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Campfire Spaghetti Bake

Campfire spaghetti bake with a Dutch oven pasta bake method—cheesy, golden, and bubbly. Brown the ground beef over the campfire, layer with spaghetti sauce and cheeses, then bake on coals for a hot camping meal.
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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: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Spaghetti sauce
  • 24 oz spaghetti sauce 1 jar
Spaghetti
  • 1 lb spaghetti, cooked use cooked spaghetti (already boiled and drained)
Shredded mozzarella
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
Cooking spray
  • cooking spray for spraying Dutch oven

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Brown ground beef in a cast iron skillet over the campfire for 8-12 minutes, stirring until fully cooked. Drain excess fat so the sauce stays thick.
Mix the spaghetti
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, browned beef, spaghetti sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Stir until every strand is coated and glossy.
Bake in the Dutch oven
  1. Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray, then add the spaghetti mixture and spread it into an even layer. Keep the surface level for even bubbling.
Add cheese topping
  1. Top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the grated Parmesan so the bake has a cheesy layer. Cover the Dutch oven with its lid.
Cook on campfire coals
  1. Place the Dutch oven on campfire coals with additional coals on top of the lid and cook for 30-35 minutes. Bake until the cheese is melted and visibly bubbly with golden spots.
Rest before serving
  1. Let the baked spaghetti cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cheese will set slightly and slice more cleanly.

Notes

Pro tip: use hot, drained spaghetti so it absorbs the meat sauce quickly before baking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in a covered skillet or microwave until steaming. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes in cheese. Dietary swap: use plant-based ground beef and dairy-free mozzarella to make a dairy-forward vegetarian-style version while keeping the same bake technique.