One of the most useful and versatile cooking tools you can pack for a camping trip is a Dutch oven. You can use it for a range of cooking methods, including baking, braising, searing and frying, meaning you can use this one tool to cook pretty much every meal you’ll eat. From casseroles to soups, meat dishes and cobblers, a Dutch oven is sure to take your camping meals up a notch. Here are 50 Dutch oven recipes you’re going to love!
What is a Dutch Oven?
A Dutch oven is a heavy duty pot with a tight fitting lid designed to trap flavours. It’s typically made with enamelled cast iron, but can also be found in bare cast-iron or ceramic. Dutch ovens are great for braising and are also excellent for making soups and stews. On top of that, you can bake, simmer, boil, sear, sauté and fry with a Dutch oven, making it a truly versatile piece of cookware. Their versatility has made them popular among campers, taking camping meals to the next level. Camping Dutch ovens are made entirely from cast iron, have support legs on the bottom and a flat flanged lid. They’re designed to be used with hot charcoal as well as wood embers from a campfire.
How to Cook With a Dutch Oven
1. Use It Like a Regular Pot
A Dutch oven is essentially a heavy duty pot with a lid, so you can use it to perform any cooking method you would with a typical pot. This includes boiling water for pasta, simmering soups, steaming rice and boiling eggs. Instead of bringing a dutch oven and a regular pot, you can just bring the Dutch oven for all your cooking needs!
2. Braising Meat
While cast iron Dutch ovens take a while to get hot, they retain heat for a long time, making them ideal for braising meat. Once the liquid reaches a gentle simmer, it takes very little energy to maintain that temperature. Having a heavy lid also means you won’t lose liquid to evaporation, creating a low and slow cooking environment and resulting in tender and succulent meat. Just make sure not to open up the lid until it’s fully cooked!
3. Use It to Sear, Pan-Fry and Sauté
You can also use your Dutch oven as a cast iron skillet, to sear, pan-fry and sauté any foods you like. Think: searing salmon, frying dumplings or sautéing vegetables. Anything you can cook in a cast iron skillet can be done in a Dutch oven, and a huge plus is the high sides prevent grease from splattering.
4. Baking
As the name implies, Dutch ovens can be used just like regular ovens. By placing hot coals on the lid and underneath the body, the interior of the Dutch oven is heated equally. This allows you to bake things like cookies, pies, cakes and cobblers.
10 Healthy Dutch Oven Recipes
1. Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew | Fresh Off the Grid
2. Vegetarian Tortilla Soup | A Couple Cooks
3. One Pot Chicken Teriyaki with Vegetables and Rich | The Kitchn
4. Cashew Rice Pilaf | Taste of Home
5. One Pot Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale | Fed and Fit
6. Quick-Braised Chicken, Beans and Greens | The Kitchn
7. Healthy One Pot Chicken Chilli | Chew Out Loud
8. Lentil Soup | Tasty Seasons
9. Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice | The Kitchn
10. Dutch Oven Stuffed Peppers | The Dirty Gourmet
10 Dutch Oven Recipes for Meat Lovers
1. One Pot Ziti with Sausage | Spicy Southern Kitchen
2. Pork Stew with Sweet Potatoes | Our Wabi Sabi Life
3. Dutch Oven Awesome Chilli | Dutch Oven Daddy
4. Dutch Oven Shepherd’s Pie | Urban Bliss Life
5. Korean Fried Chicken Wings | Damn Delicious
6. One Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | The Spicy Apron
7. One Pot Salsa Chicken | Taste of Home
8. Summer Corn Chowder with Bacon | Sugar Spun Run
9. Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches | Martha Stewart
10. Dutch Oven Chicken Marbella | Fresh Off The Grid
10 Vegetarian Dutch Oven Recipes
1. Dutch Oven Veggie Enchiladas | Fresh Off The Grid
2. Greek Style Vegetable Casserole | Bon Appetit
3. Butternut Squash Chipotle Chilli with Avocado | Cookie and Kate
4. Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese | Fresh Off The Grid
5. Campfire Vegetarian Lasagna | Champagne Tastes
6. Greek Style Tomato Braised Beans | The New Baguette
7. Roasted Cauliflower Risotto | A Couple Cooks
8. Italian Orzo Spinach Soup | Gimme Some Oven
9. Easy Campfire Nachos | Fresh Off the Grid
10. Dutch Oven Cheesy Potatoes | Longbourn Farm
10 Vegan Dutch Oven Recipes
1. Butternut Squash Risotto | Healing Tomato
2. Braised Vegetables | A Couple Cooks
3. One Pot Vegan Chilli Mac | Rainbow Plant Life
4. Dutch Oven Vegetable Stew | Fresh Off the Grid
5. Mushroom and Cherry Tomato Pasta | Oven Spot
6. Lime and Mango Peanut Noodle Soup | Plant Based Cooking
7. One Pot Lentil Dahl and Rice | The Wanderlust Kitchen
8. Creamy Vegan One Pot Pasta | The Recipe Well
9. Vegan Stew with Jackfruit Beef | My Pure Plants
10. Protein-Rich Vegan Enchilada Casserole | Detoxinista
10 Dutch Oven Dessert Recipes
1. Dutch Oven Apple Pie | Fresh Off The Grid
2. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Almond Icing | Sunset
3. Dutch Oven Peach Crisp with Almonds | Family Spice
4. Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler | Fresh Off The Grid
5. Dutch Oven S’mores Cake | Polka Dot Chair
6. Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler | Well Plated
7. Chocolate Cherry Lava Cake | Let’s Camp S’more
8. Cinnamon Nut Pull Aparts | Tried and Tasty
9. Dutch Oven 7 Layer Brownies | Pulling Curls
10. Dutch Oven Upside Down Peach Cake | A Bountiful Kitchen
Dutch ovens are an amazing piece of cookware to bring on your camping trips. From breakfast to lunch, dinner and dessert, you can make a range of one pot recipes everyone will love!
