18 Cozy, High-Protein Dinners You Can Make in a Dutch Oven

Braised Brisket with Tomatoes & Onions
Photo: Eric Wolfinger

It's easy to warm up with these dinner recipes you can make in a Dutch oven. Featuring seafood, legumes, meat and poultry as their star ingredients, these meals provide at least 15 grams of protein per serving. This means these dishes can help you reap the benefits of the trending macronutrient like improving muscle growth and repair, supporting healthy digestion and aiding healthy immune function. Recipes like our Braised Brisket with Tomatoes & Onions and Hearty Minestrone are cozy and tasty choices for a filling dinner tonight.

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Braised Brisket with Tomatoes & Onions

Braised Brisket with Tomatoes & Onions
Eric Wolfinger

Tamari, sherry, dried mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce add intense umami flavor to this saucy brisket. Read more about this recipe.

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Bacalao Guisado (Puerto Rican Fish Stew)

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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Chicken Fesenjan

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Laced with tangy-sweet pomegranate molasses and fragrant spices, this healthy and delicious Persian stew is traditionally prepared for festive occasions. Here we make it with chicken for a quick and easy dinner but it can also be made with lamb stew meat for special occasions. Serve with brown rice to sop up any extra sauce.

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Hearty Minestrone

Hearty Minestrone soup

This version of the Italian classic soup Minestrone is packed with leeks, potatoes, beans, zucchini, spinach and orzo, making it perfect for a hearty lunch or supper on a cold winter's night. To make a vegetarian version use vegetable rather than chicken broth. Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for a zesty burst of flavor.

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Chicken & White Bean Soup

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Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

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Linguine alle Vongole

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Italian for "linguine with clams," this seafood pasta dish includes tomatoes for a mashup between red and white clam sauces.

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Chicken Vegetable Soup

Chicken Vegetable Soup
Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

Barley adds texture, flavor and a healthy dose of fiber to this chicken vegetable soup recipe.

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Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)

Bowl of Easy Italian Wedding Soup on a gray cloth background

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

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Veal, Beef & Pork Sugo

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This Italian tomato sauce recipe simmers for a long time, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate, concentrating the flavor. This easy recipe is perfect for meal prep--it makes a large batch, so serve some over pasta for dinner and freeze the rest for a quick meal in the future.

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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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Three-Pepper Beef Stew

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Cayenne pepper sauce, crushed red pepper and red sweet peppers add a spicy twist to this classic beef and potato stew.

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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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Braised Brisket & Roots

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This braised brisket gets a decidedly wintery feel from the earthy-sweet flavors of carrots, parsnips and rutabaga.

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Mushroom-Beef Noodle Soup

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You don't need much beef in this homey mushroom-beef noodle soup recipe, since mushrooms and a little Worcestershire sauce give it plenty of savory flavor.

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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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Brunswick Stew

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This classic Southern stew has as many variations as people making it, but historically it features fresh game and smoked meat along with some vegetables. This veggie-loaded version gets great smoky flavor from a smoked turkey drumstick.

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Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

creamy white chili in a bowl

This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don't have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.

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Brodetto di Pesce (Adriatic-Style Seafood Stew)

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You will find versions of this hearty fish stew all along Italy's Adriatic coast. In Abruzzo, the stew is spiked with hot pepper and served with grilled or toasted bread to sop up the sauce. Be sure to find the freshest fish possible and serve with your favorite Italian wine.

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