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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

What is good to cook in a Dutch oven? ›

No matter the style or size, any Dutch oven will open up endless recipe opportunities. Create beautifully braised meat, pot roasts, hearty beef stew, healing chicken soup, or the creamiest mac and cheese. Use it like a slow cooker, a bread cloche, or a pot for frying.

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

Be Mindful When Cooking Acidic Foods

In an enamel-coated Dutch oven, prolonged cooking with acidic ingredients may discolor the interior coating but doesn't erode it.

Does a Dutch oven make food taste better? ›

The real benefit of using a Dutch Oven (here are our favorites) as opposed to a slow cooker is its ability to create layers of flavors. Resist the urge to toss the meat and vegetables in at the same time as the liquid component.

What's the big deal about a Dutch oven? ›

These pots are ovenproof, so you can start cooking your meal on the stovetop and move it straight to the oven to finish. And because they're so attractive, some cooks move the pot right to the table—on a trivet, of course—to serve. In CR's Dutch oven tests, we braise brisket, simmer sauces, and bake loaves of bread.

Is a Dutch oven better than a casserole dish? ›

If you cook frequently and for large groups of people, then Casserole pot will be more convenient and versatile for you. It can handle large quantities of food and different cooking methods. If you cook occasionally and you don't care about the weight, you can go with the Dutch oven.

What is better than a Dutch oven? ›

Another versatile alternative to a Dutch oven is the classic pot or stockpot - and the best thing about this substitute is that every kitchen should already have a large pot! Stockpots work particularly well, as they have high sides and a lid that will allow you to simmer your ingredients for an extended time.

What foods cannot be cooked in cast-iron? ›

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

Why does everything stick to my Dutch oven? ›

Excessive heat can cause your dish to stick and deteriorate its taste qualities. Additionally, dry cooking should be avoided. If medium heat is needed for searing, feel free to reduce it to low heat afterward. This will help achieve the best flavors and prevent any sticking.

Why can't you heat 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.

Do chefs use Dutch ovens? ›

While incredibly popular in home kitchens, Dutch ovens really aren't common in restaurant settings, beyond serving dishes.

Do you put a lid on a Dutch oven in the oven? ›

You may need to take the lid off part way through the cooking process. However, some recipes may call for the lid to be off from the beginning, so consult your recipe. If the lid is not oven-safe, you'll need to leave it off no matter what. Tip: Most Dutch ovens come with oven-safe lids, but not all do.

What is a Dutch oven trick? ›

In that case, we recommend the infamous Dutch oven prank. For the uninitiated, a Dutch oven involves farting in bed, then quickly pulling up the sheets to trap your significant other with the smell. It's a decades-old trick that has surely ruined countless relationships, yet many dudes still dare to try it.

Can you put a Martha Stewart Dutch oven in the oven? ›

For recipes that require finishing in the oven, this pan can withstand up to 500°F (350°F with the glass lid) to cook to your desired degree of doneness.

Why is creuset Dutch oven so expensive? ›

I put that down to the quality of the craftsmanship. Each Dutch oven is cast in sand, polished and finished by hand, then coated with porcelain enamel for durability and fired for heat resistance. I've made a lot of meals in my Le Creuset pot, from simmering stews on the stovetop to baking bread in the oven.

What are Dutch ovens best for? ›

Dutch ovens are kitchen chameleons that can do anything from slow-cooking pork shoulder, simmering tomato sauce, baking a loaf of no-knead bread, or even handling stir-fries if you don't have a wok. To find the best Dutch ovens, we tested 24 models from big brands such as Le Creuset, Staub, and Lodge.

Can I cook anything in my Dutch oven? ›

Owning a Dutch oven is proof that you've made it. No matter what else is going on in your life, you can come home to a dependable piece of cookware that will cook soups, stews, braised meats, and bread better than any other piece of equipment in your kitchen.

When should you use a Dutch oven? ›

The tight-fitting lid of a dutch oven doesn't allow steam to escape the pot, so it's ideal for dishes like crusted breads, stews, soups, braises and roasts that require a moist-heat cooking method.

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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