Easiest-Ever One-Pot Dinners: Dutch Oven Edition

This week, we’re all about meals that require only one item—a skillet, Dutch oven, wok, you name it—and you get to figure out what to do with all that extra time you’ve regained from not having to clean a sink full of dishes.

We can’t mention one-pot dinners without highlighting the versatility of the Dutch oven. These large, deep and heavy lidded pots, which are often made of cast iron and covered with an enamel coating, tend to absorb and distribute heat much more evenly than their thin counterparts. They’re the ultimate tools for braising, and cast iron versions can even withstand extremely high temperatures, which means Dutch ovens made from the material can go straight from the stovetop to the oven or broiler. Below, you’ll find a week’s worth of one-pot recipes to also demonstrate the ease of cooking with a Dutch oven.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili   Chunky sweet potatoes and black beans add heft and weight to this entirely meatless chili.

Italian Shellfish Stew   Shellfish like clams, shrimp and scallops aren’t just quick-cooking—they also rapidly pick up other components added to this dish, such as garlic, red pepper flakes and red wine.

Chicken with Olives and Oranges One of the best qualities of Dutch ovens is how seamlessly they can maneuver from stovetop to oven, which makes them ideal for applications like this chicken with olives and oranges recipe.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew   Think of this humble stew as a distant relative of chili. Rather than being dominated by the flavor of tomatoes, it draws acidity from green tomatillos. Pork loin adds meatiness without much fat.

Braised Monkfish with Bacon and Tomatoes   Because most seafood cooks so quickly, one might not think it lends itself well to slow techniques like braising, but monkfish, a sweet, mild white fish with a very firm, dense texture, stands up nicely to the task.