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A Classic Dutch Oven Lasagna—with a few shortcuts to make it the comforting family dinner you’ll want to cook on repeat. My simple Bolognese is made with spicy Italian sausage, ground beef, and Italian tomatoes in basil. And the creamy white sauce is a mix of ricotta and egg yolks that gives this lasagna the richest, silkiest layers without any of the fuss of a traditional béchamel.
It’s the coziest time of year. These late November days and long December nights are made for comfort foods. Don’t deny yourself! Slow-cooked roasts, soups, and baked pastas are my favorite recipes to share during the holiday season.
This Dutch oven lasagna is one I’ve been so excited to finally give to you all. It’s the lasagna I make most often for family and friends—classic, nostalgic, and so delicious—but with a few shortcuts that make it incredibly easy. No one needs to know!
Everything comes together in a single Dutch oven (plus one mixing bowl and a cutting board) with minimal effort. The Bolognese gets so much flavor from the spicy sausage, stewed Italian tomatoes, and my favorite Italian spices. And the cream sauce is mixed right in a bowl—just add egg yolks to the ricotta and you get the most luxurious, velvety sauce without any extra steps.
This is simple, comforting, winter lasagna at its very best.
Onto the details
Ingredients
- spicy Italian sausage
- ground beef
- onions
- carrots
- celery
- Italian seasoning
- red wine
- canned tomatoes
- whole milk ricotta cheese
- whole milk or cream
- fresh parmesan
- dry lasagna noodles
- mozzarella cheese
- provolone cheese
- fresh basil or parsley
Special Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a Dutch oven or other large oven-safe pot. Plus, a mixing bowl, wooden spoon, and cutting board.
The Steps
Step 1: the red sauce
Brown the spicy Italian sausage and ground beef with the onions, carrots, celery, and Italian seasoning. Nothing fancy here—just classic, cozy flavors.
Pour in your favorite bottle of red wine (I recommend something from our Season Reds (on sale, free shipping, and today is the last day to order for Thanksgiving delivery), then add a cup of water. Let the sauce simmer while you mix up the ricotta.
Step 2: the ricotta sauce
You can mix this in a food processor or a regular bowl—both work great!
Combine the whole milk ricotta with the egg yolks, cream, and Parmesan. Add a splash of extra milk or cream to help the pasta cook nicely into the sauce as everything bakes.
Step 3: put it together
Mix some water in to the red sauce, this will help the pasta cook.
Break the lasagna noodles into pieces, stir them into the red sauce with half the mozzarella cheese. Now, swirl in the ricotta mix, not fully mixing it in. Finish with mozzarella and provolone on top.
Step 5: bake
Cover and bake until the noodles are tender. Uncover during the last few minutes to brown the cheese beautifully.
Serving
Let the lasagna sit for a few minutes before serving so it can set up nicely. Then scoop big, cozy bowls using your favorite serving spoon.
Serve with a simple salad, warm bread, and a yummy bottle of wine. I love the Tuscan red from our Selection of the Seasons Reds.
Looking for more easy holiday dinners? Here are a few more to try!
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon
Lastly, if you make this Dutch Oven Lasagna, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate this recipe! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Dutch Oven Lasagna
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 682 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef or chicken
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cans (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- salt, pepper, and chili flakes
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup whole milk or cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 box dry lasagna noodles, broken in 2-3
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil/ parsley
Instructions
- 1. In a Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the sausage, beef, onion, carrots, celery, and Italian seasoning. Brown all over, 10 minutes. Add the wine, deglazing the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup water. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. 2. Simmer 10 minutes, until thickened just slightly. 3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the ricotta, cream/milk, egg yolks, and parmesan. Preheat oven to 375 F. 4. To the sauce, add 1/2 cup water. Stir in the broken lasagna noodles. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Then, gently stir/swirl in the the ricotta sauce, not fully mixing. 5. Top with mozzarella, provolone cheese, and fresh basil leaves. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until the noodles are soft. Remove the lid and bake 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Top with fresh basil, and enjoy!
This post was originally published on November 21, 2025
This was SO good. My husband and I loved it and have put it in our “make again” folder! Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Made this last night & found it so simple to make & great results. Really good version of a lasagna with minimal effort, shall definitely make again.
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
This was flavorful and simple. It needed some adjustments to the added water, but otherwise good recipe for pot luck or friend/family night dinner.
Thanks so much, Polly! I appreciate you making this dish and your feedback!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I plan to try this recipe this evening 11-26 … JUST needed a quick clarification. When it say 2 cans of tomatoes (28 oz). Does that mean total of 28 oz?
I’ll post how yummy this is…
Hey Becky,
It’s two 28oz cans, for a total of 56oz. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!
This Dutch Oven Lasagna was honestly a flop. The recipe feels over-complicated for something that’s supposed to be “one-pot,” and breaking dry noodles into the sauce leaves the texture messy instead of layered. The flavors get heavy and muddled with all the meat, wine, and cheeses competing instead of complementing each other. Overall, it ends up feeling more like a chaotic pasta bake than a real lasagna. Wouldn’t make it again.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, very sorry to hear it was not to your liking!
This one was so rough, I will never make again.
Hi Danielle,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe. Is there something specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
I’m confused about why you say to add water to the sauce at two different times: first, adding a cup of water along with the tomatoes, then “simmer til thickened slightly”; but then right before adding in the noodles, it says to add another 1/2 cup of water. Why are we simmering to thicken the sauce, then adding more water?? Why not just add 1 1/2 cups of water all at once? I feel stupid haha, am I missing something?
Hi Paris,
This is what I found worked best with the recipe, you need to add more water in step 4 to get the noodles to cook properly.
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
We loved this. A bit involved but worth the effort. Even better left over!
Hey Anita,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for making it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is one of the worst recipes I’ve ever made, and I can’t keep up with all the changes that are being made to this recipe without notation.
Hi Brittany,
Very sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. If there is anything specific that I can help with, please let me know!
I came to make a comment & I see the recipe has changed yet again. Very frustrating that recipes keep changing days after being published!
Hi Michelle,
Very sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe and so sorry about the change!
Wowwwww this was a rough one. I will never make this again.
Hi Kelly,
Very sorry to hear this! If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
I don’t drink so a full bottle of wine isn’t an option. I appreciate it when you include non alcoholic versions in your notes.
Thank you!
Hi Dawn,
You can use broth in place of the wine:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
This was amazing. I like a meaty sauce so I did use more meat and I didn’t use all the sauce because I personally don’t like a saucy pasta of any kind but this is good. And I froze the sauce I didn’t use to use for spaghetti in the future cause it really is that good!!!! I swear I could eat the sauce alone !!! LOL
Yay! Thanks so much, Jessica! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it!
Confusing.
Recipe says 4 sheets of noodles..and then layer the meat sauce and ricotta sauce. But later you seem to say the whole box of noodles is used?
Can you clarify. Usually dry lasagne noodles need to be boiled ahead of time before being added. Unless they are the ‘no-boil’ or ‘oven ready’ kind.
The recipe seems like they just get added in without boiling ahead, and they don’t seem to be the oven ready type.
Hi there,
Sorry for any confusion! I should have made this easier from the beginning, no need to worry about any layers:) You can mix everything right into the pot. I hope you love this recipe!
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
The noodles in your lasagna look incredibly burnt, is there a way to avoid this outcome?
Hi Lia,
Just make sure yours are fully submerged:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!