DUTCH OVEN LASAGNA

[BeaverCarl]

Anyone out there ever make Lasagna in a Dutch Oven? Below is a resipe I would like to adapt, any ideas?

 

 

 

DUTCH OVEN LASAGNA

 

1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1 1/2 oz.) env. spaghetti sauce mix

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 lg. container (16 oz.) sm. curd cottage cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese, shredded

4 c. cooked lasagna noodles

 

Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil in a bowl; set aside. In a pan, brown ground beef, onion and garlic about 10 minutes over medium heat. Cover pan after 10 minutes if it still isn't cooked, cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain off excess grease. Stir in 1/2 package of spaghetti sauce mix, salt and pepper. Spread cottage cheese evenly over meat mixture.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese over cottage cheese. Place noodles on top of cheese; sprinkle with remaining spaghetti sauce mix. Spread tomato mixture evenly over noodles and sauce. Cover pan; cook 30 minutes over low heat. Remove cover; sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 

Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving. 8 to 10 servings.

 

 

[SctDad]

It sounds good. Would leaving the ground beef out be an acceptable way to make it vegitarian. I have one boy who does not eat meat.

 

If not any other suggestions.

 

 

[Bob White]

Sounds delicious but it really would not require a dutch oven since this is a pan fry recipe and not an oven baked one. You should be able to do this in a large fry pan with a lid and the bottom heat of a camp stove since it would give you better heat control than a campfire.

 

While you might be able to do this in a dutch oven they work best as a baking unit when you want to heat the air around the food in order to bake it. Ideally you place more coal on the lid than underneath in order to bake the food item inside.

 

A good thing to do would be practice it at home first before you try it at camp.

 

[ccjj]

The receipe looks similar to what the SM of our troop did a couple of summers ago. It was such a hit with the adults, that the boys decided to do it themselves the next campout. Finally, something that we have been trying to do worked. The boys liked what the adults did, and then had to do it for themselves.

 

ccjj

[DanKroh]

I did a Dutch oven lasagna for my patrol during Wood Badge. I found that adapting a basic recipe worked just fine. One suggestion I would make is to use the no-boil noodles. Makes it much simpler and tastes great. The other thing I do to make life easier is use jarred spaghetti sauce.

 

If you want to make vegetarian, SctDad, leave out the beef, but add in some veggies like spinach and mushrooms (just chop and throw in between the layers, it'll cook when it's baked). Gives it a little more texture and flavor.

[SctDad]

Thanks Dan. I think that I an make this in the smaller DO and mamke the big DO with the regular.

 

I am thinking about trying more DO cooking with our Cubs. Some of the things that we can do lines up with some of the requirements.

 

Thanks again for the advise on the Vegie Lasagna.

[moxieman]

Would leaving the ground beef out be an acceptable way to make it vegitarian

 

And in the process offend all the meat-eaters present. At work one of my duties is logistics for continuing education of state workers. On one evaluation from a training, a meat-eater took offense at the vegetarian-only lunch:

 

Quote: "It is our evolutionary duty to consume the lower life forms of this planet. I take offense that I was not given the opportunity to do so at lunch." (seriously)

 

If you have to do something like this due to a vegetarian present, there is a compromise that will keep most meat-eaters happy. You can use "veggie crumbles" that look like meat and have the texture of meat. The one I use when I need to make something for a crowd that has a few vegetarians in it is "Morning Star Veggie Crumbles", which is comparable weight/price-wise to hamburger. I'll keep the empty bag on hand to show to the vegie-only eaters can read through it, see it's vegan and be happy. The meat-eaters don't know any better if you don't tell'em.

 

You can find this stuff in the freezer section of major supermarkets--no need to go into the natural food store if you don't wish to.

[baschram645]

You can omit 1 pound of hamburger and add 1 pound of sweet italian sausage. Also add freshly chopped parsley to the mix of spices. Mushrooms go well in veggie or carno versions.

 

[SctDad]

I have more than one DO. I was going to make a regular lasagna and make a seperate vegie lasagna. I was not going to change the menu for all when only one boy doesn't eat meat.

[Stosh]

How would one vegetarian affect all the boys when the boys are patrol cooking? I'm sure that patrol can do what is necessary to take care of their members without affecting the rest of the boys.

 

Stosh

[SctDad]

The patrol method becomes a problem with this recipe, because we are Cub Scouts.

 

But I understand your point stosh. I try not to disrupt the whole pack for one boy and his father understands that. His father usually has a back up plan if the Cub does not like or want what we are having. The two of them are great and some of the best inthe pack.

[highcountry]

We used a different recipe, used italian Sausage and Ricotta, fresh parm and mozerella. Our boys took 1st place in the Dutch oven cookoff at TAhosa Camporee in October with it. No leftovers for sure.

[BeaverCarl]

To "baschram645"

 

Super idea, I will definitely omit 1 pound of hamburger in favor of a pound of sweet Italian sausage. And freshly chopped parsley to the mix of spices. (Our Cobra Patrol is good with chopping, which means the Lightning Patrol gets clean-up)

 

To "highcountry"

 

Indeed, Cheeeeezzzzz!

 

Thanks guys, I'll test it on my family first.