I have a few Dutch ovens – some might say too many. But I just love how they look and what you can do with them.
Easy Dutch Oven Recipes
Making bread, stews, chicken, pasta, and even brownies all in one pot will make your life so much easier. Who doesn’t love a one-pot meal? Plus, being able to go straight from the stove to the oven is a dream! The size and weight of these pots ensure that whatever you’re making will be thick and evenly cooked – no hot spots here, thank you. They’re also perfect for searing meat before dropping the temperature down and braising it low and slow until it’s fork-tender. If you’ve been holding off buying one because they’re a touch pricey, hopefully, this list of 27 Dutch oven recipes will convince you to treat yourself!
1. Easy Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread
Would you believe me if I told you that you can make an amazing, crusty loaf of bread with just four ingredients and five minutes of prep? It’s true! When you knead your bread dough, you’ll essentially speed up the whole process, helping the gluten along so you can get it in the oven faster. This hands-off recipe is as easy as mixing everything together and then leaving it to do its thing overnight. When you bake it, it’ll be soft, airy, and full of flavor.
2. Dutch Oven Chili Recipe
Chilis are best when they’re full of meat, beans, and a lovely thick sauce. The Dutch oven is the perfect way to get the best texture and also ensure it’s bursting with flavor. Start by softening your onions and garlic, and then browning the meat – right in the pot – then just add in the rest of the ingredients. The pot will cook everything evenly, and you’ll be left with a bubbling chili in about an hour.
3. Dutch Oven Pizza
Have you ever used a pizza stone? The whole idea is that you pre-heat the stone to get the absolute best pizza ever. But what if you don’t have one? Enter the Dutch oven! It’s more or less the same thing, and you can heat it up just how you would a pizza stone to cook the pizza dough from underneath. The only difference is that you’ll have to lift the pizza out when it’s done – watch those fingers!
4. How to Cook Dutch Oven Rice
Cooking rice in a Dutch oven is easier than you think, and it’s hands-off, to boot! All you’ll need to do is bring your rice and water to a boil and let it simmer on low for 15 minutes. Once it’s cooked, take it off the heat and let the residual warmth cook it through.
5. Dutch Oven Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Between the sweet Italian sausage, herbs, tortellini, and creamy tomato base, you’ll be forgiven for thinking this is a hearty bowl of pasta. I suppose you could say it’s the perfect blend of soup and pasta, with lots of filling extras and a creamy soup to finish it all off. The broth used here is beef, making it very rich. But the cream will lighten it up just right and leave you wanting more.
6. Cheesy Potato Stew in Dutch Oven
Most stews you see are full of meat and wine and have lots of decadent flavors. As good as they are, they’re not always the most kid-friendly. If you’re looking for something filling, warm, and to feed the whole family, this cheese and potato stew has you covered. I think it’s best kept simple, with classic veggies like carrots and peas, along with the potatoes. Of course, you could always add in some leftover chicken if you have it.
7. Dutch Oven Mac & Cheese
I know they’re heavy, but your Dutch oven will be your best friend on your next camping trip. If you don’t have to travel too far on foot, it’ll be a lifesaver come dinner time. With this campfire mac and cheese, you’ll be cooking your pasta right on the fire, letting it absorb the water and steam in the heat of the pot. Once tender, you’ll just need to mix through shredded cheese, mustard, and garlic powder. There’s no need to make any crazy sauces! Just let the cheese melt and enjoy!
8. Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
If you take one thing away from this list, let it be this: roasting your tomatoes will elevate your soup to a whole other planet! I can’t describe how good it is; you’ll just have to take my word for it. And when I say “roast,” I mean get it soft, blistered, and even a little charred. Since you’ll be in the oven anyway, you should also throw on some onions and a whole bulb of garlic. You won’t believe the difference it makes.
9. Campfire Dutch Oven Italian Stuffed Peppers
Obviously, these aren’t campfire-exclusive. You can make these right on the stovetop! Stuffed peppers are filling, flavorful, and super easy to make ahead. Just get everything together, and they can travel right in the Dutch oven! Using quinoa will bulk them out nicely and provide some added protein, but feel free to use rice or even corn if you want a bit of crispiness.
10. Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Just like the tomato soup above, you’ll find that roasting your red peppers will make this soup so much more intense. It’s a little easier to work with the peppers, and you can just broil them instead of roasting. Although, you will need to peel the skin off before you add them to the soup.
11. One-Pot Spaghetti
I’m a massive fan of one-pot meals purely for the easy clean-up! You might have a chopping board and a knife or two, but at least the bulk of the mess is contained in your Dutch oven rather than having several pots and pans to get through after dinner. Instead of boiling your noodles and then mixing them into your sauce, this recipe does it a little backward. Make your sauce in the Dutch oven, and then add your uncooked pasta right in there. It will cook in the sauce, infusing with all that fantastic flavor! Win-win.
12. Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy
This kind of recipe is where the Dutch oven can really shine. Perfect, melt-in-your-mouth meat cooked low and slow… I’m drooling already. Start by searing the meat (for even more flavor) before cooking it in the oven with some broth and mushroom soup. After a couple of hours, it will be tender and juicy.
13. Easy French Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a robust French stew typically made using eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. When the markets are full of fun and fresh ingredients during the summer and fall, I often change things up for this. The key is to ensure you get veggies that will cook together or pre-cook anything that needs a little longer.
14. Fried Cabbage & Bacon
Bacon and cabbage are a match made in culinary heaven. I like to make big batches of this to have with everything from roasted chicken to juicy pork chops. With a base made from mustard, chicken stock, salt, and pepper, you’ll get such a nice mild profile, letting the sweet cabbage and salty bacon take center stage.
15. Dutch Oven Cornbread with Green Chiles
Cornbread should only be made in a Dutch oven if you ask me. The crust you get on the outside is to die for, and even cooking keeps it perfectly moist throughout. This recipe is slightly sweet, full of strong cheese, and has just the right amount of spice.
16. Dutch Oven Baked Risotto
If you avoid risotto because you don’t want to babysit the pan for 30 minutes, this one’s for you! All you’ll need to do is add your rice to the pot with broth and let the oven do the work. It will steam in the Dutch oven and cook to perfection in about 20 minutes.
17. One-Pot Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo is a heavenly mix of cream, Parmesan cheese, and usually garlic. Making the sauce from scratch isn’t too tricky, but it takes a bit of time. Instead, this recipe just calls for chicken broth, cream, and cheese, which are added to cooked pasta and chicken. I like it quite thick, and this recipe delivers! But if you want it lighter, feel free to add in some extra cream or milk.
18. Dutch Oven Mashed Potatoes
If you like your mashed potatoes with some character, this recipe will be your new favorite. Red potatoes are ideal for this, and leaving the skin on will add great texture and flavor to the mix. Instead of needing too much butter (is there such a thing?), you’ll add plain yogurt for a wonderful creamy taste.
19. Easy One-Pot American Goulash
Quick, tasty, and super affordable, this pasta dish is a fantastic make-ahead meal you can eat for days to come. Ground beef will make it nice and rich, but why not try ground pork or chicken if you want something lighter?
20. Dutch Oven Lasagna Recipe
This dinner is a show-stopper! Trust me; you’ll have a lot of compliments and Instagram tags when you bring this one out. Lasagna is impressive, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Use no-boil noodles and ready-made marinara to speed things up, and if you like it cheesy, try adding some ready-made Alfredo to the mix, too.
21. Easy Dutch Oven Cobbler
I couldn’t make a list of Dutch oven recipes without including some desserts! These pots are versatile, after all, and you’ll want to use them for everything you can, right? Cobbler is such a fantastic dessert for these heavy-bottomed babies, making the fruit layer beautifully thick and jam-like. If you’re worried about the top being too dense, fear not! It has lemon-lime soda in the mix to guarantee it’s perfectly airy.
22. Dutch Oven Brownies
Like I said before, they’re not the lightest, but your Dutch oven will make your next camping trip a breeze! I don’t know about you, but I can only eat so many s’mores before they become sickly. So why not try out a batch of campfire brownies instead? Just make them up per the instructions and let the fire do all the work. And if you’re missing the marshmallows, just throw a few on top and let them melt.
23. Oven Baked Applesauce
When you bake your apples in a regular pot, you’ll notice they go brown and start to stick underneath, but the tops are still raw. Using a Dutch oven ensures you get even heat, letting the fruit cook all over until it breaks down and starts to caramelize. The best part about this is that you can control what goes in. Not a fan of cinnamon? Leave it out! Like it a little sweeter? Add some brown sugar to the mix. You can even use a variety of apples to get a more rounded fruity flavor.
24. Dutch Oven Apple Pie
How many times have you pulled a pie out of the oven when it’s gorgeous and golden on top, only to find the bottom is still raw? When you add fruity fillings, it’s not always easy for the base to cook through. That’s why using a Dutch oven is so perfect! The oven will heat the base and edges, cooking the pastry perfectly while keeping the top from burning.
25. Easy Dutch Oven Biscuits
Just like the recipe above, these are going to be wonderfully golden on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. The trick to getting the lightest biscuits is to handle the dough as little as possible. The more you work it, the tougher they will be. I like to bring everything together into a shaggy ball and then finish it on the counter as I roll it out. Works every time!
26. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Strawberry and rhubarb is one of my all-time favorite fruity parings. Not only are they stunning together, but the sweetness of the strawberries complement the tartness of the rhubarb so well. This would make a lovely cobbler if you used the same topping recipe from above, but I just love the texture you get from the chewy oats. It’s almost like an oatmeal cookie on top!
27. Dutch Oven Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Devilishly delicious and downright sinful, this cake is decadence at its finest. I happen to adore the flavor profile of rich dark chocolate with tart and sweet raspberries, and this cake is just bursting with it! You’ll need raspberry pie filling for this, so it’s nice and thick, and it gets topped with a boxed chocolate cake mix. Super simple, but so naughty. Alternatively, try reversing it – add the cake batter on the bottom and top with the raspberries. As it bakes, the fruity filling will seep into the cake, infusing it with flavor and moisture. Click on a star to rate it!
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