti Bake

Campfire spaghetti bake is a Dutch oven pasta made with cheesy baked spaghetti and hearty meat sauce—golden and bubbly on top. Brown the beef, assemble in the Dutch oven, and bake over campfire coals until the cheese melts into a set, scoopable layer.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rest 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 1180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Spaghetti sauce
  • 1 can (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
Cooked spaghetti
  • 1 lb spaghetti
Mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Italian seasoning and garlic
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
Cooking spray
  • 1 cooking spray

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over campfire heat until fully cooked, 8-12 minutes, and drain excess fat as it sizzles.
  2. Turn off the heat and let the skillet cool slightly so the mixture won’t steam the Dutch oven.
Assemble the bake
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix cooked spaghetti, cooked beef, spaghetti sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until evenly coated, with a thick red sauce clinging to the noodles.
  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 looks evenly covered before baking.
Bake over coals
  1. Cover the Dutch oven and place it on campfire coals with additional coals on top of the lid, maintaining steady heat for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  2. Uncover and check for golden bubbling at the edges and in the center, then remove from the heat.
Rest and serve
  1. Let the bake cool for 5 minutes so it sets enough to serve cleanly and scoop.

Notes

For best scoopable slices, rest the spaghetti bake the full 5 minutes before serving; if transporting, keep it covered to retain heat. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; reheat in the oven or microwave until hot and bubbling. Freezing: yes, freeze portions up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use lean ground beef and swap part-skim mozzarella while keeping the same bake timing.