Dutch oven baked foods are absolutely divine and incredibly delicious. They can have an intense amount of flavor or be delightfully light according to the recipe used, and best of all, the recipes for Dutch ovens are frequently only one-dish recipes.
Whether you’re an expert in cast iron and Dutch oven cookware or a total newbie, it never hurts to try out a few new recipes! After all, exploring recipes can give you ideas for creating your own masterpieces, and it can help you discover new food favorites.
What is a Dutch oven?
A Dutch oven is a pot that has especially thick walls and a high quality lid. Although Dutch ovens are generally made with cast iron, there are a few Dutch ovens that are made with other materials such as metal. The interior of cast iron pots is coated with enamel for easy cleaning.
Dutch ovens are particularly well suited to making broths, stews, and soups, but they can also make a wide variety of other dishes. In fact, these kitchen cookware pieces can even handle frying or making bread! The Dutch oven is an amazingly diverse pot.
One of the most convenient things about the Dutch oven is its ability to retain heat. While it takes a little time for the pot to heat up and bring the contents to a cooking temperature, once it’s hot, it stays hot for a while. You can turn down the heat and save some energy!
18 Best Dutch Oven Recipes
There are many, many incredible Dutch oven recipes for all courses and cuisines. From west to east and from breakfast to dinner (and dessert!), a Dutch oven is more than capable of handling it all with ease and grace. Here are 18 of the best recipes out there!
- Blackberry Dumplings
Nothing is better than a decadent dumpling recipe, and this recipe is made even better with the highlight of tangy, sweet blackberries. This is an awesome summertime Dutch oven recipe that everyone is sure to love.
Whether you need a summer dessert for a backyard barbecue or a tasty treat for a family gathering, this blackberry dumpling recipe won’t disappoint. This Dutch oven recipe goes fabulously with roast meats, and it can be made in any season.
- Hearty Quinoa and Corn Chowder
This Dutch oven chowder recipe is a healthier and more modern take on a classic corn chowder recipe. Quinoa is a known superfood with multiple nutritional benefits, and in this corn chowder, the grain absolutely shines!
Loaded with plenty of vegetables and proteins, this Dutch oven Hearty Quinoa and Corn Chowder recipe has multilayered flavor. It’s perfect for a cool autumn day or even a cold winter evening; curl up with a blanket and your favorite movie to enjoy this delicious soup!
- Inside Out Stuffed Cabbage
Although cabbage rolls can be both delicious and pretty, they can take a lot of time to make properly. Luckily, this “inside out” cabbage roll recipe makes things simple with the use of a Dutch oven! Quick and easy is the name of the game with this recipe.
This meal is good for busy people and people who simply don’t enjoy taking a lot of time to cook. For people in either one of these situations, this recipe will be a welcome relief because it’s yummy and requires minimal time and effort.
- Sicilian Mac n’ Cheese Casserole
So many people would say that there’s nothing better than a warm, cheesy bowl of mac n’ cheese. This Sicilian recipe incorporates Italian flavors into mac n’ cheese to add an extra layer of flavor to the already delicious classic.
Basil, fennel seed, and plenty of garlic highlight as the main spices of this dish. Of course, there’s plenty of cheese in the form of 3 different cheese varieties, and Italian sausage links round out the flavor and filling quality of this awesome Dutch oven recipe.
- Wholesome Hamburger Casserole
Hamburgers and hamburger casseroles are every family’s favorite speedy weeknight meal. This Dutch oven recipe adds a healthy twist and an easier cooking process to give families a nutritious and protein-packed weeknight dinner.
Potatoes, onions, and a topping of diced tomatoes make this dish filled with great vegetables. Simple spices and simple ingredients mean that any home cook is likely to find what they need to make this Dutch oven recipe even without going to the grocery store first!
- Nutrient Packed Steamed Kale
Kale has become both a dear friend and worst enemy to so many food lovers over the past few years. But this flavorful and nutritious steamed kale recipe is sure to turn the hearts of even the most ardent kale-haters in a heartbeat!
The ingredients for this recipe are easy to find. And, the Dutch oven ensures that the flavors can permeate the kale and make for the best, most vibrant and titillating flavors possible. Finally, one of the best things about this recipe is it only takes about 30 minutes to prepare!
- Artichoke Florentine Pasta
This Dutch oven pasta recipe is, on the surface, highly sophisticated and complex. But while it does have some more uncommon ingredients, this Artichoke Florentine Pasta is actually quite straightforward and easy to make.
Most of the ingredients in this recipe can be easily found at any supermarket. Because this is a Dutch oven recipe, it’s surprisingly simple to make, but it’s sure to make an impression on guests at any dinner party. This pasta recipe takes only 35 minutes to make beginning to end.
- Autumn Hot Spiced Cider
No autumn season is complete without at least one serving of piping hot spiced cider. This particular Dutch oven recipe for spiced cider is bursting with flavor and only takes 20 minutes to make! Who could want more?
With the addition of some orange juice, lemon extract, and allspice, this is a spiced cider recipe on steroids. The flavors will dance over your taste buds with each sip. This Hot Spiced Cider recipe would make a fantastic addition to a Halloween or fall party!
- Soy Sauce Chicken with Shitake Mushrooms
Nothing is better than long-marinated chicken cooked to delicious perfection using a cookware piece as amazing as the Dutch oven. This Soy Sauce Chicken with Shitake Mushrooms recipe is delightful and has a distinctly Asian twist.
The mushrooms in the recipe are distinctive and unique, certainly unexpected in terms of chicken marinade recipes. To add to the appeal, the marinade used for the chicken becomes the sauce that covers the chicken and vegetables later in the game.
- Greek Style Vegetable Casserole
Greek foods are known for having both light and rich flavors and textures at the same time, and this Greek Style casserole is certainly no exception. Chock full of vegetables and classic Greek ingredients, this Greek Dutch oven recipe makes a great spring or summer meal.
The light flavors of dill and lemon juice combine with fresh cucumber and green beans in this vegetable casserole. Meanwhile, tomatoes and potatoes along with a healthy helping of feta cheese hold down the fort by providing a filling addition.
- Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili Soup with Avocado
Chili soup is awesome any time of the year, but of course it’s especially good during the fall and winter months. This butternut squash and chipotle spin on classic chili makes for a delightfully fall oriented meal that is filling and flavorful at the same time.
This particular Dutch oven chili soup is completely vegetarian, so a lot of the protein bulk comes from vegetables, such as avocado and butternut squash. It’s a spicy, more Mexican styled chili that will, without doubt, delight any chili lover.
- Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk
Chicken curry is a classic dish across Asian nations, and while every country has its own variation, this particular recipe is an excellent dish regardless of nationality. This curry recipe is a good choice for cooks who love a bit of a challenge!
Twelve different spices unite in this chicken curry recipe to create a fantastically diverse range of flavors. Plus, the coconut milk adds a slightly sweet flavor and a rich texture, while the potatoes perfectly round out the overall heartiness of this curry.
- Southwestern Turkey Taco Soup
Dutch ovens excel in making soups and stews, so it’s no surprise that this Southwestern Turkey Taco Soup turns out beautifully. A distinctly southwestern, yet vaguely Mexican spin on a classic chili soup, this meal will be adored by the whole family and all your friends.
Plenty of vegetables and lots of spice, along with yummy shredded turkey and protein filled pinto beans make this a healthy and nutrient rich soup. Serve this soup with chips and/or sour cream to make it even more southwestern!
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Short ribs are of course delicious made in almost any manner, but these Red Wine Braised Short Ribs are cooked slow in a Dutch oven, so they absolutely pop with flavor and vibrant appearance. These ribs are perfect for a summertime dinner!
Classic Italian spices along with a bottle of red wine vinegar combine in this recipe to infuse the ribs and the vegetables with spectacular flavor. This recipe takes a little time to make, but it’s definitely worth it, and it will certainly be a huge hit!
- No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
Lots of people would be surprised to find that it’s possible to bake bread in a Dutch oven, but surprise! Baking bread using a Dutch oven can actually be easier than baking with a regular oven pan, and it can even produce better results that resemble professional artisanal breads.
This bread is baked in a regular oven using a Dutch oven as the cooking vessel. It creates a rather sticky dough, but because of the way the Dutch oven works to trap moisture and continue cooking, this stickiness works to your advantage to create that perfect crispy bread crust.
- Lemon Garlic and Rosemary Whole Roast Chicken
Yes, of course you can cook a whole roast chicken in a Dutch oven! In fact, you might even find that you never want to go back to the other way of roasting chicken after trying this beautiful and simple Lemon Garlic and Rosemary Whole Roast Chicken recipe.
Best of all, this recipe only requires five ingredients. If you add potatoes at the bottom of the pan, that makes six, but it also means having an incredibly delicious one pot meal ready to go after only 10-15 minutes of work and a few hours of cook time.
- Super Easy One Pot Lasagna
Lasagna is like Italian casserole on steroids. It’s pasta, a vegetable dish, and a protein dream all in one! Cheesy, meat filled, and made with traditional Italian spices, this Dutch oven one pot lasagna is sure to please.
Nothing is better than a few layers of cheese when it comes to a pasta dish, and this lasagna lives up to that expectation. Plus, the addition of carrots and shallots as the vegetable highlights add color and texture to this dish that makes it quite satisfying.
- Moroccan Golden Cauliflower Spiced Soup
This hearty yet light cauliflower soup is smooth and warming with anti-inflammatory spices that help the body in all kinds of ways. Loaded with onion, garlic, carrot, and of course cauliflower, this Dutch oven recipe incorporates a lot of nutritious vegetables in one swoop.
Traditional Moroccan spices like ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon add to the rich flavor profile that this soup possesses. This soup really demonstrates the diversity of soup options that are available when it comes to using a Dutch oven.
Conclusion
With such a diversity of recipes to cook in a Dutch oven, it’s understandable that a lot of people may have trouble choosing which recipes to start with. But don’t fret! There’s plenty of time and plenty of meals where you can use your Dutch oven to cook amazing food.
The Dutch oven is an incredibly diverse and versatile cookware piece, and it’s definitely something every serious home cook should have in their home kitchen. With some creativity, a Dutch pot can easily make an average recipe become divine.