7 Dutch Oven Recipes Dairy-Free

Curious if a dutch oven is worth the investment? 

Have a dutch oven and not sure to do with it? 

I can help!

Here's my favorite budget-friendly cast iron dutch oven PLUS 7 of our favorite recipes!

Food allergy moms, you deserve this beauty in your life.

We spend too much time in the kitchen to not have heavy duty tools.

And PRETTY kitchen tools don't hurt, either. 

Mama needs extra motivation. 

That's why I have TWO Lodge Dutch Ovens (affiliate).

And I've owned them for ten years and running.

What an awesome shelf life. 

We use them every single day for a variety of recipes. 

I love that they work on both the stove AND in the oven. 

Double duty. 

And they are so pretty,

they look just fine stored on top of my refrigerator when not in use.

There's a variety of shiny colors to choose from!

Years ago, I did a lot of research on safer pots and pans. 

And after throwing out all the metal and Teflon, 

I went to enameled and raw cast iron. 

We absolutely love cooking with these,

and I don't know how I lived without them before.

Based on the French enameled cast iron pot option out there, 

I thought for sure one would cost me and arm and a leg. 

But after doing some diligent research, 

I landed on Lodge cast iron, and couldn't believe the price for the quality.

So many other Dutch oven brands have plastic lid handles that can't take high heat.

But Lodge handles are made of metal and can go in an oven as hot as 500 degrees. 

Perfect for my artisan Dutch oven bread recipe below! (Just 5 ingredients and no-knead)

And I grabbed one on Amazon in beautiful shiny blue for about $60. 

I loved my first 3 quart pot so much, that soon after I ordered up the 6 quart, too. 

In just our family of four, I use at least one a day. 

Now who's ready for my favorite 7 recipes made perfectly in the Dutch oven?!

Let's get to it. 

FAVORITE 7 DUTCH OVEN RECIPES

artisan bread

popcorn

puppy chow

pan smores

chili

dirty rice

roasted chicken

homemade chex mix

Hope you can snag a 3 quart dutch oven or 6 quart dutch oven for yourself (affiliate).

Or be like Jamie and snag both. You won't regret it!

HOW TO WASH ENAMELED CAST IRON

I often get asked if I put my blue enameled cast iron Dutch ovens in the dishwasher. 

And the answer is no. 

Enamelware should be hand-washed to retain the luster and shine. 

So I have gladly washed my pots by hand for a decade. 

The good news is, they are crazy easy to clean. 

I do use dish soap as there's a glaze the soap can't absorb through. 

Enameled cast iron is supposed to be non-stick essentially. 

And for the most part, it is. 

Unless you burn food to the bottom, not that I know from experience. HA!

When that happens, I use my non-scratch scouring cloth from e-cloth (affiliate).

Obviously, as well, these pots get stained over time. Remember, I've had mine 10 years. 

I used to remove the stains with this special cleaning paste. 

The paste even removes scratches from metal utensils...

which shouldn't be used in enameled cast iron, 

but sometimes things happen. Like hubs going crazy with a whisk, ha ha. 

The bad news, I cried when that happened. 

The good news, we realized it was just surface scratch marks...not into the enamel. 

And the paste literally removed them all. I love that stuff. 

Just a bit embarrassing that I cried over enameled cast iron. 

Anymore, I just embrace the worn look as a badge of cooking honor. 

Hope these cleaning tips help you keep your enameled cast iron pots shiny and new for awhile!