Easy Campfire Dutch Oven Spaghetti (Feeds 8–10)

The Best Dutch Oven Spaghetti For Camping

Here’s another one of our favorite camping recipes! Give this hearty Dutch Oven Spaghetti recipe a try, also known as Goulash. Super easy to prep, pack, and make while camping or otherwise. Everyone loves it!

This camping dinner recipe is really filling and satisfying after a long day of hiking and playing. As someone who has cooked for many hiking trips, this is one of my go-to meals. It’s definitely one of the best Dutch oven pasta recipes out there!

Can You Make Spaghetti in a Dutch Oven While Camping?

Yes — a Dutch oven works great for spaghetti at the campsite. The even heat from the coals cooks the pasta, sauce, ground beef, and cheese together in one pot, so there’s no separate pot of water to boil or drain. It’s one of the easiest one-pot camping dinners you can make.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It feeds a crowd, it comes together in one pot, and there’s barely any cleanup at the campsite. It’s also endlessly forgiving — swap in what you have on hand and it still turns out great, which is exactly what you want after a long day outdoors.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 16 ounces pasta, cooked al dente (we use elbow macaroni, though spaghetti noodles work great too)
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1 to 2 (14.5-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, depending on preference
• 24 ounces (about 2½ cups) spaghetti sauce, your favorite
• 8 ounces shredded cheese, plus extra for topping

Full ingredient amounts and instructions are also in the printable recipe card below.

Recipe Tips

To make this recipe even easier while camping, prepare the pasta and ground beef at home. This simple prep in advance will really simplify and speed up the process for making this meal.

It is super easy to pack canned stewed tomatoes and a jar of your favorite spaghetti pasta sauce or bring along about 2 ½ cups of your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce recipe.

A charcoal chimney starter makes getting your coals ready much faster and easier than lighter fluid. And if you want to round out the meal, wrap a loaf of bread in foil with butter and garlic, and warm it right on top of the coals while your spaghetti cooks.

Supplies You’ll Need

• 10-inch dutch oven
• 21 charcoals
• Tongs to move hot coals
• Mixing and serving spoon
• Charcoal Lighter Basket
• Dutch Oven Lid Lifter
• Dutch Oven Liners

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Before you leave home for camp, cook the pasta to al dente and cook the ground beef, draining any grease.
2. At the campsite, heat your charcoal on the fire.
3. In a 10-inch Dutch oven, stir together the cooked pasta, cooked ground beef, stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.
4. Place the Dutch oven over 7 hot coals in a checkerboard pattern. Cover and place 14 hot coals on top of the lid — this gives you about 320°F.
5. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the shredded cheese, then cover and cook 5 more minutes.
6. Top with more shredded cheese before serving, if desired. Serve with salad and warm bread.

Stovetop and Oven Instructions

No campfire or Dutch oven handy? Here’s how to make this at home.

Stovetop Method

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the cooked pasta, cooked ground beef, stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.
2. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through.
3. Stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Top with extra cheese, cover, and let sit off heat for 2 to 3 minutes so the top layer melts.
4. Serve with salad and bread.

Oven Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In an oven-safe Dutch oven or casserole dish, combine the cooked pasta, cooked ground beef, stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.
3. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through.
4. Remove the foil, top with shredded cheese, and bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
5. Serve with salad and bread.

Servings

This particular recipe feeds about 8-10 people, but you can modify it to feed about 20 people if you cook in a 14-inch Dutch oven and double the recipe. You can also modify it to make less if you cook it in a smaller Dutch oven. It’s really easy to modify and the ingredient amounts don’t need to be exact. Adjust it to your preference!

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Leftovers

Cook the ground beef and pasta at home and freeze them until your trip — just thaw before you go and combine with your sauce and tomatoes once you’re at the campsite.

Got leftovers? Try turning them into pudgie pie sandwiches using bread as the base for an easy second camp meal — basically a spaghetti sandwich, cooked right over the coals.

For more on keeping meat and leftovers at safe temperatures without a fridge, the USDA’s guide to food safety while camping is a helpful read before your trip.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dutch Oven Spaghetti

Can I make this recipe without a Dutch oven?

Yes — this recipe works well on the stovetop or in the oven at home, though the method is a little different since you won’t have the even top-and-bottom heat that coals provide. See the stovetop and oven instructions above for exact steps and timing.

How many calories are in this recipe?

Based on the full recipe split into 8 servings, this comes out to about 276 calories per serving, along with 18g of protein and 18g of fat.

Can I prep this recipe ahead of time for camping?

Definitely. Brown and drain the ground beef and cook the pasta at home, then freeze both until your trip. This cuts down significantly on prep time once you’re at the campsite.

What can I do with leftover Dutch oven spaghetti?

Leftovers work great turned into pudgie pie sandwiches, using bread as the base instead of a bun, for an easy second camp meal.

Dutch Oven Spaghetti Recipe (Great For Camping)

Delicious, hearty Dutch oven recipe to feed the masses while camping!

4.64 / 5 ( 11 Reviews )

Print 📄PDF Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Serves: 8

Adjust Servings: 8

Equipment

• 10 inch Dutch Oven
• Charcoal
• Tongs

Ingredients

Supplies you will need:

• 21 charcoals
• tongs to move hot coals
• mixing and serving spoon
• charcoal lighter basket
• dutch oven lid lifter

Ingredients needed:

• 16 ounces pasta cooked al dente (we use elbow macaroni)
• 1 pound ground beef cooked and drained
• 1 to 2 cans stewed tomatoes, depending on preference 14.5-ounce cans
• 24 ounces spaghetti sauce about 2 1/2 cups
• 8 ounces shredded cheese plus extra for topping

Instructions

• Before you leave home for camp, cook the pasta to al dente. Cook the ground beef, and drain grease, if needed.
• Heat coals on the fire.
• In a 10-inch dutch oven, stir together the cooked pasta, cooked ground beef, stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.
• Place dutch oven over 7 hot coals in a checkerboard pattern. Cover oven and put 14 hot coals on top. This will give you about 320°F/160°C.
• Cook 25 minutes. Remove lid and stir in shredded cheese; cover for 5 more minutes.
• Top with more shredded cheese before serving, if desired. Serve with salad and bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 1072mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and a star rating below — your reviews help other readers find recipes worth making, and they mean the world to a small business like ours. ❤️

Final Thoughts

This is definitely my favorite campfire spaghetti recipe! It’s easy, feeds a large crowd, and it tastes great. It really fills you up too. Readers seem to agree — it’s currently rated 4.64 out of 5 stars from 11 reviews.

If you want to serve it with some dessert afterward, try our dutch oven peach cobbler! Or maybe our dutch oven chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

More Camping Recipes:

• Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler
• Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies
• How To Make Dutch Oven Pizza
• Breakfast Burritos Recipe
• Campfire Eclairs Recipe {Woof ‘Ems}

See all our camping and Dutch oven recipes!

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