13 Delicious Dutch Oven Recipes

Who doesn't love a Dutch oven, with its heavy-duty, cast iron sizzling up the heartiest of meals any day of the week? From searing and browning to caramelization, stovetop simmering, frying, and oven braising, this kitchen workhorse nurtures all kinds of deliciousness without complaining a bit. That's why we've gladly gathered a collection of our favorite Dutch oven meals from Tasting Table's creative recipe developers.

Thirteen tasty Dutch oven dishes run the gamut from lunch to dinner -- and even breakfast when counting the fresh-baked sourdough bread guide from recipe developer Taylor Murray. Get ready to expand your culinary repertoire with the likes of Dutch-oven short ribs, po'boys, brisket, wine-braised lamb, coconut-braised ribs, harissa pot roast, carne picada, and ropa vieja. Then, there are four different stewy delights, including Irish beef stew and an aromatic specialty called cinnamon apple cider beef stew.

If your kitchen collection doesn't yet include a Dutch oven, there's a good chance you'll want to remedy that. While discovering the best ways to use a Dutch oven, make your way through these recipes. Some are easy and others are slightly more complex. Then, you can start experimenting with your own custom ideas.

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Harissa Pot Roast

Warm, peppery flavors shine in this harissa pot roast recipe from Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn. With Moroccan pizazz, buttery chickpeas, caramelized lemons, red-pepper harissa sauce, and the nutty sweetness of parsnips, it's a meal that spans the seasons. The beefy star of this Dutch oven dish is chuck shoulder roast, though McGlinn discusses alternative cuts based on preferred outcomes, including beef brisket or beef round roast. Top with cilantro if desired, and serve with crusty bread, fluffy rice, or couscous.

Recipe: Harissa Pot Roast

Roast Beef Po'Boy

With a slight Louisiana twist, this roast beef po'boy recipe features Creole seasoning, browning sauce, and a thick gravy base. It all comes together in one-pot style using your Dutch oven, which roams from stovetop to oven as the goodness evolves. Enjoy juicy, shredded roast beef that tucks tidily inside a toasted French bread roll with all the expected accompaniments. Prepping and braising the roast beef gets all the attention, but Tasting Table recipe developer Leah Maroney cautions not to overlook the bread. "You want something that is soft, but also slightly crusty," she explains.

Recipe: Roast Beef Po'Boy

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Beef stew incarnations span the globe, and American chefs dig deep on their own interpretations. Fortunately, we get to explore old-fashioned beef stew with a touch of French flair, thanks to Tasting Table recipe developer Molly Madigan Pisula. As a French resident for several years, she borrows a few secrets from beef bourguignon to enhance a classic American beef stew. We're talking a medium-bodied red wine for depth and flavor, but that's not all; you'll also be adding some thick-cut bacon sliced into matchstick strips.

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Slow-Cooked Carne Picada

Stewed beef gets yet another interpretation with this slow-cooked carne picada dish created by recipe developer Julianne De Witt. It's Tex-Mex food at it finest, incorporating fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, and even avocado oil for browning the cubed chuck roast. No worries with spice levels, as it's easy to raise them up or down a notch, per taste. Everything bakes slowly in the Dutch oven for two to three hours.

Recipe: Slow-Cooked Carne Picada

Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Who says ribs are solely destined for grill grates and flames? That's certainly not the case when it comes to this crowd-pleasing recipe for red wine-braised beef short ribs. Created by Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, this delightfully tender meal begins and finishes in your Dutch oven, from searing the short ribs to sautéing aromatics, reducing red wine, and braising for up to three hours. Subtle flavors in the grand finale range from cinnamon to thyme, rosemary, and dried chiles de árbol.

Recipe: Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Cinnamon Apple Cider Beef Stew

Expect the unexpected from recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, who continues adding unique takes on American favorites for Tasting Table readers. In this recipe, she shares how to make a cinnamon apple cider beef stew in your Dutch oven. It harbors distinct nips of autumn with ingredients such as apple cider and cranberries, but there's no reason to wait. Apple cider is increasingly available year-round, as are the required carrots, rosemary, thyme, cranberries, cinnamon, and chili powder. A major surprise for this one is the hearty addition of barley.

Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Cider Beef Stew

Braised Ropa Vieja

With a tender take on Cuba's national dish, recipe creator Ashley Altan offers up secrets on preparing her rendition of braised ropa vieja. Braising beef chuck or flank steak in a Dutch oven creates succulent shredded meat in a smooth tomato base, punctuated by sliced paprika peppers. Earthy aromas of oregano, cumin, and cinnamon permeate your kitchen while the dish braises in the oven for several hours. Complete the nod to Cuban cuisine by serving it over rice with sides of black beans and plantains.

Recipe: Braised Ropa Vieja

Super Tender Herb And Fig Pot Roast

Forget any preconceptions about cooking with figs. This recipe for super tender herb and fig pot roast is like nothing you've tasted before, thanks to the creativity of Tasting Table recipe creator Leah Maroney. Figs carry an aura of sweet, dark mystery, which is deeply accentuated when slow-cooked with red wine and aromatic herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Incorporating brown sugar into the browning liquid is transformative, especially when it's later blended with additional figs for added texture.

Recipe: Super Tender Herb And Fig Pot Roast

Beef Irish Stew

Nobody does stew like the Irish, as evidenced by its inclusion on almost every Irish restaurant's menu. This beef Irish stew recipe easily fits into the Tasting Table collection of Dutch oven recipes, though it carries a decided distinction from classic stews from its namesake motherland. Instead of using the customary mutton, this American-style adaptation by recipe developer Hayley MacLean employs beef stew meat, with a mention of optional lamb or even goat meat. In the true spirit of origin acknowledgment, she also infuses the stew with a cup of Irish stout beer.

Recipe: Beef Irish Stew

Red Wine-Braised Lamb Neck

Red wine is a recurring theme in Dutch oven recipes, but this one pairs the vino with a meat less common than beef. This dish, which features lamb, has been adapted from Chef Chris Shepherd's recipe, created for his former Houston, Texas, restaurant, One Fifth. This recipe uses relatively affordable lamb necks, which simmer in the wine along with Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, shallots, thyme, and more. It takes some searing, stirring, deglazing, simmering, and braising over about three hours -- but it's a well-worthy investment of your time. 

Recipe: Red Wine-Braised Lamb Neck

Braised Coconut Beef Ribs

Short ribs get some Dutch oven love again with this recipe for braised coconut beef ribs. Created by Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, the ribs in this Thai-style dish forego red wine in deference to coconut milk. You'll also be incorporating the likes of ginger, lemongrass, soy sauce, lime juice, tomato paste, garlic, and Thai chilis or a suitable substitute. Things get even more interesting with a grand finale of baby bok choy, baby corn, and water chestnuts.

Recipe: Braised Coconut Beef Ribs

Fresh-Baked Sourdough Bread

While revealing her approach to fresh-baked sourdough bread, Tasting Table recipe developer Taylor Murray takes us on a comprehensive bread-making adventure. Sharing valuable tips for making sourdough bread in general, she covers things like making the "autolyse" as well as getting that perfect chewy texture with lots of holes, which is known as the "open crumb." Then, the step-by-step approach to baking sourdough in a Dutch oven includes details such as how long to bake it lid-on before going lid-off for that coveted crispy crust.

Recipe: Fresh-Baked Sourdough Bread

Braised Brisket

Slow and easy does it with this Dutch oven recipe for braised brisket. Adapted from the recipe of chef Jenn Louis of the former Lincoln restaurant in Portland, Oregon, this version of brisket carries a distinctly delicious umami flavor throughout the beef, thanks to reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms. Onions caramelized with tomato paste slip in a sweet surprise, balanced by a cup of red wine. Aromatic bay leaves and rosemary leave herbal influences, as does a final garnish of fresh chopped parsley. 

Recipe: Braised Brisket

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