30 Cast-Iron Cooking Recipes

A cast-iron skillet half-filled with tomato and goat cheese cobbler and a spoon resting in the skillet.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Cobbler1/30

Oh, my, my, my, my. That's what we think of this lovely late-summer cobbler in a skillet.

Potatoes with Mexican chorizo stuffed into pitas with a glass of beer in the background.

Potatoes with Mexican Chorizo2/30

Easy, authentic, and awesome any time of day, whether accompanied by steaming hot coffee or cold cerveza.

A cast iron skillet filled with baked macaroni and cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese3/30

This easy, toss-it-together-and-shove-it-in-the-oven casserole is exactly what macaroni and cheese ought to be—cheesy, crumb-topped, and ridiculously indulgent.

A cast iron skillet filled with cooked sweet potato cornbread topped with two pats of butter, resting on a old blue wooden chair with a dish of butter beside it.

We could blather on and on and on about this surprising and stunning (and stealthy healthy) riff on a Southern classic that everyone is swearing is the best cornbread they've ever had. But you best experience it for yourself.

A skillet filled with Ina Garten's caramelized shallots, sprinkled with parsley.

Ina Garten’s Caramelized Shallots5/30

Shallots take on a dulcet, docile personality when slowly coaxed to a caramelized brown. Easy to make. And easygoing by way of going well with just about anything.

A cast-iron skillet willed with pan-roasted mushrooms and a knob of butter melting in the center.

Pan-Roasted Mushrooms6/30

Mushrooms and butter and garlic. Think you've been there, done that? Trust us, you haven't. Not like this.

Cast-iron skillet with a Dutch baby--a popover pancake--topped with powder sugar on a set breakfast table

Dutch Baby7/30

Everyone who's made this little lovely is lauding it as the airiest, most perfect puffed pancake they've met.

A thin circle of stretched pizza dough being tossed in the air.

Jim Lahey’s Pizza Dough8/30

We know you've always wanted to fling pizza dough like a boss. This recipe from Jim Lahey helps you do just that.

A cast-iron pot of chicken and sausage jambalaya with a wooden spoon resting inside.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya9/30

Jambalaya just doesn't get any more authentic than this deeply flavored, deeply revered rendition from Cajun country.

Cast iron skillet with a pan boxty(Irish potato pancake) in it, on a wooden cutting board

Pan Boxty | Irish Potato Pancake10/30

An Irish classic for a darn good reason. Actually, three reasons—it's shamelessly simple, flagrantly frugal, and undeniably delicious. Lovers of colcannon, rösti, latkes, and hash browns will find comfort here.

A giant skillet cinnamon roll in a black cast iron pan half cover with cream cheese icing

Skillet Cinnamon Rolls11/30

Cinnamon rolls just got even better thanks to crisp, golden edges that come from being baked in a classic cast iron skillet. Make a single ginormous roll or more modest individual rolls.

A cake pan of golden brown cornbread with a slice removed

Cornbread12/30

An easy, foolproof, ever so slightly sweet corn bread that comes together as quickly as it disappears. Just watch it.

A man holding tongs in front of a skillet making southern pan-fried chicken, which is bubbling in the pan

Southern Pan-Fried Chicken13/30

This recipe from the late, great Edna Lewis turns out skillet-fried chicken that's perfectly seasoned, extra-crisp, and gosh darn beautiful in every way.

A cast-iron skilled filled with choriqueso, a cheese dip topped with queso

Choriqueso14/30

Choriqueso = chorizo (spicy Mexican sausage) + queso (Spanish for cheese) melted into a puddle in a skillet. Perfect for dipping.

A cast-iron skillet filled with chocolate brownie

Skillet Brownies15/30

Intensely gooey, fudgy, crunchy-edged, gluten-free brownie loveliness that are easy to make and even easier to make disappear.

A skillet of eggs with chorizo and eggplant, tomato, zucchini, onion, and peppers.

Skillet Eggs with Chorizo and Vegetables16/30

This godsend of a quick weeknight recipe can be twerked, er, tweaked any which way—which is to say, your way.

A cast-iron skillet filled with chilaquiles on a wooden cutting board with a block of queso fresco and half a jalapeno beside it.

Chilaquiles17/30

Essentially eggs scrambled with chips and salsa, chilaquiles is equally enticing in the a.m. as the p.m., with a cup of hot joe or a bottle of cold cerveza.

A cast-iron skillet filled with easy skillet meatballs, and a plate of meatballs with some sauce and mashed potatoes

Easy Skillet Meatballs18/30

Simple to make, kid-friendly, incredibly versatile, and essentially foolproof. Let's not forget to mention uber delicious. That's what we think of these easy skillet meatballs perfect for weeknights.

Cast iron skillet of broccolini and potato frittata, with a wedge on a metal spatula

Broccolini and Potato Frittata19/30

Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Dinner. Pretty much anytime you need an insanely quick, one-skillet, satiating something, this frittata is the solution.

Three golden-brown pan-roasted pork chops

Pan-Roasted Pork Chops20/30

Perfect. The best brine I've ever had. Oh. My. God. That's what folks are saying about this simple weeknight supper solution.

Cracklins21/30

Yup. You can make your own chunks of porcine indulgence with nothing more than thickly sliced bacon and a sturdy skillet.

Italian Frittata22/30

Eggs, potatoes, and not much else. That's our weeknight salvation come suppertime on a super crazy day.

A perfect fried egg in a small black skillet.

How To Make The Perfect Fried Egg23/30

The perfect egg fried sunnyside up, boasting a white that's neither overly crisp at the edges and a yolk that's justifiably jiggly.

Skillet cauliflower pasta with farfalle, andouille sausage, spinach, and goat in a cast iron pan, a wooden spoon and striped towel nearby

Skillet Cauliflower Pasta24/30

Roasted cauliflower. Andouille sausage. Spinach. Goat cheese. Bowtie pasta. What's not to love about this quick weeknight meal? You'll be fighting your loved ones for leftovers.

A cast-iron skillet with a golden cake with slices of fanned out plums baked in

Skillet Plum Cake25/30

Skillet cake is moist and tender and sweet (not too sweet, though) and sorta like upside-down cake except it's right-side up.

The Skillet Cheeseburger26/30

There's no scarcity of seductiveness in this Seattle-style redux of a classic cheeseburger. (The secret's in the super melty cheese and the slathering of bacon jam.)