It’s almost back-to-school time and parents are quickly looking for healthy recipes to feed the whole family. Weeknight cooking should be quick, easy, and offer your kids hearty meals to tackle the full school day and make for great school lunch leftovers.
Dutch or French Oven recipes are great one-pot dishes that can be made with the minimum of fuss, all-while leaving significant left-overs for the next day. From fruit and pistachio oatmeal for breakfast to a pot-roast chicken for dinner, these recipes are easy to prepare and will have your kids asking for seconds.
Dutch Ovens offer parents the ability to introduce their children to some of their favourite recipes, all-while spending quality time with them as they simmer slowly to perfection. Dinner can even be served directly from this iconic piece of cookware, making cleanup a breeze on those busier nights. The French Oven is also dishwasher safe for those days where handwashing is just not on the table.
Here are nine of our favourite, healthy Dutch Oven back-to-school recipes.
Dutch Oven vs. French Oven
Dutch and French Oven are often used interchangeably due to their many similarities, however, they have one key difference. In fact, the French Oven revolutionized the original Dutch Oven design from the 18th century, featuring enamelled cast iron rather than pure cast iron. These multi-cooker pots are also commonly referred to as cocottes.
Fruit and Pistachio Oatmeal
This delicious Fruit and Pistachio Oatmeal is a great way for your children to kick off their first day of school with a healthy and nutritious meal. This dish is ideal for parents looking to get a jump on breakfast and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Our fruit and pistachio oatmeal recipe is ideal for both smaller and larger families, serving up to eight people at a time.
While it is typically prepared in a medium saucepan, a Dutch or French Oven can easily be used, ensuring all the ingredients mingle to perfection. Simply stir the raisins and oats on low heat for approximately five to eight minutes, before introducing the vanilla and nutmeg for added flavour. Top it off with nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon and breakfast is served in style.
Everything Bagels
Our Everything Bagels recipe makes for a great breakfast treat as well as a hearty snack to pack in your children’s lunches. The first step to preparing these bagels is to ensure you get the dough just right. Once it is ready, add eggs, honey, maple syrup, and salt and mix it well. The Dutch or French Oven is perfect for this recipe due to its large surface area, allowing you to combine ingredients with ease.
The Dutch Oven also offers the dough the perfect environment to rise, locking in heat and moisture. This recipe takes just over two hours to prepare, but is worth the time and effort as it makes up to 14 bagels. Finish by brushing the bagels with the toppings, including poppy and sesame seeds, dried onion and garlic, as well as dried rosemary.
No-Knead French Oven Bread
Sticking with the theme of baking, why not prepare your children a fresh, homemade loaf of No-Knead French Oven Bread? This recipe is extremely easy to make and is equally suitable for beginner and seasoned bakers alike. Featuring four simple ingredients, No-Knead French Oven Bread is sure to become a favourite in any household thanks to its simplicity.
First, combine salt, yeast, and flour in a large mixing bowl and stir with water until it is completely blended. The dough will eventually achieve a shaggy and sticky texture before being covered with a plastic wrap. The trick with this recipe is letting the dough cool overnight until it is ready to be cooked in the Dutch or French Oven. Typically, this should take approximately one hour until the loaf is beautifully browned.
Creamy Chicken Soup
In many cases, back-to-school often coincides with flu season. This Creamy Chicken Soup recipe is a surefire way to boost your children’s immune systems with a hearty meal as they gear up for the school year. All you need is a Round French Oven and a few classic ingredients, including chicken, green chilli, green garlic, and fresh cream. Start by cutting the chicken into small cubes and mixing them well with butter, before introducing the vegetables and seasoning.
The Dutch or French Oven offers chefs superior heat retention, ensuring this recipe can simmer to perfection on low heat. This creamy chicken soup recipe is just perfect as temperatures begin to drop, feeding between four and six people in less than an hour. Feeding the entire family has never been easier thanks to the Dutch Oven.
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Pot Roast Chicken
This Pot-Roast Chicken recipe is a perfect dish to feed the whole family and epitomizes the set-it-and-forget-it nature of preparing meals with the Dutch or French Oven. This dish is a classic for a reason, with the chicken cooking over a delicious bed of vegetables, including pearled onions, thyme, bay leaves, celery, and carrots. This hearty recipe serves up to six people at a time and takes less than two hours to prepare from start to finish.
The French or Dutch Oven’s thick walls and tight-fitting lid create a self-basting cycle to tenderize the chicken and ensure it remains hot well after it is served. Chop any leftovers into thin pieces along with celery and carrots and pack fresh chicken sandwiches for your children’s lunches the following day.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Elevate the classic lunchtime sandwich snack with Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Begin by mixing the barbecue sauce with chicken stock, brown sugar, and vinegar in a medium sized bowl. This will ensure your sandwiches are not lacking in taste! The key to this recipe is to sear the pulled pork on medium heat in the Dutch or French Oven to drain away all the excess fat.
Once the pork is adequately seared, bring the Dutch or French Oven down to a simmer before introducing the barbeque sauce. Lock in all the rich flavours with the pot’s tight-fitting lid and cook for three hours, turning the pork occasionally until it is fall-of-the-bone tender. When completed, simply serve the pork on warmed buns with coleslaw and pickles, guaranteeing your child has the tastiest sandwich at lunchtime.
Linguine with Purple Sprouting Broccoli
This Linguine with Purple Sprouting Broccoli dish will quickly become a weeknight staple in your kitchen, offering your family a complete and delicious meal. The gorgonzola and lightly toasted walnuts give the dish a much-needed kick, pairing exceptionally well with the al dente linguine. The Dutch or French Oven is perfect for this pasta dish, exposing ingredients to a consistent heat source and allowing all the flavours to combine to perfection.
The sprouting broccoli ensures this recipe is not lacking in nutritional value, adding a green component to the final dish. This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and serves a family of four with ease. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts and parmesan cheese atop the pasta before serving for a thoughtful finishing touch.
Beef Stew with Gremolata
This Beef Stew with Gremolata recipe is a delicious one-pot hearty meal, featuring carrots, celery sticks, and onions. Start by browning the beef and vegetables in the French or Dutch Oven until it achieves a crispy, golden brown colour. Once this is done, add all the ingredients in the pot and slow cook the stew between two and three hours.
The Dutch or French Oven is perfect for preparing stews, doing much of the cooking for you as you sit back and relax. This iconic piece of cookware will ensure heat is evenly distributed throughout the dish, delivering a perfectly tender and moist final dish. The homemade gremolata is a great way to inject flavour on this classic dish.
White Bean and Kale Stew
This White Bean and Kale Stew is yet another healthy meal that can be prepared in your Dutch or French Oven. While this iconic pot can be used for many cooking techniques, ranging from braising to searing and sautéing, the Dutch or French Oven is just perfect for preparing stews.
This recipe is a great way to introduce your children to healthy ingredients they may not have already tried, such as kale. Featuring a self-basting cycle, the Dutch or French Oven ensures your stew will be completely tender without compromising its nutritional components. This white bean and kale stew can be prepared in under an hour, feeding up to six people with the minimum of fuss.
Get cooking!
Whether you are looking to prepare a meal to kickstart the morning, or feed your children after a long day at school, these recipes have you covered. From hearty stews to delicious homemade bagels, these Dutch Oven classics are easy-to-make healthy meals for the whole family.
The Dutch or French Oven simplifies cooking for working parents, ensuring complete meals can be prepared in no time. This piece of cookware is extremely versatile and can be used for a number of different cooking techniques and classic recipes.
These were just nine of our favourite, healthy Dutch Oven back-to-school recipes that your children are sure to enjoy. For more inspiration, visit our featured recipes and step up your cooking game with some of our favourite meals.