20 Dutch Oven Recipes to Soothe Your Soul

David Cicconi

When it comes to comfort food, Dutch ovens are ideal for creating deep flavors, delicious roasts, and crave-worthy meals. A good cast iron Dutch oven is a must for any serious home cook. Whether it’s a holiday or a normal weekday, this cookware will have your meals making the grade, and then some.

Using the right size and shape can make or break a Dutch oven dish. (see: Which Dutch Oven Size Should You Buy). Go for the tried-and-true Le Creuset vessel or an on-trend Staub cocotte-- no matter the style, 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 maker, or a pot for frying perfectly crispy doughnuts. Go for these easy Dutch oven recipes or try out a few more challenging ones for the ultimate reward: dinner.

See below for our favorite recipes to cook in a Dutch oven.

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1 of 21

Viet Beef Stew with Star Anise and Lemongrass

Greg DuPree

Baguette and bo kho are great friends, but you also can serve the stew over pasta.

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2 of 21

Braised Kale with Bacon and Apples

Everything is better with bacon, including this fall-inspired braised kale with Granny Smith apples.

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3 of 21

Fisherman's-Style Seafood Stew

Con Poulos

The crusty ciabatta toasts make this Fisherman’s-Style Seafood Stew warming winter meal.

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4 of 21

Best-Ever Cold Fried Chicken

Con Poulos

This extra-crispy chicken retains its crunch in the fridge. It’s ideal for picnics or just eating right out of the icebox.

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5 of 21

Stout-Braised Short Ribs

Braising short ribs in beer makes them supertender and adds a slight bitter note.

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6 of 21

Lamb Barbacoa with Masala Adobo

Greg DuPree

Cook this dish in a smaller Dutch with boneless lamb and omit the leaves—the results are just as spectacular.

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7 of 21

Wine-Braised Beef with Green-Garlic Soubise and Young Chicories

Victor Protasio

These beef cheeks become fork-tender in the oven and add to the glistening, wine-fortified sauce.

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8 of 21

Lemon-Oregano Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

Sara Bolla

Tangy roasted Meyer lemons pair beautifully with quartered potatoes, olives, oregano and chicken in this simple one-pot recipe.

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9 of 21

Chicken with Herb Dumplings

Any number of fresh herbs would work well in these biscuit-like dumplings. Use parsley, tarragon, chives, cilantro or even mint.

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10 of 21

Rice Pudding with Macerated Guavas

Cedric Angeles

Chef Sheyla Alvarado makes an elegant dessert by topping vanilla-flecked warm rice pudding with sweet guavas and ice cream.

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11 of 21

Root-Vegetable Minestrone

Michael Turek

This minestrone is exceptional because it’s packed with so many great vegetables and delicious toasted angel hair pasta.

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12 of 21

Freshly Baked Bread

Matthew Armendariz

How to make bread at home the easy way, with tips on baking the perfect loaf without a sourdough starter.

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13 of 21

Pork Braised in Milk 

Christopher Testani

The late cookbook author Marcella Hazan popularized this Italian method of slow-cooking pork shoulder in milk, which yields a velvety sauce for spooning over the pork and sopping with bread.

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14 of 21

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew 

Christopher Testani

Stop at a Korean market on the way home and you can have this soothing, vibrant dish on the table in 30 minutes.Get the recipe

15 of 21

Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad

Christopher Testani

This earthy French classic with smoked sausages, greens lentils and pungent mustard vinaigrette is great for winter weekends in front of the fire.Get the recipe

16 of 21

Three-Chile Beef Chili

Fredrika Stjärne

With coffee, dark beer, smoky bacon and three kinds of chiles, this is one deep, rich, spicy pot of beef chili.

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17 of 21

Posole Rojo

Victor Protasio

This long-simmered tomato- and pork-based soup was Priya Krishna’s hangover cure when she lived in Mexico.

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18 of 21

Turmeric Chicken Stew

Abby Hocking

Swap hominy for noodles in this version of chicken stew. Fresh turmeric and lime juice add an irresistible deep flavor.

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19 of 21

Hanukkah Doughnuts 

John Kernick

These fried treats are simply made from balls of yeast dough and filled with chocolate, creams, curd or, as here, jam.

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20 of 21

Gochujang Cioppino 

David Cicconi

This zippy dish with shrimp, squid, mussels and cod gets a lively Korean twist with tofu and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste).

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20 Dutch Oven Recipes to Soothe Your Soul

1 of 21

Viet Beef Stew with Star Anise and Lemongrass

2 of 21

Braised Kale with Bacon and Apples

3 of 21

Fisherman's-Style Seafood Stew

4 of 21

Best-Ever Cold Fried Chicken

5 of 21

Stout-Braised Short Ribs

6 of 21

Lamb Barbacoa with Masala Adobo

7 of 21

Wine-Braised Beef with Green-Garlic Soubise and Young Chicories

8 of 21

Lemon-Oregano Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

9 of 21

Chicken with Herb Dumplings

10 of 21

Rice Pudding with Macerated Guavas

11 of 21

Root-Vegetable Minestrone

12 of 21

Freshly Baked Bread

13 of 21

Pork Braised in Milk

14 of 21

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew

15 of 21

Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad

16 of 21

Three-Chile Beef Chili

17 of 21

Posole Rojo

18 of 21

Turmeric Chicken Stew

19 of 21

Hanukkah Doughnuts

20 of 21

Gochujang Cioppino

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Pork Braised in Milk 

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew 

Hanukkah Doughnuts 

Gochujang Cioppino 