Campfire Pasta Bolognese with Burrata

Imagine it. You're out in the woods, and the tent is all set up, there's a nice breeze, so the bugs aren't too bad, you're looking out over the forest eating a bowl of smoky, cheesy campfire pasta bolognese. If that doesn't excite you, nothing will. If you aren't the camping type, don't worry. I've added a note to the recipe so that you can make this indoors just as easily as outdoors. And full disclosure, I made this in my backyard, not out in the woods, and you can too. As always, the recipe is directly below, but keep reading past it for more detailed information. Let's get to it!

Campfire Pasta Bolognese Ingredients

The ingredients for this Campfire Pasta Bolognese are pretty straightforward. They are ground beef, onion, carrot, celery, tomato, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, red wine, beef stock, pasta, parmesan cheese, and burrata cheese. We'll talk about what exactly burrata cheese is in a minute. Now, you may expect this recipe to have tomato sauce because that is what most of us are used to as a bolognese. However, traditional bolognese has little to no tomato in it. The sauce is wine and stock-based. I generally prefer to add a bit of tomato paste to add richness and a bit of that tomato flavour, but I didn't have any, so I left it out. Honestly, the recipe isn't missing it. It tasted great as it is.

What is Burrata Cheese?

Have you ever had fresh mozzarella cheese? I'm not talking about the name-brand blocks you get at the grocery store. I mean real fresh mozzarella. What about ricotta cheese? Well, burrata is pretty much a ball of fresh mozzarella stuffed with ricotta. Sounds good, right! If you can't find burrata, you can use regular mozzarella, but I had some, and I thought this would be a great use for it. I wasn't wrong.

Campfire cooking

To cook this pasta over a campfire, you need two things. Firstly, you need a pot that can withstand the heat of the fire. I used a Lodge Castiron Dutch Oven. Secondly, you need something to hang the pot off of. I have a castiron tripod, specifically for this purpose, but you can tie three equal-length sticks together and make a tripod that way if need be. As a bit of a side note, this is the first time I've had a chance to use either the dutch oven or the tripod, so it was a pretty exciting day for me.

Cooking the Campfire Pasta Bolognese

The first step in any campfire cooking is obviously to get a fire going. You have to light the fire and let it burn down until you have some nice hot coals to cook over. Next, place the pot over the coals and let it heat for about five minutes. Add a touch of olive oil to the pot along with the ground beef and cook until browned.

Adding the vegetables

Once the beef is brown, add the vegetables, garlic, and rosemary. Cook for five to ten minutes or until the onion and celery have softened.

Season and deglaze

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan. Let the wine cook until it has almost all evaporated. This should only take about two to three minutes.

Add the beef stock

The final step in building the sauce is to add the beef stock. Pour it into the pot, then wait until it comes to a boil. Put a lid on the pot, and lift it off the fire. Set the pot about six to eight inches above the fire and let it simmer for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Finishing the Campfire Pasta Bolognese

After the sauce has had some time to simmer, take the lid off, and taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed. Now, stir in the cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Pull the burrata apart and place it on top of the pasta. Return the lid to the pot and cover it with hot coals. Let the pasta sit for about ten minutes. Carefully remove the coals from the lid, then remove the lid from the pot. The burrata should be melted and just starting to brown. That's when you know the pasta is perfect.

Serve the Campfire Pasta Bolognese

All that's left to do is serve the pasta. This should make enough for four to six people, depending on how hungry everyone is. If you want to stretch it a bit further, serve it with a green salad and some toasted bread.

The Wrap Up

If you're sitting around a fire and someone hands you a bowl of this Campfire Pasta Bolognese, you'll want to give them a big hug because that's exactly what they just gave you. This pasta is like a big hug in a bowl. It's everything you love about pasta bolognese but with a hint of smoke and that special je ne sais quoi that only comes from cooking something over an open fire. Again, you can make this in the house, and it will be delicious, but if you get the chance to cook this on a fire, take it. Becasue this delicious pasta will then truly become something extraordinary.