Dutch ovens are amazing pots that absolutely every kitchen needs. That is not an overstatement. They are versatile and easy to use. If you do not have one, get one (or ask for one when the next holiday rolls around)! Honestly, you could use a Dutch oven every single day of the week. Whether you have had a Dutch oven forever, have just gotten one, or are not sold yet on how amazing these things are, here are 10 recipes for Dutch ovens that will make your mouth water.
What is a Dutch Oven?
A Dutch oven consists of a wide pot that is fairly shallow with a tight, fitted lid that retains heat. They are fairly heavy and often (though not always) made of cast iron. This helps get the pan super hot and helps maintain a constant temperature both on the stove and in the oven.
A Dutch oven can be used on the stove or in the oven. They are most often made of cast iron and the interior is usually coated with enamel. This helps them get super hot and retain heat, which makes them great for searing all kinds of foods. Dutch ovens can take a while to get hot, but they retain heat for a long time once they reach the temperature you want. This means, you can keep the burner or oven at a relatively moderate temperature or even turn it off toward the end of cooking time and the food inside will keep cooking.
The heavy lid means you will not lose liquid to evaporation and the steam that generates inside the pot will stay there, helping keep whatever you are cooking inside moist and tender.
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Dutch Oven FAQs
What can you cook with a Dutch oven?
Pretty much everything. There is more likely than not a recipe out there for whatever you want to make in your Dutch oven. Everything from main dishes to side dishes, bread, and even desserts (check out this Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler) can be made in a Dutch oven. That is because these amazing pots work both in the oven and on the stove.
What are Dutch ovens best for?
Dutch ovens are best for stews, sauces, soups, braises, and any other cooking method that requires moist heat.
What should you not cook in a Dutch oven?
There is not necessarily anything that you should not make in a Dutch oven, but there are a couple of mistakes you should avoid. Do not use a Dutch oven on high heat. It is best on medium to low heat. Also, be sure to use the proper amount of oil to coat the bottom of the pan or else your food will stick, make a big mess, and start burning.
10 Recipes for Dutch Ovens
There are amazing recipes for Dutch ovens for everything from soup to sauce, meat to pasta, and even bread! Here are 10 recipes for Dutch ovens that you will want to start making tonight because they are all going to make your mouth water.
Curried Chickpea and Lentil Dal
This Curried Chickpea and Lentil Dal recipe is vegan but thanks to chickpeas, lentils, and coconut milk it is super hearty and makes for an amazing meal. There are a few steps to this Dutch oven recipe but do not let that scare you away. They are simple, only take a few minutes, and can be done ahead of time. First, you have to make a Mustard Seed and Turmeric Oil, which is as simple as cooking oil and mustard seeds in a saucepan until the mustard seeds start to pop. Then you need to make a Cilantro-Raisin Chutney, which is even easier because all it takes is mixing together some shallot, raisins, cilantro, lime juice, and oil.
When you are ready to make the Dal, heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Cook onions, garlic, and ginger until the onions are translucent and the garlic is golden brown. Add curry powder and cayenne and cook until it becomes very fragrant. Once you add the chickpeas and some water (you can substitute with vegetable or chicken broth if you are not vegan), it cooks for about 25 to 30 minutes before adding the lentils and cooking for an additional 30 minutes. Serve it accompanied by the oil, chutney, and things like coconut, chiles, and cilantro, and let everyone garnish their own bowls to their taste.
If you are looking for make-ahead recipes for Dutch ovens, this one checks that box too. You can make the Dal the day before and let it sit overnight to let all the flavors come together.
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Pulled Pork
Some of the best recipes for Dutch ovens involve delicious cuts of meat. This Dutch oven Pulled Pork recipe calls for a boneless, skinless pork butt, but you can substitute pork shoulder too. The Dutch oven allows the meat to get deliciously carmelized and the bed of onion underneath turns into an onion jam of sorts.
Rub the pork with a mixture of salt, brown sugar, coriander, smoked paprika, chili powder, and black pepper. Place the onion in the bottom of your Dutch oven. Add water and place the pork on top of the onions. With the lid on, cook the pork in a 325-degree oven for three and a half to four hours. Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes. When the pork is done, shred it with a fork along with the onions and you have sweet, smoky pulled pork that is perfect in pulled pork sandwiches or served alongside your favorite sides like coleslaw, potatoes, braised greens, macaroni and cheese, or hushpuppies.
Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew
This Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew is full of flavor. The beef and vegetables cook up tender and the stew gravy is so perfect. This is one of those recipes for Dutch ovens that needs to cook low and slow for a good length of time but the good news is that the active cooking time is only 30 minutes. That means the rest of the time it is just cooking away on its own. Plus, many of the ingredients you need to make this delicious stew are things you probably have in your pantry like potatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, flour, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Start by browning boneless beef chuck roast. Layer in the rest of the ingredients in three batches before seasoning with salt and pepper and covering the Dutch oven with the lid. Put the Dutch oven in a preheated oven for an hour and 45 minutes to tenderize the meat and bring all the flavors together. This recipe is easy and makes the perfect meal for a day when you want to stay cozy inside.
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Firehouse Chili
You cannot have a list of recipes for Dutch ovens without a chili recipe! To make this Firehouse Chili, heat oil in your Dutch oven and brown ground beef, drain, and set aside. You can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef for a healthier option. Add onions and green pepper, cooking until tender. Return the meat to the Dutch oven along with the remaining ingredients. Bring everything to a boil before reducing the heat, covering the Dutch oven, and letting it simmer for an hour and a half so the flavors can come together.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, corn chips, or whatever you like. Everyone will be coming back for seconds.
Short Rib Tacos
These Short Rib Tacos are tender, delicious, and everything you did not know you were missing in your life until now! They start with seasoning beef short ribs with salt and pepper and browning them in your Dutch oven. Eventually, you add cocoa, tomato sauce, and beer and bake it all in the oven until the meat is tender, around two and a half to three hours.
After letting it rest, remove the meat from the bones and shred it with two forks. Serve on tortillas with pico de gallo and queso fresco. It is the perfect summer night meal.
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Fried Brussels Sprout Tacos
If you are not a fan of short ribs or you are looking for meatless recipes for Dutch ovens, try these yummy Fried Brussels Sprout Tacos. If you have never had a deep-fried Brussels sprout, prepare to meet your new favorite vegetable. Deep-frying gives the sprouts’ outer leaves an addictive, potato chip-like crispiness while keeping the insides soft and tender. It is one of the simplest dutch oven vegetarian recipes you can find.
This recipe uses the Dutch oven to deep fry the Brussels sprouts, which is perfect due to the deepness and higher sides of these pots. In batches, add Brussels sprouts, shallot slices, and jalapeño slices to the oil you have heated in the Dutch oven. On a warm tortilla, spread sour cream, and top with the Brussels sprouts mixture, carrots, radishes, and cilantro. Serve with a squeeze of lime and a side of guacamole for a delicious vegetarian meal.
Homemade Dutch Oven Bread
That is right! There are even bread recipes for Dutch ovens. Homemade Dutch Oven Bread is just like making bread any other way. First, make the dough and let it rise. The dough takes three separate rises before it is ready to bake. During the last rise, place your Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat the oven to 450˚F with the pot inside for 45 minutes to an hour. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it on a trivet or heat-safe surface. Be careful! It will be extremely hot.
Turn the ready dough out onto a lightly floured surface and carefully place it inside the pot.
Cover with the lid and return the pot to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, removing the lid for the last 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
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Nach Waxman’s Brisket of Beef
Nach Waxman was a cookbook expert and food historian. His Brisket recipe only calls for nine ingredients: beef brisket, all-purpose flour, black pepper, corn or vegetable oil, onions, tomato paste, salt, garlic, and a carrot. It initially cooks for an hour and a half. Then remove it from the oven and transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice, and cook for an additional one and a half to two hours.
That is it. It takes a while, as many recipes for Dutch ovens do, but the end result is a tender, juicy brisket that pairs well with whatever sides you like best.
Country Captain
One of the perks of recipes for Dutch ovens is that most of them use just one pot to make the most amazing meal. This is a great example of that. Country Captain is a classic regional dish popular in South Carolina and Georgia. A Lowcountry recipe, this Country Captain is a stew with chicken thighs, onions, peppers, and lots of spices. If you have never had it before, it will quickly become one of your favorites as it is easy to make and full of flavor.
The stew is seasoned with parsley, onion, bell pepper, garlic, curry powder, and nutmeg. When it is ready, serve your Country Captain over rice and garnish it with raisins and shaved almonds. It is Lowcountry deliciousness at its best.
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Braised Paprika Chicken
Looking for tasty comfort food recipes for Dutch ovens? This Braised Paprika Chicken has everything you want. It is warm, hearty, and easy to put together. It cooks pretty quickly too. The whole thing comes together in under an hour.
Start by combining salt, paprika, and a teaspoon of black pepper and rubbing the mixture all over the chicken thighs. Heat oil in your Dutch oven over medium heat and add the seasoned chicken, skin side down. Cook until well browned on both sides. Cook onions until golden and softened. Then add potatoes and chicken broth and scrape the pan to incorporate the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring it all to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. After that, all you have to do is reduce the sauce, which takes about 10 minutes, and serve.
Recipes for Dutch ovens typically involve longer cooking times, but that is mostly inactive cooking time. Once you get your pot into the oven it cooks away until you have an excellent meal. These simple dutch oven recipes make getting a delicious dinner on the table easy. Whether you cook one of these recipes for Dutch ovens or give all 10 a try, you will want to start using your Dutch oven every day.
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