23 Dutch Oven Recipes That Make Delicious One-Pot Dinners (2024)

If you're not already a fan, these Dutch oven recipes will make you fall in love with this trusty piece of cookware. It's reliable and versatile, goes from the stovetop to the oven, and looks good on the table, too. Plus, the thick, heavy walls of a Dutch oven retain heat and keep temperatures steady, making them especially great for low-and-slow dishes like stews, chili, and braised meats.

Whether you're building your own collection of enameled cast iron or you own a piece that's been passed down for generations, these one-pot recipes for the Dutch oven are sure to become your new favorite back-pocket meals.

35 Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes, From One-Pot Dinners and Desserts to Brunch Favorites

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Vegetarian Chili With Avocado Cream

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Not your usual veggie chili, this extra-hearty version features black beans, black-eyed peas, and brown lentils—and the recipe makes 10 servings. Don't skimp on the avocado cream; it's a gorgeous finishing touch that we can't believe we didn't try before.

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02of 23

Irish Beef and Stout Stew

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Make this on a cold St. Patrick's Day, and no one will be asking about corned beef. The two-step recipe starts with cubed beef, potatoes, and onions; broth and a rich Irish stout make up the liquid. Then, it just cooks in the oven for a few hours, and dinner is served.

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03of 23

Test Kitchen's Favorite Mac and Cheese

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Why choose one cheese when you can have three (American, cheddar, and Parmesan)? To make this decadent mac and cheese, you boil the elbow macaroni in the same pot you make the cheesy sauce in—and for this recipe, we use a Dutch oven.

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04of 23

Vinegar-and-Garlic-Braised Chicken

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A total showstopper, this flavorful chicken dish features a duo of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks. You marinate them in a combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves, and garlic, then simmer everything together in a Dutch oven.

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05of 23

Easy Chile Verde

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Many people like cooking chili in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, but a Dutch oven is definitely up for the job. Along with pork shoulder, this chili includes sliced onions, diced green chiles, and store-bought green salsa.

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Summer Smoked-Salmon Chowder

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Our favorite kinds of weeknight dinners are those that take less than one hour to prepare and can be cooked all in one pot. This 45-minute chowder hits all the marks and features summer vegetables, including zucchini, baby potatoes, and fresh corn.

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One-Pot Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Bacon

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Bacon doesn't just shine in pasta carbonara. It's also a powerhouse in this one-pot pasta dish that incorporates broccoli rabe, walnuts, and garlic.

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08of 23

Easy Beef Chili

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Two things make this all-beef chili spectacular: a couple of tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and a Dutch oven, of course. It gets plenty of heat from chili powder, jalapeño peppers, and fire-roasted tomatoes.

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09of 23

Wine-Braised Chicken

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Also known as coq au vin, this delicious chicken stew manages to be both humble and refined. Bacon and fresh thyme add wonderful depth, and it's one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day.

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10of 23

Pulled BBQ-Chicken Sandwiches

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Instead of the usual slow-cooker pulled pork, try this leaner, faster version, which you can make in a Dutch oven. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs cook together with ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and lager beer for about an hour until the meat is tender and can be shredded.

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Classic Beef Stew

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On a chilly winter night, there is nothing like digging into a classic beef stew, arguably the ultimate one-pot meal. Our recipe is complete with carrots, Yukon Gold potatoes, peas, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and pearl onions.

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Baked Beans with Bacon

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Skip the canned variety and make your own rich, smoky baked beans at home. Small white beans cook in a Dutch oven with Dijon mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and chicken broth for about 70 minutes until the liquid has thickened and the beans are fork-tender. It's the perfect one-pot meal for summer.

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13of 23

Italian Pulled Pork

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Instead of traditional barbecue-style pulled pork, this one-pot dish is flavored with a variety of earthy spices such as fennel, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. While this recipe calls for toasting the fennel seeds, feel free to do it right in the Dutch oven so that you don't need to dirty another pan.

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14of 23

Korean Beef Chuck Roast

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Some of our favorite Asian ingredients—minced ginger, sake, mirin, and gochujang (Korean pepper paste)—flavor four pounds of beef chuck in this one-pot meal. You add carrots and shiitake mushrooms during the cooking process to complete the dish.

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Wine-Braised Brisket

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Brisket is a staple on Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah, and this version is a snap to prepare. Choose the "first cut" of beef brisket and cook it in a Dutch oven with grainy mustard, lemon zest, thyme, and garlic.

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Normandy-Style Chicken and Leeks with Creme Fraiche

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There's a secret ingredient in this French chicken dish that you'd never expect: hard apple cider. The sweet, carbonated beverage helps to keep the meat tender and adds fall flavor.

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Chicken Fricassee

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It's the original French comfort food: simmered chicken with hearty vegetables in a rich, silky sauce. A fricassee is halfway between a sauté and a stew. A true classic, this recipe relies on humble ingredients and just one pot.

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Beef Bourguignon

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This French classic is both haute and humble. When you want a hearty meal that will feed a crowd (and make your house smell amazing), you can't go wrong with this beef-and-wine stew.

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Arroz Con Pollo

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Our take on the traditional Latin American dish is made with chicken thighs, short-grain rice, and pimiento-stuffed green olives. This one-pot meal comes together in less than an hour, so you can enjoy it any night of the week.

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Chicken Breast Poached in Buttermilk

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While you may associate this combination of ingredients with buttermilk fried chicken, we're taking it in a whole new direction with this one-pot poaching technique. The chicken is dressed with a sharp sauce made from yogurt, shallots, cornichons, capers, and lemon.

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Chili Verde With Pork Shoulder

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This super-simple pork shoulder dish is made with just three other ingredients—yellow onion, green tomatillo salsa, and chicken broth—plus lime wedges and cilantro for serving. It's a fabulous one-pot option for game-day entertaining.

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Spiced Beef Stew with Carrots and Chickpeas

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The smell of braised beef chuck mixed with berbere seasoning—an Ethiopian spice blend—red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste will be absolutely irresistible. This stew simmers in a Dutch oven for about two and a half hours until the meat is tender and the dish releases its aromatic flavor.

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One-Pot Chicken and Rice With Swiss Chard

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The perfect one-pot weeknight meal, this elevated chicken and rice dish comes together in less than one hour and will feed a family of four. It's also a great excuse to try cooking chicken legs, a more economical cut than breasts or thighs.

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23 Dutch Oven Recipes That Make Delicious One-Pot Dinners (2024)

FAQs

Is there anything you shouldn't cook in a Dutch oven? ›

This Dutch oven tip applies more to a seasoned cast iron Dutch oven than one with an enamel coating, but every Dutch oven user should be aware nonetheless: When you cook acidic ingredients—like tomatoes, wine-based sauces, and citrus—for longer than 30 minutes, the protective coating built up on the cast iron starts to ...

Does a Dutch oven make food taste better? ›

However, since a Dutch oven provides a container where flavors can develop, home cooks don't need to add as many ingredients to enhance the taste. This can be a healthy quality if you cook with a lot of oil or butter for richness.

Can you use a Dutch oven for everyday cooking? ›

Dutch ovens are designed for everyday cooking. Hanin says one of the most common mistakes people make is thinking they are only for special occasions. Rather, our experts say the Dutch oven is a pot you should be using daily for your favorite soups, stews, braises, and more.

What is the best cut of meat for a Dutch oven? ›

Beef chuck roast: A 3-pound chuck roast should be good. Remove any big chunks of fat around the edges. Salt and pepper: To season the meat prior to searing. Olive oil: For cooking and searing.

What is the best oil for a Dutch oven? ›

You can generally use whatever oil you prefer, as long as the cooking temperature is below the smoke point of the oil. Olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, and grapeseed oil are all great multipurpose cooking oils—you can use them for everything from sautéing to baking.

Can you ruin the enamel in Le Creuset? ›

While Le Creuset's enamel is designed to be the most durable on the market, thermal shock may still occur, resulting in cracking or loss of enamel. If there are food residues, fill the pan with warm water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes before washing.

Is it OK to preheat an empty Dutch oven? ›

Don't preheat an empty dutch oven on your stovetop—this can cause your cookware to crack or break. Some bread recipes call for preheating the dutch oven in the oven. This is perfectly safe to do since the heat will be more consistently distributed across the entire dutch oven.

Why is food sticking to my enamel Dutch oven? ›

Cooking with enameled cast iron

To get the best performance out of your enameled cast iron, you have to follow a few rules. No matter what the inside of your enameled cast iron cookware looks or feels like, food will stick to it if you don't allow it to fully preheat. Five or six minutes usually does the trick.

Do chefs use Dutch ovens? ›

And while there are plenty of sizes to choose from, like oval Dutch ovens, or shallow Dutch ovens, Cimarusti prefers the classic Le Creuset 5.5-quart Dutch oven. “The attention to detail is just great,” he says. If a Michelin-starred chef uses one everyday, it's worth adding to your kitchen.

What can you not cook in a cast iron Dutch oven? ›

4 Foods You Shouldn't Cook in Cast Iron
  • Acidic foods (unless you make it snappy) ...
  • Fish (particularly delicate varieties) ...
  • Eggs. ...
  • Skillet brownies (if you just fried a batch of chicken last night) ...
  • A lot more (if your skillet isn't properly seasoned)
Mar 11, 2023

Can Martha Stewart Dutch ovens go in the oven? ›

Safe in the oven (up to 450°F) and on all cooking surfaces, including induction stoves, this Dutch oven offers style and performance to inspire any home cook to explore and do more in the kitchen. Hand wash only.

What are 8 reasons to use a Dutch oven? ›

What Is a Dutch Oven Used For?
  • Bread. One of the easiest (and more surprising) ways to use a Dutch oven is actually for breaking bread. ...
  • Casseroles and Lasagnas. ...
  • Skillet Cookies. ...
  • Chicken Stock. ...
  • Frying. ...
  • Braised Meats. ...
  • Roasting. ...
  • Poaching Chicken.
Oct 27, 2022

What should I use a Dutch oven for? ›

What Is a Dutch Oven Used For?
  • Bread. One of the easiest (and more surprising) ways to use a Dutch oven is actually for breaking bread. ...
  • Casseroles and Lasagnas. ...
  • Skillet Cookies. ...
  • Chicken Stock. ...
  • Frying. ...
  • Braised Meats. ...
  • Roasting. ...
  • Poaching Chicken.
Oct 27, 2022

What are Dutch ovens good for? ›

A Dutch oven is a heavy-duty pot with lid designed for browning meat and veggies and then simmering on the stovetop or braising in the oven. It can also be used for soup and more simple tasks like boiling pasta. It's often used to make bread as well.

What is the advantage of cooking in Dutch oven? ›

Because enameled Dutch ovens are typically made out of cast iron, they can get scorching hot and retain that heat well, meaning they're great for searing all kinds of foods, including meats and veggies. A Dutch oven can stand in for a deep fryer when you need a large amount of oil.

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