9 Healthy Dinners to Make in Your Dutch Oven

Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
updated Nov 30, 2023
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

While the Dutch oven is perfect for slow-cooking a pork shoulder or braising short ribs, it’s also amazing at churning out wholesome, vegetable-packed dinners that are both comforting and satisfying. These 9 recipes are full of good-for-you ingredients are also happen to be simple enough to pull off on weeknights. That means everything from a chicken noodle soup to braised lentils can be slotted into your meal plan almost immediately.

Dinners for Dutch Oven

1 / 9
The Best Chicken Zoodle Soup
This one-pot wonder brings chicken soup together with fresh zucchini and carrot noodles for a soothing yet fresh take on the classic.
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2 / 9
Garlic Basil Shrimp Farrotto
An easy recipe for a farro risotto with shrimp, garlic, and fresh basil.
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3 / 9
A Light & Fresh Ginger Broccoli Soup
This 5-ingredient broccoli soup is the polar opposite of broccoli and cheddar soup, but just as crave worthy.
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4 / 9
One-Pot Chicken Teriyaki with Vegetables & Rice
Chicken? Check. Vegetables? Check. All in one pot? Check check. This teriyaki one-pan meal is kid-friendly and easy — what more do you want?
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5 / 9
Braised Chicken, Greens, and Beans

While many braises can take a few hours, this one comes together in under 30 minutes, thanks to canned beans and store-bought chicken broth.

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6 / 9
Mushroom and Barley Soup

This vegetarian soup is pure comfort and warmth. It gets a serious boost of umami flavor, thanks to the dried porcini mushrooms used to enhance the broth.

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7 / 9
Spiced Yellow Dal with Rice (Kitchari)

This comforting vegan dish is full of Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek. The leftovers are excellent as well.

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8 / 9
White Rotisserie Chicken Chili

This bean-filled chili is made quick and easy for a weeknight since it calls for store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken yourself.

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9 / 9
Alice Waters' Chickpea and Broccoli Rabe Soup

This wholesome soup comes together with things you may likely already have in your pantry, like a few cans of chickpeas. Just a bit of pancetta or bacon in the broth adds depth of flavor without making this a meat-centric soup.

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