There’s no single piece of cookware on the planet as versatile as the cast iron skillet. We talk all the time about how it’s perfect for searing beef and fish, but there’s a whole lot more to it than just the typical meat and potatoes stuff. You’re at an advantage with cast iron not only because it’s durable, but because it heats evenly, and is naturally non-stick. You’ve heard the usual breakfast hash and garlic rosemary filet recipes, but what about those not-so-common recipes for the chef who thinks a little outside the box?
Here are 7 things you didn’t know you could cook with a cast iron pan:
Pan Pizza
Melty cheese and soft dough might be disastrous in anything outside of a brick oven, but the natural non-stick surface of a cast iron pan is ideal for making the pan pizza of your dreams. This recipe is interesting because it calls for brushing the crust with a mix of honey and chile flakes before coating with marinara and dumping a mess-load of cheese on top. Ugh, our mouths water just writing about it. Recipe
Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie
We’ve seen a few delicious desserts start and end in a cast iron pan, but few tempt our palates like this recipe for a caramel pecan brownie. With any other pan, under any other circumstances, this would be a nightmare—butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder. Cleaning that mess would be horrendous. But the natural non-stick surface of a proper cast-iron skillet makes this a breeze. Oh, and because the cast iron holds in heat, that brownie will still stay warm for second helpings! If there are any, that is. Recipe
20-Minute Skillet Tuscan Tortellini
You don’t normally assign a skillet to do a saucepan’s work, but if done right, there’s no reason why you can’t. This recipe combines green pepper, onion, garlic, Italian sausage, pasta sauce, and a little bit of canned tomatoes and chicken broth to provide enough liquid to simmer and cook the tortellini in, all in one pan. Toss in a little baby spinach and some freshly shaved Parmesan and you have a meal that you’ll find yourself making over and over again. Recipe
Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
This is another one-pan cast iron skillet recipe that couldn’t be done with other cookware. This recipe involves browning some ground beef with some onion soup, garlic, beef broth, veggies and Worcestershire sauce. Then topping it with some cheese and delicious Parmesan mashed potatoes. Then finishing it in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. What you’re left with is one of the best meals you’ll ever have in your entire life. We’ll actually promise it. Recipe
Meatballs in Marinara
Meatballs in marinara is one of our absolute favorite Italian meals, but for the life of us we’d have never imagined trying it in a skillet. The meatballs are the most time consuming part of this recipe, and call for lean ground turkey (or beef), egg, panko, Worcestershire, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. It works best with the turkey because as a naturally leaner meat, you’ll get a lot less fat in the pan to mix with the marinara. If you insist on beef, you may have to drain the pan of a little grease. Either way, this one is simple and makes for a quick and easy boat-load of this Italian classic. Recipe
Warm Skillet Cheesy Bread with Baked Spaghetti
This one is honestly everything we’ve ever wanted from a dish. Crusty gooey cheesy bread, and one of the easiest pasta recipes we’ve ever encountered—garlic, tomato sauce, Parmesan, mozzarella, a little heavy cream to thicken it up, and more garlic, just for good measure. The best part is it’s all cooked together in one pan, and from prep to table will take less than two hours. How’s that for outside the box? Recipe
Chicken Pot Pie
We honestly can’t believe we never thought of pulling this one off until we found it in our research for this. Chicken pot pie is absolutely perfect for the cast iron skillet because it can be worked on the stove and in the oven, and will cook the dough (and all the stuff inside the dough) evenly. There are no crazy surprises in this recipe. You just need onions, carrots, celery, chicken, heavy cream, chicken broth, flour, peas, and all the stuff you’d expect in a chicken pot pie. Not only is it delicious and perfect for cast-iron cooking, it’s also super easy and can be on the table in just over an hour, from start to finish. Recipe
