20 One-Pot Recipes to Make in Your Dutch Oven

coq au vin
Photo: Marcus Nilsson

One-pot meals are a simple and efficient way to get food on the table. And one of our favorite ways to create a delicious dish is by cooking one-pot recipes for a Dutch oven—consider this recipe collection our love letter to the vessel. They're the perfect piece of cookware for preparing dinner for your family or a group of friends. We're sharing our favorite one-pot recipes for a Dutch oven, such as Coq Au Vin, which is pictured here.

One of the best things about Dutch ovens is that they go from stovetop to oven with ease. They're especially great for low-and-slow dishes like stews and braised meats. Try making our Classic Beef Stew recipe in your Dutch oven: The recipe starts by searing seasoned beef chuck in the heavy-bottomed pot, then onions, tomato paste, wine, and vegetables are added. The stew cooks low and slow for almost three hours, and doesn't need much tending during that time. Another one-pot recipe that we love to cook is chili. Our Easy Chile Verde uses pork rather than the ground beef you might be used to, in this one-pot, Tex-Mex-inspired dish.

Whether you're building your collection of enameled cast iron or you own a piece that's been passed down for generations, these one-pot recipes for the Dutch oven are sure to bring you joy in the kitchen.

01 of 19

Classic Beef Stew

classic beef stew
Con Poulos

On a chilly winter night, there is nothing like digging into a classic beef stew, which is arguably the ultimate one-pot meal. Our recipe is complete with carrots, Yukon Gold potatoes, peas, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and pearl onions.

02 of 19

Vinegar-and-Garlic-Braised Chicken

Vinegar-and-Garlic-Braised Chicken
Marcus Nilsson

A total showstopper, this flavorful chicken dish is a delicious one-pot meal. A duo of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks marinate in a combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves, and garlic, then everything simmers together in a Dutch oven.

03 of 19

Easy Chile Verde

pressure cooker chili verde
Justin Walker

Many people like cooking chili in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, but a Dutch oven can also work wonders. This pork shoulder-based version cooks in one pot along with sliced onions, diced green chiles, and store-bought medium green salsa.

04 of 19

Summer Smoked-Salmon Chowder

summer smoked salmon chowder
Ren Fuller

Our favorite kinds of weeknight dinners are those that take less than one hour to prepare and can be cooked all in one-pot. This 45-minute chowder hits all the marks and features summer vegetables including zucchini, baby potatoes, and fresh corn.

05 of 19

One-Pot Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Bacon

med106155_1110_broccoli_rabe.jpg

Bacon doesn't just shine in pasta carbonara. It's also a powerhouse in this one-pot pasta dish that's made with broccoli rabe, walnuts, and garlic.

06 of 19

Easy Beef Chili

easy beef chili with sour cream in bowl

Two things make this one-pot, all-beef chili extra spectacular: a couple of tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and a Dutch oven, of course. It gets plenty of heat from chili powder, jalapeño peppers, and fire-roasted tomatoes.

07 of 19

Pulled BBQ-Chicken Sandwiches

pulled chicken bbq sandwich

Instead of the usual slow-cooker pulled pork, try this leaner, faster one-pot meal that can be made in a Dutch oven. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs cook together with ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and lager beer for about an hour until the meat is tender and can be shredded.

08 of 19

Baked Beans with Bacon

baked beans bacon
Bryan Gardner

Skip the canned variety and make your own rich, smoky baked beans at home. Small white beans cook in a Dutch oven with Dijon mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and chicken broth for about 70 minutes until the liquid has thickened and the beans are fork-tender. It's the perfect one-pot meal for summer.

09 of 19

Italian Pulled Pork

italian pulled pork
Linda Pugliese

Instead of traditional barbecue-style pulled pork, this one-pot dish is flavored with a variety of earthy spices such as fennel, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. While this recipe calls for toasting the fennel seeds, feel free to do it right in the Dutch oven so that you don't need to dirty another pan.

10 of 19

Korean Beef Chuck Roast

Korean Beef Chuck Roast
Bryan Gardner

A myriad of Korean and Asian ingredients—minced ginger, sake, mirin, and gochujang (Korean pepper paste)—flavor four pounds of beef chuck in this one-pot meal. Carrots and shiitake mushrooms are added during the cooking process, completing the dish.

11 of 19

Wine-Braised Brisket

Hanukkah Brisket
linda xiao

Brisket is a staple on Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah, but some consider it difficult to prepare. Not this one-pot version! Choose the "first cut" of beef brisket and cook it in a Dutch oven with grainy mustard, lemon zest, thyme, and garlic.

12 of 19

Normandy-Style Chicken and Leeks with Creme Fraiche

vegetable book
Ngoc Minh Ngo

There's a secret ingredient in this one-pot, French chicken dish that you'd never expect: hard apple cider. The sweet, carbonated beverage helps to keep the meat tender and adds fall flavor.

13 of 19

Chicken Fricassee

fricassee-052-mld109038.jpg
Tara Donne

It's the original French comfort food: simmered chicken with hearty vegetables in a rich, silky sauce. A fricassee is halfway between a sauté and a stew. A true classic, this recipe relies on humble ingredients and just one pot: a Dutch oven.

14 of 19

Beef Bourguignon

beef-bourguignon-124-d111289.jpg
Bryan Gardner

We're calling this the ultimate one-pot Dutch oven recipe. Make this French classic when you want a hearty meal that will feed a crowd.

15 of 19

Arroz Con Pollo

Arroz Con Pollo
Bryan Gardner

Our take on the traditional Latin American dish is made with chicken thighs, short-grain rice, and pimiento-stuffed green olives. This one-pot meal comes together in less than an hour, so you can enjoy it any day of the week.

16 of 19

Chicken Breast Poached in Buttermilk

poached-chicken-212-mld110692.jpg
Romulo Yanes

While you may associate this combination of ingredients with buttermilk fried chicken, we're taking it in a whole new direction with this one-pot poaching technique. The chicken is dressed with a sharp sauce made from yogurt, shallots, cornichons, capers, and lemon.

17 of 19

Chili Verde

chile-verde-034-med109951.jpg
Johnny Miller

This super-simple pork shoulder dish is made with just three other ingredients—yellow onion, green tomatillo salsa, and chicken broth—plus lime wedges and cilantro for serving. It's a fabulous one-pot option for game day entertaining.

18 of 19

Spiced Beef Stew with Carrots and Chickpeas

Spiced Beef Stew with Carrots and Chickpeas
Con Poulos

The smells of braised beef chuck mixed with berbere seasoning—an Ethiopian spice blend—red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste will be absolutely irresistible. The stew simmers in a Dutch oven for about two and a half hours until the meat is tender and the whole dish releases its aromatic flavor.

19 of 19

One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Swiss Chard

one-pot-chicken-rice-0911med107344.jpg
John Kernick

The perfect one-pot weeknight meal, this elevated chicken and rice dish comes together in less than one hour and will feed a family of four. It's also a great excuse to try cooking chicken legs, a more economical cut than breasts or thighs, but just as delicious.

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