Cooking Techniques 32 Dutch Oven Recipes to Soothe Your Soul By Megan Soll Megan Soll Megan Soll is a senior commerce editor for Food & Wine. She joined Dotdash Meredith in 2015 and has over 10 years of experience writing and editing food, entertainment, and lifestyle content. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 11, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Molly Bolton 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 typical 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. These are our favorite recipes to cook in a Dutch oven. 01 of 32 Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Shallots and White Wine Eva Kolenko Pre-salting the lamb (the longer the better) will deepen its flavor and increase moisture and tenderness in the meat. Afterward, a simple sear then braise renders fork-tender shreds of meat. A spoonful of garlicky gremolata heightens those long-cooked flavors. Get the Recipe 02 of 32 Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce Courtesy of Tom Hopkins and The Family of Jacques Pépin This is the quintessential recipe for beef stew with red wine. Jacques Pépin's mother served it at her restaurant, Le Pélican, where she made it with tougher cuts of meat. Jacques likes the flatiron — a long, narrow cut that's extremely lean but becomes tender and stays moist. He doesn't use stock, demi-glace, or even water in his stew, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce. Get the Recipe 03 of 32 Bò Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) Greg DuPree Baguette and bò kho are great friends, but you also can serve the stew over pasta — try it over boiled egg noodles or rice noodles (select pappardelle-size noodles). Add a green salad for a complete meal. Get the Recipe 04 of 32 Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen "Everyone with roots in southern Louisiana, where red beans and rice is a staple, thinks that their mom makes the best version," says 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi. "But I'm the only one who's right. Growing up, my mom used this recipe as a base, sometimes adding in smoked turkey necks or smoked, spiced, and cured tasso ham, in addition to the ham hocks and andouille sausage that impart their smoke, fat, and spice to the Holy Trinity (celery, bell peppers, and onions) and, of course, the sturdy red kidney beans." Get the Recipe 05 of 32 Braised Brisket Potato Tot Casserole Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This homey recipe from The Stray Dog in Minneapolis takes the classic Minnesota hot dish to new levels. Tender brisket is braised in stout beer, while brown sugar helps caramelize the brussels sprouts. A creamy mushroom béchamel brings everything together, while the truffle-laced potato tots cap things off. Get the Recipe 06 of 32 Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo Jonathan Lovekin This simple one-pot dish is as flavorful as it is easy. It's a great dish to make for a delicious weeknight meal or to share with family and friends. Get the Recipe 07 of 32 Manhattan Clam Chowder Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder — known for being tomato-forward with a broth base — has layers of flavor, from the clam broth spiked with white wine to the tender vegetables that are cooked in bacon fat. Half of the clams are roughly chopped, while the other half are left whole in their shells for contrast. As the chowder comes together towards the end, gently mashing some of the baby Yukon gold potatoes with a wooden spoon helps thicken the broth. Get the Recipe 08 of 32 Campfire Lamb Peka Caitlin Bensel The process for making peka is ancient and involves placing the pan over a bed of glowing coal embers and scooping more embers on top of the domed lid to create an oven-like environment where meats or seafood and vegetables are slow-roasted inside. This recipe has been adjusted to cook over a coal grill but maintains all of the flavors, regardless. Get the Recipe 09 of 32 Short Rib Ragù with Orange-Parsley Gremolata Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This ragù stands apart from most with the addition of fennel seeds, ground allspice, and habanero hot sauce. Like most great braises, it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge, making it a fantastic do-ahead dish for entertaining. Be sure to look for meaty short ribs; they can sometimes be skimpy, consisting of mostly bones. The ragù is topped with gremolata for a bright, fresh finish. Get the Recipe 10 of 32 Lamb Barbacoa with Masala Adobo Greg DuPree For this dish, chefs Saqib Keval and Norma Listman of Masala y Maíz in Mexico City draw from Indian and Mexican cooking techniques for a one-of-a-kind flavor profile. The restaurant version uses bone-in lamb wrapped in maguey leaves. We found that you can cook the dish in a smaller Dutch oven if you use boneless lamb and omit the leaves — the results are just as spectacular. Get the Recipe 11 of 32 Chicken Cacciatore Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell In her version of the classic Italian dish Chicken Cacciatore, chef Karen Akunowicz of 2019 F&W Best New restaurant Fox & the Knife in Boston builds sautéed vegetables, mushrooms, red wine, chicken, and tomatoes into a hearty braise. To round out the meal, serve alongside slow-cooked greens, rice, or polenta. Get the Recipe 12 of 32 Dutch Oven Classic Beef Stew Greg DuPree There's nothing better than coming home to a simmering pot of this warming stew on a cool fall or winter day. Hearty chunks of beef turn tender after a low and slow trip in your favorite Dutch oven; potatoes join the party during the tail end of cooking to retain their texture. Cut potatoes into similar-size pieces to guarantee they cook evenly. Get the Recipe 13 of 32 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. Get the Recipe 14 of 32 Root Vegetable Minestrone Michael Turek This minestrone is exceptional because it's packed with so many great vegetables — carrots, parsnips, broccoli stems, and butternut squash — and delicious toasted angel hair pasta. Pecorino cheese is stirred into the soup for even more flavor; be sure to pass around extra cheese to dust individual bowls at the table. Get the Recipe 15 of 32 Sourdough Country Bread Caitlin Bensel This sourdough bread recipe is ideal for beginners and expert bakers alike. The toughest part? Waiting for your bread to cool before slathering it with salted butter. Get the Recipe 16 of 32 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 up with bread. Get the Recipe 17 of 32 Posole Rojo Victor Protasio This long-simmered tomato- and pork-based soup was food journalist Priya Krishna's hangover cure when she lived in Mexico. "Choose from a selection of toppings: finely chopped onions, sliced avocado, lime, radishes, lettuce, queso fresco. Go big, or keep it simple," she says. "That's the true beauty of posole: No two bowls look or taste exactly alike." Get the Recipe 18 of 32 Rustic Garlic Chicken © Jennifer Causey This chicken dish is incredibly flavorful with the addition of three heads of garlic. You don't have to peel the cloves first. They soften during cooking and take on a subtle sweetness. Each person squeezes the garlic out of its skin onto the plate to eat with the chicken. Get the Recipe 19 of 32 Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) with Tajarin Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Sausage and veal come together in a lightly sweet and aromatic ragù with tajarin — a Piedmontese fresh pasta that gets its gold color from a high ratio of egg yolks to flour. At Casa di Langa in Piedmont, chef Daniel Zeilinga uses tomato water made from fresh tomatoes strained overnight in the ragù; this streamlined version uses a mixture of tomato juice and water, making the dish achievable on any evening at any time of year. Get the Recipe 20 of 32 Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage, Chicken, and Shrimp Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford Smoky, gently spiced andouille sausage and a spoonful of Creole seasoning give deep flavor and mild heat to this jambalaya, while the trinity of onion, green pepper, and celery provide a classic aromatic base to the dish. Parboiled rice is perfect for this recipe, since it cooks to tenderness just as the andouille, chicken, and shrimp reach doneness. Get the Recipe 21 of 32 Gateway Cassoulet Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley By cooking several recipe components separately in the same pot before combining them all to meld in the oven, cookbook author Sylvie Bigar reduces the active cooking time for cassoulet to a little over an hour, while retaining the long-cooked, richly developed flavor of the traditional recipe. Get the Recipe 22 of 32 Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew Christopher Testani Stop by a Korean market on the way home for your kimchi, gochujang, and gochugaru, and you can have this soothing, vibrant dish on the table in just 30 minutes. Serve the stew hot with steamed rice. Get the Recipe 23 of 32 Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad Christopher Testani This earthy French classic with smoked sausages, green lentils, and pungent mustard vinaigrette is great for winter weekends in front of the fire. Updated twist: Toasted walnuts add great crunch. Get the Recipe 24 of 32 Poulet Mafé Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis In Senegal at the Keur Moussa monastery, a typical meal includes poulet mafé, a thick peanut sauce with chicken, root vegetables, and cabbage served over rice, fonio, or millet couscous. For chef Pierre Thiam, poulet mafé is the ultimate comfort food. His advice: "Be patient when cooking mafé. Let the stew simmer slowly until the oil rises to the surface." Get the Recipe 25 of 32 Three-Chile Beef Chili Fredrika Stjärne With coffee, dark beer, smoky bacon, and three kinds of chiles — ancho, New Mexico, and chipotle — this is one deep, rich, spicy pot of beef chili. Serve it with sour cream, grated cheddar, and tortilla chips. Get the Recipe 26 of 32 Hanukkah Doughnuts John Kernick These fried treats are simply made from balls of yeast dough that get tossed in cinnamon sugar and filled with chocolate, cream, curd, or jam. Get the Recipe 27 of 32 Turmeric Chicken Stew Abby Hocking Swap in hominy instead of noodles for this version of chicken stew. Fresh turmeric and lime juice add an irresistible deep flavor, though you can substitute ground turmeric if you can't find fresh. Get the Recipe 28 of 32 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). It's garnished with sliced scallions and served with rice crackers or steamed rice. Get the Recipe 29 of 32 Stout-Braised Short Ribs Braising short ribs in beer makes them super tender and adds a slightly bitter note. Choose your favorite dark beer, such as a stout, porter, or brown ale. Get the Recipe 30 of 32 Easy Chicken and Dumplings Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver This satisfying one-pot meal of silky chicken and tender dumplings starts with searing chicken thighs to render fat to cook the mirepoix in, building a flavorful base for this classic dish. Self-rising flour, buttermilk, and butter are the only ingredients in the pillowy dumplings, which come together in the final minutes, cooking right in the creamy soup. Get the Recipe 31 of 32 Fisherman's-Style Seafood Stew Con Poulos Chef Fabio Trabocchi says the key to this brodetto-inspired recipe is to cook the fish and shellfish in stages. The crusty ciabatta toasts make this seafood stew a warming winter meal. Get the Recipe 32 of 32 Classic Beef Chili Molly Bolton Fresh poblano, toasty ancho chile powder, oregano and beer come together to make a flavorful bowl of chili perfect for game day with friends. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit