18 Dinners That Can Be Made in a Dutch Oven

Beef and Potato Stew
Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin

Grab your Dutch oven and make one of these healthy Dutch oven dinner recipes. Whether you're simmering a soup or roasting a chicken, a Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for cooking. Recipes like Beef & Potato Stew and Chicken & Dumplings Soup are filling and flavorful.

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White Turkey Chili

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This healthy white turkey chili recipe is gorgeous, with flecks of green from zucchini, oregano and green chiles. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground turkey and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you're in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

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Basic Whole Roast Chicken

Basic Whole Roast Chicken

This roasted chicken recipe may be the most useful recipe you'll ever find. It's a meal on its own or the start of any recipe that calls for cooked chicken—perfect for meal-prepping lunches or dinners to have throughout the week.

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Springtime Cacio e Pepe

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"Cacio e pepe" means "cheese and pepper" in Italian. This spaghetti dish, with fresh asparagus and baby arugula, is flavored with "cacio e pepe" and a little lemon zest. It's simple to prepare and on the table in just 25 minutes.

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Spicy Tofu Hotpot

Spicy Tofu Hotpot

Warm up a chilly evening with this light but satisfying one-pot meal. The tofu absorbs the flavors of this fragrant, spicy broth, making it anything but bland. Look for fresh Chinese-style noodles in the refrigerated case of your supermarket alongside wonton wrappers.

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Chicken Chili Verde

Chicken Chili Verde

Prepared salsa verde adds tang to this fast weeknight chili recipe and pairs beautifully with the rich caramelized chicken and creamy beans. Don't shy away from the poblano peppers. They offer a mild heat but deliver a depth of flavor you can't find in regular green bell peppers.

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Chicken Tagine

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This quick version of a traditional recipe can be made in about 30 minutes using a beloved kitchen hack: shredded rotisserie chicken! The shredded meat simmers briefly in a flavor-packed base that is rich with garlic and spices, sweetened with dates, and tangy from olives and preserved lemons. The addition of lentils and garbanzo beans makes this a hearty one-pot supper, though you can serve it with rice, couscous or pita bread.

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One-Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta with Zucchini

One-Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta with Zucchini
Diana Chistruga

This one-pot creamy chicken with zucchini is comfort food at its best. Here, we take advantage of fresh summer zucchini, which lightens up the dish. This easy dinner is made all in one pot on the stovetop, so you can give your oven a rest on a warm day and enjoy an easy cleanup.

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Red Wine-Braised Pork

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This basic braised pork shoulder recipe is a great foundation for all sorts of meals. Try it in creamy pasta, stuffed into a sandwich with provolone and peppers or on top of a pizza.

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One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta

One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta
Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

For a fast weeknight pasta dinner, why not cook your sauce and pasta all at once? By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta—no colanders here—the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Coq au Vin

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This flavorful French chicken stew is all about the wine, so use a bottle that's so good you can enjoy a glass while you cook.

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Sausage, Brussels Sprout & Potato Soup

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Bake up some Manchego cheese toasts and uncork a bottle of Ribera del Duero to enjoy alongside this healthy pot of soup. Both sweet and hot Italian sausage work well.

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Beef & Potato Stew

Beef and Potato Stew
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin

This beef and potato stew is slow-cooked to perfection, with a richly flavored sauce and tender bites of beef and vegetables. You can make this comforting stew ahead of time to serve to guests or to have on hand to reheat as an easy weeknight dinner.

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Italian Mussels & Pasta

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This combination of mussels with plenty of garlic, parsley, saffron and white wine was inspired by the Venetian soup zuppa de peoci, which is usually ladled over sliced crusty bread. Here we serve it over pasta. For a more elegant presentation you can remove the mussels from their shells before serving…but then again, who wants to be elegant? Enjoy!

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Leek, Potato & Spinach Stew

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For this light, brothy stew, use the vegetables of late spring and early summer from your CSA share: leeks, potatoes, garlic and spinach. Vary what's in the stew according to the weekly bounty. Serve with: Crusty whole-wheat baguette spread with goat cheese.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without adding too much sodium in this healthy recipe for weight loss.

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Chicken & Dumplings Soup

a recipe photo of Chicken & Dumplings Soup in a bowl
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

This hearty and warming chicken-and-dumplings soup features whole-wheat biscuits that offer a boost of fiber while maintaining a light texture. Thyme and parsley add freshness to the traditional flavors of this crowd-pleasing soup.

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Puerto Rican Fish Stew (Bacalao)

Puerto Rican Fish Stew Bacalao
Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser

Bacalao, salted dried codfish, is the defining ingredient in traditional Puerto Rican fish stew, but salt cod requires overnight soaking and several rinses in cool water before it can be used, so we opt for fresh fish in this quick version. Serve with crusty rolls to soak up the juices.

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One-Pot Arroz con Pollo

One-Pot Arroz con Pollo
Ali Redmond

Juicy cuts of chicken get cooked alongside rice, onion, tomatoes and broth in this irresistible one-pot dish that pulls inspiration from the Puerto Rican arroz con pollo. For added fiber, brown rice stands in for the white rice typically used.

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