Easy Dutch Oven Lasagna

Prep time is only about 15 minutes, then 45 minutes in the oven, and it tastes great!

Sized for a 3 Quart cast iron dutch oven.

Shopping list

1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 lb ground beef
12 oz oven ready lasagna noodles
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce

Spices: Garlic, salt, pepper, and your favorites...

Preheat oven to 450.

In the 3 quart pan brown the beef and season to taste. Drain excess fat (after rolling around to coat the inside surface if using cast iron)

Add to the beef the cans of diced tomatoes (do not drain) and tomato sauce.

Stir and simmer a small time to heat and mix ingredients.

NOTE: Take care to NOT reduce. Oven ready noodles will need the sauce to have water. If parboiling regular lasagna noodles instead, drain the diced tomatoes and reduce if the sauce to your liking.

Empty the sauce to another container and begin layering the 3 quart dutch oven from bottom to top: Noodles, sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, sauce, noodles, cheese.

The cheese should split pretty evenly between the two cheese sections, but remember the top will need more cheese.

Place covered dutch oven in the oven at 450 for 30 minutes, then remove the cover for 15 minutes. Reduce uncovered time to reduce cheese crispy-ness.

If you need to adjust, you can tests noodles by reaching a fork down one of the edges, and pulling a bit of lasagna noodle up to test done-ness.