Conducting kitchen experiments brings me joy, especially when they involve their own sort of magic, which is to transform raw ingredients into flavorful, hearty dishes that are worthy of an evening’s main event. I enjoy this sort of alchemy.

And so it is a pleasure to share with you, dear readers, a selection of recipes that I have several times worked magic with, to my own and others’ great satisfaction. Many of the recipes are classics that have been around long enough to have proven their worth, like Beef Bourguignon and Moroccan Lamb Tagine.

Others are my takes on what you might think of as comfort food, like a simple yet rich Beef Stew and a Vegetable Stew that can fulfill whatever your Meatless Monday moment might call for. And because a good stew deserves a good bread to ladle it into, I include a recipe for no-knead bread that, if I can be honest, is the kind of thing your friends will think you’re a kitchen wizard for pulling off.

The 19 Best dutch oven recipes

1. Beef Bourguignon

A classic French stew, Beef Bourguignon is made with tender beef chuck and simmered in rich red wine, such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir; and with ingredients of good flavor, such as bacon, onions, and good beef stock.

Ingredients

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 bottle (750ml) red wine (preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef stock

Instructions

1. Let the beef cubes sit in red wine overnight in the fridge, then pour off the wine—don’t waste it; you’ll need it.

2. Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, which is equal to 165 degrees Celsius. Use a Dutch oven to heat medium olive oil; use this oil to heat medium bacon. Cook the aforementioned bacon until you have reached the desired crispiness. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside.

3. In the same pot, brown the beef cubes on all sides, then remove them and set them aside. Add the onion and cook until soft.

4. Dust the onions with flour; stir to combine, and return the beef and bacon to the pot. Pour in the reserved wine and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for

2.5 to 3 hours until the beef is tender.

2. Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is a classic French dish featuring chicken thighs and drumsticks slow-cooked in red wine with bacon, cremini mushrooms, garlic, and onion, forming a rich and flavorful meal that suits any occasion.

Ingredients

• 4 pieces chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken:Cover the chicken parts in a big basin with red wine. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or, better yet, overnight.

2. Cook the baconIn a deep pot on medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until it is nice and crisp. Take the bacon out and set it aside, but leave all that wonderful bacon fat in the pot.

3. Brown the chickenTake the chicken from the wine, pat it dry, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Using the bacon fat, brown the chicken on all sides; then take it out of the pan and set aside.

4. Cook and stir: Toss the onions and chopped garlic into the pot, and stir them until they’re softened. Then, add the mushrooms. Pour in the chicken broth and the wine you reserved from the marinade. Add the chicken and bacon back into the pot. Now, cover it (the pot, not the chicken…or the bacon, for that matter), and let everything simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is done. Then, take it off the heat, and serve.

3. Chicken and Dumplings

Dumplings and chicken are combined in the dish “Chicken and Dumplings”. In this dish, tender chicken thighs are served with fluffy dumplings in a savory chicken broth.

The ingredients that make up the dumplings, which are drooped into the broth, are all-purpose flour, baking powder, and whole milk; the dumpling mixture is dropped into the broth, where it cooks and becomes fluffy. The broth itself is made with unsalted butter, which adds richness to what could otherwise be a rather insipid dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chicken pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken pieces until they are browned on all sides.

2. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. The chicken should be fully cooked when you’re done.

3. In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually stir in the milk to form a dough. Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering broth.

4. Put a lid on the Dutch oven and let the dumplings steam for about 15 minutes. They should be cooked all the way through when you eat them. Serve them as hot as possible, and season them with more salt and pepper if they need it.

4. Classic Pot Roast

Comforting and slow-cooked to tender perfection, Classic Pot Roast features a beef chuck roast seasoned with salt and pepper, seared in olive oil, and roasted with onions, garlic, beef broth, and carrots until juicy and flavorful.

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 300°F (150°C) to warm up. Take the chuck roast and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper all over. That’s the two-step process for getting the roast ready for the oven.

2. In a cast-iron pot or another heavy, oven-safe pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the beef and set aside.

3. Put the onion and the garlic into the pot and cook until soft. Pour in a little beef broth and scrape up the flavorful browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Put the beef back into the pot. Pour the rest of the beef broth over everything and tuck the carrots around the beef.

4. Put the lid on the pot and place it in the preheated oven. Roast it for 3 to 4 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily. Check it now and then to see if it needs more broth to keep the roast moist. Serve it hot.

5. Braised Short Ribs

Bone-in beef short ribs are the principal part of a dish called Braised Short Ribs, which are defined by a long, moist cooking method that transforms tough meat into tender morsels. For moist-heat cooking, the ribs are complemented with aromatic vegetables and herbs, and then cooked in a mix of beef stock and red wine until they are thoroughly infused with flavor.

So if the substance of the ribs themselves is not enough to warm you up, the thorough infusion of cozy flavors surely will.

Ingredients

3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine#

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 325°F (165°C) to warm. The short ribs will need much salting and peppering to flavor them well.

2. In a big Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the short ribs and sear them on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.

3. In the same pot, put in the chopped onion and heat until softened, which takes about 5 minutes. Then, add the minced garlic and cook the mixture for another minute.

4. Put the ribs back in the pot and pour in the beef stock and red wine. Bring the to a nice simmer and cover it up. Throw it in the oven that you warmed up to 300 and just let it go for

2.5 to 3 hours. That nice, low heat will break down all those connective tissues and make the meat tender.

6. Vegetable Stew

A vegetable stew is a comforting dish that features a mixture of chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced carrots, diced potatoes, sliced zucchini, and chopped bell peppers. Cooked in olive oil, it’s a simple, good-for-you meal.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in chopped onion; cook it until soft and translucent.

2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until perfumed.

3. Add the carrots, cut into slices; the potatoes, diced; the zucchini, sliced; and the bell pepper, chopped. Stir well to coat the vegetables with oil.

4. Pour in sufficient water so the vegetables are submerged, and set over high heat. When the water reaches a full, rolling boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and let the vegetables simmer until they’ve softened enough for you to mash them. This will take anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes.

7. Rustic Beef Stew

Beef stew, rustic style, is a big-hearted, comforting dish of tender beef chuck cubes—and lots of them—that tenderizes in a rich, beefy broth for two hours, with carrots and potatoes that finish off the dish and make it plenty hearty. You can assemble this dish in the morning, and it can sit on the stovetop, or in the oven on low heat, ready to serve at dinner time.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In batches, add to the pot the beef, cubed, and brown it on all sides. Remove and set aside.

2. Add the leftover tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, then return the beef to the pot.

3. Add the beef broth, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for about 2 hours, or until the beef and vegetables are tender.

8. Bread Baking (No-Knead)

Explore the technique of baking no-knead bread, a straightforward method that utilizes ingredients like just all-purpose flour, instant yeast, salt, and warm water. You can obtain delightful bread from this method with very little effort, and even better, you can enjoy the maximum flavor enhancement afforded by using olive oil in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, for flavor)
• Flour, for dusting
• Extra cornmeal or wheat bran, for dusting

Instructions

1. In a big bowl, mix flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in water, and stir it all together until you have a rough, shaggy dough that looks something like this. Don’t be shy here. Really stir it up. At this point, it is very much okay if some of the flour is not completely moistened. Just make sure that the only dry bits you have are in the very top layer of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough do its thing at room temp for 12 to 18 hours.

2. When the dough has puffed up and is studded with bubbles, prepare a work surface by lightly dusting it with flour. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and fold it over on itself a few times, then shape it into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the work surface, cover it with a cloth, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Covering the underside of a sheet of parchment paper with cornmeal or wheat bran, place the dough on top and dust with flour. This dough, now ready to rise, should be left to do so for about 2 hours, but an extra hour wouldn’t hurt if you’re very busy; all this dough will need is a clean kitchen towel covering it.

4. Roughly half an hour before you plan to begin baking, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a covered Dutch oven inside. When the oven is ready, using a sturdy spatula, carefully flip the dough over and slide it (still on the parchment) into the pot. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover the pot and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

9. Homemade Chili

Chili made from scratch is an amalgamated mix of important protein components like beef and beans. They are chopped, folded, stirred, and mixed helter-skelter in big bowls, then poured into the pot along with huge handfuls of onions, bell peppers, and spices, also in big handfuls, like a good 1/2 cup of chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin.

Other pots on the stove might hold just-cooked cornbread or things to go with the cornbread, like honey, for instance.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the ground beef until it is browned. Drain any of the excess fat that renders during cooking.

2. In a pot, place the chopped onion and sauté until you have achieved translucence.

3. Blend the chili powder, cumin, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans into the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cook the chili on low heat for half an hour, stirring it now and then. If the seasoning needs tweaking, do it just before serving.

10. Moroccan Lamb Tagine

A traditional North African stew, the Moroccan Lamb Tagine, features tender lamb shoulder, aromatic cumin and cinnamon, and sweet dried apricots. Cooked slowly to perfection, the result is a rich, flavorful dish.

Ingredients
2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, add some oil and heat it over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chunks of lamb. Brown the lamb on all sides in the oil. Once the lamb is browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside.

2. In the same pot, add the onion and garlic, which have been chopped. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.

3. Mix in the ground cumin and cinnamon, and cook for about a minute until fragrant.

4. Put the lamb back in the pot, then add the chicken broth and dried apricots. Bring it to a simmer, cover it, and cook it on low heat for about

1.5 to 2 hours, until the lamb is tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve it hot.

11. Dutch Oven Paella

A one-pot dish called Dutch Oven Paella combines Arborio rice, shrimp, onion, garlic, and red bell pepper in a meticulously constructed and elegant broth—made from chicken wings.

Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

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Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, over a medium flame, heat the olive oil. Add to it the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper, and cook until the onion becomes translucent.

2. Add the Arborio rice, coating it nicely with the oil and vegetables. Cook it for about 2 minutes until the rice is a little toasty.

3. Add the chicken broth and heat to boiling. Decrease the heat, cover, and let simmer about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

4. Place the shrimp on top of the rice, cover, and let cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Serve right away.

12. Ratatouille

The classic French vegetable stew ratatouille is made with such ingredients as eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and garlic. Simmering those in olive oil yields rustic fare that showcases summer vegetables at their peak.

If there’s a dish that requires little wattage for one to enjoy its taste, ratatouille is a contender for that honor.

Ingredients

1 eggplant, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. A Dutch oven over medium heat should be preheated, and the olive oil should be added. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.

2. Put the eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini in the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.

3. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

4. Before serving warm, adjust seasoning to taste.

13. Seafood Cioppino

Cioppino is a satisfying stew of the sort that makes you want to gather everyone you know around the table. It’s a delightful Italian-American creation—built, like so many great stews, on a base of sautéed aromatics.

In this case, the aromatics are olive oil, onion, and garlic. To say that olive oil, onion, and garlic have simmered long enough to coax out all their sweet, savory flavors and have melded together to form the foundation of a great stew is—while true—also an understatement.

Using aromatics to form the foundation of a stew goes back centuries in European cooking. Not long after someone in the ancient world figured out how to get a pot of water boiling over an open fire, another someone figured out that if you were going to cook something in that boiling pot, you might as well start things off by frying some onions and bacon in the pot first.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 pound mixed seafood (such as shrimp, mussels, clams, and white fish)

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, medium heat is used to warm the olive oil. The onion and garlic are added and cooked until the onion is clear.

2. Add the white wine and water and bring to a simmer. Reduce to 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Blend the crushed tomatoes into the mixture and tempt it into a gentle simmer.

4. Combine the following elements in a large pot: 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, 2 1/2 cups of water, and 1 cup of very dry white wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sea bass, shrimp, mussels, and clams. Cover the pot. When the stock returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about the same amount of time as it takes for shrimp to turn pink and for mussels and clams to open: 5-7 minutes. Serve the broth and seafood hot from the pot.

14. Lentil and Kale Soup

Lentil and Kale Soup is a nourishing dish featuring hearty lentils and nutrient-rich kale. This soothing soup unites onions, carrots, and garlic chopped until fine, simmering in a vegetable broth that has both flavor and depth.

The meal is simple but not lacking in any way that would make you think of “simple” as a pejorative. And it gets better: the recipe makes enough for eight servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and carrot, and sauté until the onion is translucent.

2. Mix in the garlic and cook for an additional minute until it smells really good in your kitchen. We are attempting to do the same thing with the lentils, as they are our next companions in this soup. So, add the lentils and the vegetable broth, and bring the whole thing to a boil.

3. Stir in chopped kale and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes more, until lentils are tender and kale is wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

15. Pork Carnitas

Carnitas de cerdo is a sumptuous Mexican dish featuring slowly cooked pork shoulder, seasoned with salt and cumin, and served with onions, bay leaves, and a little bit of orange juice. The rich flavors make for a perfect taco or burrito filling.

Ingredients

3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
Juice of 1 orange

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 300°F (150°C) to heat up. In a big Dutch oven, put in the pieces of pork shoulder along with the salt and cumin. Toss everything in there so that the spices coat the meat evenly.

2. Put the halved onion, bay leaves, and water in the pot. Squeeze the juice of 1 orange over the meat and place the orange halves in the pot.

3. Place a lid on the pot and move it to the oven, which you have already heated. Let the pot do its thing in the oven for around

2.5 to 3 hours. When you check on the pot and if the pork isn’t easily shreddable, feel free to leave it in the oven for a little while longer.

4. Take the pork out of the pot and shred it with two forks. Discard the onion, bay leaves, and orange halves. If you want, crisp the shredded pork up under the broiler for a few minutes before serving.

16. Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana
is a beloved Italian meal that consists of layers of sliced, fried eggplant. The eggplant is usually prepared with a thin coating of flour or cornmeal, then fried until golden and crispy.

The marinara sauce is poured over the eggplant and topped with sliced or shredded mozzarella, and the whole thing is baked until bubbly and golden. Baked eggplant sandwiches garnished with fresh basil might be the hallmark of some local Italian eatery, but the classic version of this dish comes from the kitchens of Italian-American families.

Ingredients
Eggplant
Olive oil
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil
Salt

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the eggplant into rounds a quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle with salt, and let them sit for 20 minutes. You want them to let out some moisture. After 20 minutes, blot them dry with paper towels, and you’re ready to roll. It was tempting to skip the salting step when I was making these (I know, I’ve said this before), but eggplant can hold a lot of moisture and air. You want the rounds to be dry before you roll them in flour with the filling.

2. Olive oil should be heated in a pan over medium heat, and then the eggplant slices need to be fried until they’re golden brown on both sides. After they are finished frying, take them out of the pan and set them aside.

3. In a deep pot, layer half of the fried eggplant, and top with half of the marinara sauce. Next, add a layer of mozzarella, followed by a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Try to distribute each layer as evenly as possible over the surface of the previous layer. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, finishing with a layer of eggplant on top.

4. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden. Garnish with basil before serving.

17. Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry is a beautiful dish that features the fragrance and creaminess of the green curry paste, the coconut milk, and the sliced chicken breast. The mixed vegetables and those fresh basil leaves give it texture and color, while the fish sauce and sugar do their balancing act.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon green curry paste
400 ml coconut milk
200 grams chicken breast, sliced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup mixed vegetables (e.g., bell pepper, snap peas)
Fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. Warm a tablespoon of green curry paste in a Dutch oven over medium heat until aromatic.

2. Introduce the coconut milk after the chicken is almost fully cooked. This will ensure that you have nice, tender pieces of chicken.

3. Combine fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl, then pour into the saucepan. Let the sauce bubble for 10 minutes.

4. Combine the mixed vegetables and carry on with the simmering thing until the vegetables are slightly tender. Before you serve, add some fresh basil leaves and stir. This is way better in terms of health since it is done with boiling and not with frying.

18. Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stew

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stew
is a dish full of flavor that showcases marinated chicken thighs cooked with jerk seasoning. It combines the richness of coconut milk with onion and garlic for a vibrant, hearty meal.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, skinless
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

1. Massage the chicken thighs with jerk seasoning, and allow them to marinate for no less than 30 minutes.

2. In a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and brown the chicken all over. Remove the chicken and set it aside.

3. Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pot until they are soft and fragrant.

4. Place the chicken back into the pot, then pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Allow everything to come to a simmer and hold there for about 30-40 minutes. You want the chicken to be thoroughly cooked, and you want any flavors to have become concentrated.

19. Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers are a classic dish. They feature bell peppers filled with a savory mixture of ground beef or turkey, cooked rice, and diced tomatoes, all seasoned with Italian herbs and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 large bell peppers (any color)
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 can (1

  4.5 oz) diced tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 375°F (190°C). Preheat your dutch oven.

2. Remove the seeds and membranes from the bell peppers after cutting off their tops. Place the bell peppers inside the dutch oven.

3. Using medium heat, brown the ground beef in a skillet. Pour off the excess fat. Stir in the rice, the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.

4. Fill the prepared bell peppers with the mixture of meat and rice. Place shredded mozzarella on top of the stuffed peppers. Put the lid on the dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.