Putting Your Dutch Oven to Work in the Kitchen

Simple and versatile, the Dutch oven is an essential part of any good cook’s culinary arsenal. It can handle thick cuts of meat, pasta and even bread and puddings with equal ease, and it’s perfect for a hearty stew or that pot of chili on a cold winter afternoon. If you have one of these handy kitchen helpers around, here are a few recipes to put it to good use.

If the winter blues have gotten you feeling run down, lift your spirits with some warm and inviting chicken noodle soup. For a gluten-free variation, swap out the regular noodles with zucchini noodles and you’ll have the best chicken ‘zoodle’ soup on the block.

If you can’t attend Mardi Gras this year, bring the flavor to you with shrimp and crab gumbo.

A Dutch oven can not only make a great soup, it can make a complete meal such as roasted garlic and truffle chicken. It’s like one-stop shopping for dinner!

If you thought Italian cooking just meant spaghetti and lasagna, you thought wrong. This Ancona-style fish stew is as Italian as it gets and surprising light on your waistline.

Remember that great green bean casserole you had at Thanksgiving? Enjoy that taste any time of year with this delicious, and completely vegan, green bean casserole.

If you’re tired of the same bland casseroles from the store try something new— specifically this Chinese-inspired chicken creation. It’s light, packed with flavor and gluten-free to boot.

Thick and heavy enough for the toughest jobs, the Dutch oven is one of the best friends you can have in the kitchen. Steam, broil, bake or braise with it, but don’t let it gather dust!