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This kitchen workhorse can do it all.
Have a tiny apartment kitchen? Tired of owning too many pots and pans, and want just one that can do it all? Look no further than a Dutch oven. Dutch ovens are cast-iron pots with lids that can go from the stovetop to the oven with ease, making them great for a variety of dishes. Whether you go classic cast iron (we've got tips for cleaning!) or a colorful enamel one (beloved by the Delish Test Kitchen), these pots really can’t be beat. Check out our 33 Dutch oven recipes to see how truly versatile they are.
Why is it called a Dutch oven? According to the marketing director at Le Creuset (a brand known for their colorful cookware), the Dutch were the first to invent the method by which Dutch ovens came to be made (in molds made of sand rather than clay). Though they’ve come a long way since then, that’s the name that caught on. The more you know!
What can you use it for? Almost everything. These pots are admittedly quite heavy, but that means they can really take a beating, whether you’re using them to make soup, like our classic chicken noodle or our copycat Olive Garden minestrone; hearty slow-cooked dishes like our braised chicken thighs or our French coq au vin; cheesy pastas like our stovetop mac & cheese or our broccoli cheddar pasta; or to deep-fry French fries, our Korean fried chicken, or our deep-fried Oreos. You can even use them to bake the best, most perfectly round sourdough bread ever. Have we convinced you yet?
Here, chicken thighs are braised in a luxurious bath of ginger, garlic, shallots, white wine (or sake), and soy sauce, before being gussied up with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions. Voilà! Dinner is served, all in your Dutch oven.
Get the Braised Chicken Thighs recipe.
Recipes that require frying are often super-specific. The temperature of the oil must be just so. Not with this method. Turns out you can put *unsoaked* potatoes in a Dutch oven, pour cold oil on top until they’re just covered, then bring the whole thing to a boil. 😋
Get the French Fries recipe.
Beef stew is a cold weather essential. It's a perfect meal all on its own, but we also love beef stew served over some al dente egg noodles. Want something a little heartier? Try ladling a bit of stew over some garlic mash.
Get the Beef Stew recipe.
Baking a loaf of sourdough bread is pure therapy: food for the body and food for the soul. Not only will it fill your kitchen with delish smells of yeasty goodness, you’ll walk away with a handful of life lessons along with a piece of unbelievably fulfilling bread, made possible in your Dutch oven.
Get the Sourdough Bread recipe.
This is the creamiest, dreamiest stovetop mac & cheese. It's uncomplicated, comforting, and will bring back childhood memories.
Get the Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese recipe.
This is one side dish that will make everyone freak out (and run for seconds). If you have vegetarian guests, feel free to skip the bacon! We're usually all about the smoky flavor, but for this dish, it's all about the CHEESE.
Get the Cheesy Brussels Sprout Bake recipe.
If you’ve never made risotto because you didn’t want to stand there stirring forever, this recipe is for you. It packs all the satisfying flavor of a slow-stirred version into a fraction of the hands-on time by cooking it in your oven rather than your stovetop. Did we mention that it all comes together in one pot? 😍
Get the Baked Risotto recipe.
We're here to say: Give pintos a chance! They're ultra-creamy, a little smoky, and super-versatile. This bacon-infused recipe works wonders on both canned and dried beans, so you can make them in under 30 minutes in your Dutch oven if you're short on time.
Get the Smoky Pinto Beans recipe.
Coq au vin, or rooster with wine, is a classic French dish that isn't as complicated as it sounds. Chicken is braised in a silky wine sauce, then paired with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions that give this dish so much flavor. It's one of our favorite chicken dinners to serve to guests—it always impresses.
Get the Coq Au Vin recipe.
These 100% vegan noodles are perfect for super-hungry nights when you’re short on time. Feel free to swap in your favorite quick-cooking vegetables and adjust the amount of curry paste to your spice preference. Make sure to keep stirring once your noodles are added, since they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot if left in one spot for too long.
Get the Thai Red Curry Coconut Noodles recipe.
This easy shrimp and rice recipe is packed with smart cooking know-how. Rather than just topping plain rice with sautéed shrimp, you'll instead build flavor in your Dutch oven before steaming the rice.
Get the Shrimp & Rice recipe.
The broccoli here is a great way to sneak in an extra serving of greens before going trick or treating. Even the pickiest of eaters will eat their vegetables if they are coated in cheese!
Get the Broccoli Cheddar Pasta recipe.
Ahh, the classic deep-fried Oreo. It's a state-fair favorite that's worth every single calorie. Now, you can make them right at home with those lingering Oreos you have (IF that ever happens). It's the perfect treat for any occasion!
Get the Deep-Fried Oreos recipe.
This colorful classic French countryside dish is chock-full of healthy vegetables like eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini! Serve with crusty bread for best results.
Gumbo is a top-notch comfort stew centered around a flavorful roux and the Holy Trinity of onions, celery, and bell peppers. Before cooking, make sure you follow our tips for cooking the most flavorful and filling gumbo ever.
Get the Seafood Gumbo recipe.
No matter what the centerpiece of your meal is, this cheesy butternut squash skillet is sure to steal the show. The balance of sweet, salty, and creamy is EXTREMELY delicious.
Get the Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash recipe.
Looking for a hearty weeknight dinner? Our smoky vegetarian chili mac is here to save the day! It all comes together in your Dutch oven, and it's SUPER-versatile. Throw in your favorite bean and pasta shape, melt in your favorite cheese, and top with whatever you like.
Get the One-Pot Vegetarian Chili Mac recipe.
Cacciatore translates to “hunter” in Italian, and it’s thought that this dish arose in popularity during the Renaissance as a means to feed hunters who’d been away tracking for long periods of time. While we may not have been out hunting, after a long day, this dish is still particularly comforting, not in the least because it all comes together in one pot.
Get the Chicken Cacciatore recipe.
Nicknamed “candy chicken,” Korean fried chicken is known for its addictively crunchy exterior and its thick sweet-and-spicy sauce. These bites pack a little capsaicin punch, so feel free to decrease the amount of dried chiles that go in.
Get the Korean Fried Chicken recipe.
Lots of other recipes call for simmering for at least an hour, sometimes even more. But that’s tough when you're looking to get dinner on the table after a long workday. Ours comes together in just 40 minutes: Weeknight chili, here we come!
Get the Homemade Beef Chili recipe.
When we're sick, there's only one thing we crave: this chicken soup. If you wanna pack it with more veggies (hey, they're good for you!). throw in some peppers with the onions, or stir in some spinach or kale when it's almost done cooking in your Dutch oven.
Get the Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.
When we're craving something comforting for dinner, we turn to the classics. Turkey tetrazzini is one of our all-time favorites, but depending on the time of year, good fresh turkey can be hard to find. This chicken version is just as creamy and delicious and comes together in under an hour.
Get the Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole recipe.
Aloo gobi is a classic vegetarian Indian dish translating to potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). It's a one-pot, super-simple, comforting dish that's ready quickly—serve it as a side or over rice as a main.
Get the Aloo Gobi recipe.
We love that everything in this goulash cooks together in one pot—even the pasta! Cooking the macaroni directly in the goulash means the pasta gets to soak up all that beef and tomato flavor while simultaneously releasing some of its starch into the pan, thickening to create a hearty, comforting stew. 😍
When you're looking for something comforting and carb-y, nothing fits the bill like a good carbonara. Not only is it chock-full of a creamy sauce and speckled with crispy bacon, but it's a dish that's easy to cook, and you may often find that you have many of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
Get the Chicken Carbonara recipe.
Chicken soup is amazing, but sometimes we're in the mood for something that has a bit more going on. This recipe packs a flavorful punch and then some! You get some spiciness from the curry powder, a rich creaminess from the coconut milk, and if you top that off with a squeeze of lime, you have a chicken soup that will ambush your taste buds.
Get the Creamy Chicken Ramen Soup recipe.
This clam chowder takes after its red-tinged Manhattan cousin, but departs from it in a few key ways. This soup gets its kick (and color) from hatch chiles and salsa verde, and instead of the customary potatoes, we’ve subbed in tender white beans to add a bit of richness.
Get the Green Chili Clam Chowder recipe.
The popularity of Olive Garden’s legendary minestrone reaches far and wide, and we’re giving you a way to make it at home. The key trick here is caramelizing the tomato paste: Letting it cook in the pot caramelizes the sugars in it, thereby deepening the flavor.
Get the Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe.
Ribollita, which translates as "reboiled" in Italian, is a Tuscan stew traditionally made from leftovers. It's packed with vegetables and beans for a hearty meal that only gets better as time goes on (so save some for leftovers!).
Newsflash: You don’t need to leave your house to enjoy your favorite fast-food mac & cheese anymore. That super-creamy, cheesy mac that everyone loves at Panera can easily be replicated in your own kitchen.
Get the Copycat Panera Mac & Cheese recipe.