This one-pot Dutch oven spaghetti with meat sauce is a classic comfort meal, adapted to be cooked in your cast iron Dutch oven over the campfire. It's the ideal meal for cool weather camping or anytime you need a hearty meal at camp.
Recipe at a Glance: Campfire Spaghetti
- DETAILS
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Preparation method: Dutch oven cooking over a campfire
- HIGHLIGHTS
- This one-pot meal of spaghetti with meat sauce is a hearty and satisfying choice for camping, particularly in cooler weather.
- The recipe is made entirely in your Dutch oven, meaning minimal clean up or dishes, which is always a bonus at camp.
- Your cast iron Dutch oven is used to create a simple meat sauce and then the pasta is cooked directly in the meat sauce, giving everything a rich flavor.
I'm a big fan of one-pot camping meals, thanks to the minimal effort required to make them and ease of clean up. I mean, camping is supposed to be relaxing, so who wants to be juggling multiple pots and endless dishes? Not me.
This Dutch oven spaghetti recipe is a simple, kid-pleasing version of the classic, made with just a handful of ingredients, including ground beef and marinara sauce, and it's cooked entirely in your Dutch oven over the fire. No colander required.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground beef--I recommend using lean (85/15) ground beef here for the right amount of fat. Avoid medium ground beef as it will give off too much fat and make your sauce greasy.
- Beef broth--Use reduced sodium beef broth so that your spaghetti isn't too salty.
- Marinara--Use your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara or pasta sauce here.
How to Make Campfire Dutch Oven Spaghetti
1. Brown the beef and onion in oil over the campfire.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minue.
3. Pour in the beef broth and marinara and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the spaghetti, cover and cook until tender.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this with classic spaghetti accompaniments, such as garlic bread and Caesar salad.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- The spaghetti will continue to soak up liquid once you remove it from the fire so it should still be quite saucy when you're finished cooking. Add extra broth or water if needed to ensure a saucy consistency.
- To halve the recipe, use a 3 ½ to 4-quart Dutch oven.
- Since you're cooking in a Dutch oven outside, the cooking time can vary due to outside temperature and wind. If you're cooking on a very windy day, try to protect the Dutch oven with a barrier, such as a tarp.
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Recipe
Dutch Oven Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups reduced sodium beef broth
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 18 ounces (500 g) spaghetti
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Prepare a campfire for direct medium heat.
- Set the Dutch oven over the heat and warm the oil.
- Add the beef and onion and cook until the meat is browned and onion is softened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef broth and marinara sauce, cover, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the spaghetti (you may need to break it to make it fit), and stir gently to submerge it in the sauce. Cover and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, until the pasta is tender, about 17 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Keep it saucy--The spaghetti will continue to soak up liquid once you remove it from the fire so it should still be quite saucy when you're finished cooking. Add extra broth or water if needed to ensure a saucy consistency.
- Halving the recipe--To halve the recipe, use a 3 ½ to 4-quart Dutch oven.
- Protect your oven--Since you're cooking in a Dutch oven outside, the cooking time can vary due to outside temperature and wind. If you're cooking on a very windy day, try to protect the Dutch oven with a barrier, such as a tarp.
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