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Dutch Oven Hot Dish Recipes

7K views 38 replies 20 participants last post by  Spintowin 
#1 ·
I was having a beer with a friend last night and we landed on the topic of cooking for families. She tells me about this amazing pizza hot dish she makes. (Hot Dish is Minnesotan for "casserole" for those not in the know)
Silly me asks how she does the crust...that wasn't the right question to ask.

"There's no crust. You use 2 bags of egg noodles, a pound of ground beef, a can of cream of mushroom and a can of broccoli cheese soup, a bunch of pepperoni, and a bunch of cheddar cheese then you....."

I asked her if she was messing with me because that sounded disgusting but she assured me its awesome and there are never any leftovers.

A few drinks later we are talking about boating and the light bulb goes off.

Everyone is always trying to impress with the most amazing chocolate lava cake or perfect cinnamon roles but there really isn't a resource for gut filling mid-western Grandma Mary or Aunt Judy recipes meant to feed an army of hungry hockey players in which the ingredients all come out of a bunch of cans and boxes... except for the tater tots. I didn't know you could do so many things with a bag of tater tots.

Those dishes could pretty much all be a river friendly dutch oven recipe with little or no modifications. It could make for a hilarious river recipe book, especially if there are good stories to go with the recipes.

We've got a good contingent of hot dish aficionados locally but I wanted to mine the collective Mountain Buzz brain for ideas as well. If I can come up with enough worthy recipes it will get made into a book but I think it may make for a fun article or blog post anyway.

Everyone will be fully credited unless they want to maintain their anonymity out of shame :grin: It's not easy for everyone to be proud to admit that they absolutely love eating something with THAT ingredient list instead of your free range kale chips and artisanal hormone free kombucha!

Whaddya got Buzzards?
 
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#2 ·
I stole this recipie from Joan Sundeen, a guide up in Idaho, always a pleaser and easy to make beforehand, freeze IN the DO and serve at camp, just takes a little longer to cook depending on it's frozen state at the time.


Ingredients (makes one Dutch Oven Lasagna):
1 Jar Pasta Sauce
1-2 boxes Lasagna Noodles (no boil noodles are easy for camping!)
Mozzarella Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
2 Peppers
1 Onion
1 Zucchini
1 Package Ground Beef
* Feel free to add anything you think would be delicious in your lasagna!
Preparation:
1. Light coals (you’ll want 2 times as many coals as the diameter of your Dutch Oven. i.e. if you have a Dutch Oven that has a diameter of 12 inches light 24 coals.)
2. Prepare vegetables in bite-sized pieces
3. Cook veggies and meat until meat is no longer raw and veggies are slightly browned
4. Layer your lasagna starting with sauce at the bottom and ending with sauce and cheese at the top
5. By now your coals should be ready (they should look grey and no longer very black)
6. Evenly space 1/3 of the coals on a fire pan and put Dutch oven on it. Then, place the other 2/3 of the coals on top of the Dutch Oven.
7. Let lasagna cook until you can smell it coming from the Dutch Oven (that’s how you’ll know its done!)
8. Serve and enjoy! (Be careful because the Dutch Oven and lasagna will be very hot!)



Sorry, there's no free range kale chips and artisanal hormone free kombucha!
 
#3 ·
And Dutch Oven Jambalaya



Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
  • ½ large onion, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
  • ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the sausage, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery; season with salt and Cajun seasoning. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
  2. Stir in the rice until evenly coated in the vegetable mixture, then pour in the tomatoes with juice, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme leaves. Bring to a simmer and simmer 20 minutes.
  3. After 20 minutes, stir in the shrimp, and cook 10 minutes uncovered until the shrimp turn pink and are no longer translucent in the center.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
 
#4 ·
And lastly, Chicken Pasta with Herbs


Ingredients

  • 1-2 tsp. salt free seasoning blend
  • 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 4 Tbs. butter, divided
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 2 Tbs. teriyaki sauce
  • 2 Tbs. onion soup mix
  • 1 envelope savory herb and garlic soup mix, divided
  • 8 ounces of your favorite pasta
  • 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, fresh
  • 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Use a non-stick cooking spray to coat the Dutch Oven. You can also line with tin foil and spray. Combine the seasoning blend and poultry seasoning, sprinkle over the chicken.
  2. Saute the chicken in oil and 2 Tbs. butter over a full spread of coals until juices run clear. Add the water, teriyaki sauce, onion soup mix and 2 Tbs. herb and garlic soup mix. Bring to a boil.
  3. Cover and move about ¼ of the coals from the bottom of the dutch oven to the top, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. In a separate pot, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the chicken mixture.
  5. Add the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, remaining butter, and remaining herb and garlic soup mix. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
 
#5 ·
MNichols said:
I stole this recipie from Joan Sundeen, a guide up in Idaho, always a pleaser and easy to make beforehand, freeze IN the DO and serve at camp, just takes a little longer to cook depending on it's frozen state at the time.

I have a plastic container the same diameter as my DO. Pretty simple to freeze a dish in it, keep frozen, and then pop it into the DO. I make lasagna or eggplant parmesan and freeze to cook later.

I freakin' love me some Jambalaya, and it's one of the ultimate one-pot meals....but I've never done it camping. Thanks for the great suggestion Marshall! You can do it either over coals or on propane, too.



Enchiladas are another good DO recipe.
 
#7 ·
DO oven ribs
Ingredients
⦁ 4 lbs baby back pork ribs or beef ribs or however much will fit in your DO
⦁ 3⁄4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
⦁ 1 teaspoon smoked salt
⦁ 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
⦁ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
⦁ 1⁄4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
⦁ 2 cups of your favorite Barbecue sauce (Bulls Eye Original is mine)
Directions
1. Preheat DO to 300 degrees f.
2. Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs.
3. Mix together well the sugar and spices to make the rub (at home).
4. Apply rub to ribs on all sides just before cooking.
5. Lay two layers of ribs on two layers of non-stick foil, shiny side out and meaty side down.
6. Lay one layer of foil on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges tightly, edges facing up to seal.
7. Place in DO and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Do not add any more charcoal after 1 1/2 hours and let stand for 45 minutes in DO.
8. Remove from foil and save foil for later.
9. Cut ribs into serving sized portions of 2 or 3 ribs.
10. Arrange bony side up.
11. Brush on sauce .
12. Repeat on other side.
13. Grill the ribs on your fire pan bony side down, cover with foil loosely to cook on the sauce until it bubbles and sticks on ribs.
14. Serve with extra BBQ sauce, coleslaw and baked beans.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for posting some great recipes!!

A bit of a hijack, but this is a trick to help you make great cakes in a dutch oven to go with your delicious meals your posting.:cool:

I found that the 10" hard anodized ovens are the perfect size for a box cake. When you are mixing the ingredients substitute the liquid it calls for with sour cream. Most cakes call for either oil or water. That is where you add the sour cream instead. ;)

I usually add in a can of some kind of pie filling right into the mix, cover and cook. You can stir it in or plop it in the middle of the cake.

Good combo's I've tried are chocolate cake with strawberry or cherry filling. Spice cake with apple filling. Lemon cake with raspberry filling. White cake with whatever kind you like filling.

When you start to smell it....get out the tooth pick and test it for doneness. 1/2 hour in a 350 degree oven usually does the job.
 
#10 ·
MNichols, MT4Runner, Bighorn, and Caverdan:
Thanks for the great DO recipes. Hot Dish is a thing in and of itself and has a specific definition for those in the frozen north. I'm fishing for these traditional meals that can be or have been optimized for DO river cooking. It may just be that we don't have many Dakotans or Minnesotans here on the buzz :)

From Wikipedia:
The history of the hotdish goes back to when "budget-minded farm wives needed to feed their own families, as well as congregations in the basements of the first Minnesota churches." According to Howard Mohr, author of How to Talk Minnesotan, "A traditional main course, hotdish is cooked and served hot in a single baking dish and commonly appears at family reunions and church suppers." The most typical meat for many years has been ground beef, and cream of mushroom remains the favorite canned soup. In years past, a pasta was the most frequently used starch, but tater tots and local wild rice have become very popular as well.

Hotdishes are filling, convenient, and easy to make. They are well-suited for family reunions, funerals, church suppers, and covered dish dinners or potlucks where they may be paired with potato salad, coleslaw, Jello salads, Snickers salad, and pan-baked desserts known as bars.

Typical ingredients in hotdish are potatoes or pasta, ground beef, green beans, and corn, with canned soup added as a binder, flavoring and sauce. Potatoes may be in the form of tater tots, hash browns, potato chips, or shoe string potatoes. The dish is usually seasoned lightly with salt and pepper, and it may be eaten with ketchup as a condiment. Another popular hotdish is the tuna hotdish, made with macaroni or egg noodles, canned tuna, peas, and mushroom soup. Also common is a dish known as goulash, though it bears no resemblance to the familiar Hungarian goulash. Minnesota goulash is usually made with ground beef, macaroni, canned tomatoes, and perhaps a can of creamed corn.

Cream of mushroom soup is so ubiquitous in hotdish that it is often referred to in such recipes as “Lutheran Binder,” referring to hotdish's position as a staple of Lutheran church cookbooks. The soup is considered a defining ingredient by some commentators.

Here's a recipe for Crescent Roll Topped Hot Dish
Ingredients:

2 pounds hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 small can mushrooms
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz. tube crescent rolls
Oregano & Basil to taste
Directions:

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain. Mix with tomato sauce and mushrooms. Spread in 9 x 13 pan or casserole dish. Spread cheeses over meat mix.
Lay out crescent rolls and spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with Oregano and Basil. Roll and place on top of cheese.
Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until crescent rolls are brown and done. Serves 8

Chicken and Potato Casserole
Here is a Minnesota Hot Dish recipe that seems to have it all: dried potatoes, chicken, cream of mushroom soup and peas! If you want to be daring, add the pimento. What could be more Minnesotan?

Ingredients:
1 package Dehydrated Scalloped Idaho Potatoes
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 cup cooked peas
1/4 cup chopped pimento (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F
2.Prepare potatoes according to package directions.
Stir in soup.
Gently mix in chicken, peas and pimentos. Bake in 2-quart casserole uncovered for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
 
#11 ·
MNichols, MT4Runner, Bighorn, and Caverdan:
Thanks for the great DO recipes. Hot Dish is a thing in and of itself and has a specific definition for those in the frozen north. I'm fishing for these traditional meals that can be or have been optimized for DO river cooking. It may just be that we don't have many Dakotans or Minnesotans here on the buzz :)
Half my family is Lutheran, the other half Methodist. I was trying so very hard to suppress those painful childhood memories of church and large family potlucks (especially funerals, weddings, and baptisms...in Church basements). All those hot dishes making the Jell-O binder in the orange Jell-o/carrot/walnut/cottage cheese "salad" run out and into my mashed taters. Ugh.

I have friends of Hispanic and Italian descent who tell wonderful stories of their grandmothers' cooking and I got hot dish. Sorry Nanny! At least your Danishes and Norwegian Christmas baking was awesome.

I'm gonna have to bow out and unsubscribe this thread to focus my attention on the prime rib/DO/sous vide/food science/engineer thread.
 
#17 ·
Ham and Scalloped Potato Casserole

Ingredients

⦁ 8 large red potatoes, sliced
⦁ 2-3 pounds canned ham, diced
⦁ 3 tablespoons butter
⦁ 1 onion, chopped
⦁ 2 cloves garlic, minced
⦁ 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of broccoli soup
⦁ 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
⦁ 8-12oz milk (canned or powdered)
⦁ 1 teaspoon salt and one of pepper
⦁ 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat DO 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) after lining with aluminum foil.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes so that only some of the peel remains on the potatoes; cut into 1/8 inch slices. Put 1/2 the potatoes in the DO, add the ham than rest of potatoes.
3. Melt the butter in pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the melted butter until soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes; stir in the broccoli soup, celery soup, milk, salt, pepper, and about half of the Cheddar cheese; heat, stirring often until the cheese has melted. Pour the mixture over the potatoes; top with the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with lid.
4. Bake in the preheated DO for 45 minutes. Check, if cheese not beginning to brown, add more hot charcoal to lid the cover and cook until the cheese begins to brown.

Footnote

⦁ Easy Cleanup if you use foil to line the DO.
⦁ Feeds about 8, makes a great "later" in trip meal, cooler space needed for butter and cheese only
 
#18 ·
Ingredients

⦁ 8 large red potatoes, sliced
⦁ 2-3 pounds canned ham, diced
⦁ 3 tablespoons butter
⦁ 1 onion, chopped
⦁ 2 cloves garlic, minced
⦁ 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of broccoli soup
⦁ 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
⦁ 8-12oz milk (canned or powdered)
⦁ 1 teaspoon salt and one of pepper
⦁ 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat DO 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) after lining with aluminum foil.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes so that only some of the peel remains on the potatoes; cut into 1/8 inch slices. Put 1/2 the potatoes in the DO, add the ham than rest of potatoes.
3. Melt the butter in pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the melted butter until soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes; stir in the broccoli soup, celery soup, milk, salt, pepper, and about half of the Cheddar cheese; heat, stirring often until the cheese has melted. Pour the mixture over the potatoes; top with the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with lid.
4. Bake in the preheated DO for 45 minutes. Check, if cheese not beginning to brown, add more hot charcoal to lid the cover and cook until the cheese begins to brown.

Footnote

⦁ Easy Cleanup if you use foil to line the DO.
⦁ Feeds about 8, makes a great "later" in trip meal, cooler space needed for butter and cheese only

Next day, ham and potato pancakes for breakfast, YUMMMM
 
#28 ·
Paper towels and toilet paper.


I could not run a river trip without a good supply of paper towels and toilet paper. Tupperware or coffee cans to collect Dutch Oven drippings and chunks, than wipe with paper towels, than I burn or throw away the paper towels. Some rafter's use DO liner's, aluminum or paper liner's to preserve the coating of their DO's and keep flavors from transitioning from one cooking creation to another, but the big chunks and drippings still go into a container. You could just serve them out to people with each portion or make hobo gravy too. Bon Appetit...
 
#31 ·
my go to river dinner used to be jambalaya. Then i got my brother in law into rafting and he has a shrimp allergy. i suppose i could have him dish up right before i add the shrimp.

I also do lasagna but I do a cream cheese lasagna.
12 inch dutch
1.5lbs of burger
1.5 lbs hot Italian sausage
1 box of oven ready lasagna noodles
2 to 3 boxes of cream cheese
1lb mozzarella
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
8oz sharp cheddar.
2 jars red sauce

brown burger and sausage, and throw in diced peppers and simmer for a bit and drain liquid. add sauce. start with base layer of meat mix, add layer of noodles, then cream cheese. "heat cream cheese in sun to make workable", add mozzarella layer. then repeat. on top layer add sharp cheddar. 375 for 45 min to an hour. add extra coals on top towards the end to get a bit of a crust.

Tatter tot casserole,
best earlier in the trip as tater tots can get mushy and soggy.

brown burger, add cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and green beans. top with tater tots and bake. add cheddar cheese last 10 minutes or so.

chicken pot pie.

dice and cook chicken. add mostly cooked egg noodles, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom soup, a bag of frozen mixed veggies. top with either Pillsbury crescent rolls or biscuits. I prefer the crescent rolls as its easier, sometimes the biscuits will be a bit doughy, a little extra heat on top can fix this.

I made lasagna this weekend again per the wife's request. When it's 16 degrees outside you need a lot more coals lol.

When i do lasagna i pair it with beer bred in a 10" dutch,

This is really simple as long as you have seen it once. you need 2 to 3 warm beers. mix with self rising flour until you get the right consistency "thicker than pancake batter but not bread dough". put the top on it and let it rise in the sun for 30 minutes. then bake 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. I start this well before my lasagna because you want it to cool before you cut it do it does not crumble.
 
#34 ·
Dutch Oven Recipes! What a category! Where to begin? I am a hunter, angler, and cook as many of you are. I'm also a huge fan of chef Hank Shaw and his blog, Hunter
Angler Gardener Cook. Something that Hank covers a lot in his blog is, "loving the unloved". So many foods, (especially when it comes to wild game), get overlooked or even scoffed at. In my opinion, this happens because of negative food experiences with those items. It doesn't have to be though. That being said, here's an easy solution for what to do with that goose that's growing frost in the freezer!


Goose Yankee Pot Roast



Ingredients:


2 boneless/ skinless Canada, (or other specie), Goose breasts
2 cups carrots peeled and chopped

2 medium onions quartered
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
6-8 small russet potatoes washed and quartered, (peeled is optional)
4-6 cups stock, (may use chicken, beef, pork, but goose stock is ideal)
3-4 bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste




Directions: The key to making this dish special is to cut your goose breasts into roughly 1.5" - 2" squares. Skewer the meat, season with salt and pepper and grill over coals until charred on all sides. This step is optional but it really makes the dish and will lend a smokey flavor to everything. Put all the ingredients except for the potatoes in the dutch oven. Simmer on low heat for 3+ hours, (I've gone as long as 24, you may need to add stock or water if opting for the latter). Put the potatoes in only for the last hour or so of cooking so they don't break down too much. You may inform your diners that the meat is goose, or leave them to assume that it's beef if you like, (they probably won't notice the difference if you don't tell them). Serve with crusty bread for sopping. This goes well with either cold beer or red wine!


Note: Just like many others this dish can be made in advance and frozen and reheated at a later date, even over a camp fire!
 
#35 ·
Beef Stew on the river

Ingredients:

⦁ 2 1/2 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 1/2” cubes
⦁ 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
⦁ 6-9 small red potatoes (cut into 1/2” cubes leaving the skin on)
⦁ 3-4 carrots cut into 1/4” slices
⦁ 1 large yellow onion, diced
⦁ 2 garlic cloves minced
⦁ 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced into 1/4” slices
⦁ 2 cups peas (frozen/thawed or canned/drained)
⦁ 60oz. beef stock (low or no sodium if using canned)
⦁ 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. better than bullion roasted beef base.
⦁ 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 bay leaves, 2 springs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

Instructions:
1. Flour and brown beef in 2 Tbsp of oil in pan. Put in large pot.
2. Add oil (~2 tsp) to same a pan, add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes on med or until the onions are softened and lightly browned edges stirring a couple of times, add garlic for one minute more.
3. Add 30oz. beef stock, thyme, bay leaves to the pan, simmer 5 minutes and scrape pan. Pour this all over top the meat in the pot, add mushrooms and simmer for 2 hours.
4. Remove bay leaves, add in the potatoes, carrots.
5. In a separate pot whisk together the 1/2 cup flour and 30oz beef broth and cook till thickened. Add to crock pot and simmer for 15 minutes, add peas and pack away.
6. Place in a fitted Dutch oven aluminum liner, bag it and freeze.
It will take several hours to partially thaw, plan accordingly. It will reheat faster and more evenly if done in a DO with enough charcoal for 350 degrees F. The potatoes and carrots will finish cooking while you reheat. If you want to be really lazy freeze in boiling bags and reheat that way
 
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