Food and Recipes Cooking Tips and Techniques Recipes Made for Cooking in Your Cast-Iron Skillet By Jorie Nicole McDonald Jorie Nicole McDonald Jorie Nicole McDonald leads editorial video efforts for Southern Living. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she creates engaging visual content for the website and various social media platforms. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 26, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Luca Trovato A cast-iron skillet is a prized possession among Southern cooks. Seasoned with years of cooking and loving care, heirloom cast-iron skillets are as valued (and fought over) as Grandma's china and sterling silver. A new pre-seasoned skillet also makes the perfect gift for a young cook. Browse our collection of delicious recipes utilizing cast-iron skillets. We all know how great fried chicken tastes hot out of the skillet, and we love how easy cast iron goes from oven to table with weeknight favorites like Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole and Beef Tamale Pie. These cherished skillets are also great for party appetizers like Cast Iron Salsa and impressive desserts like Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Great cooks know the more they use their cast-iron skillet, the better it gets. Keep your prized skillet on the stovetop and reach for it often with these recipes. 01 of 41 Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak Enjoy a restaurant-style steak from the comfort of your own home. Easy and delicious, this skillet dinner recipe doesn't disappoint. 02 of 41 Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza Southern Living Recipe: Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza This one-dish wonder is the perfect meal for a causal movie night. Similar to a pizza stone, the skillet holds heat well, creating an excellent base for all your favorite toppings. 03 of 41 Leek-and-Mushroom Grits Frittata Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Leek-and-Mushroom Grits Frittata Give this leek-and-mushroom grits frittata a try next time you're serving breakfast for a crowd. It has a little something for everyone. 04 of 41 Easy Skillet Apple Pie Luca Trovato Recipe: Easy Skillet Apple Pie Apple pie is a quintessentially Southern treat, and a trusty cast-iron skillet takes the timeless dessert to the next level. 05 of 41 Rosemary Chicken Thighs and Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Rosemary Chicken Thighs and Vegetables This hearty skillet recipe is packed with fresh vegetables and savory rosemary chicken for an excellent dinnertime meal. 06 of 41 Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie Jennifer Davick Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie Don't wait until Thanksgiving to make this sinfully sweet dessert. This pecan pie recipe deserves a spot on the table all year long. 07 of 41 Cheesy Beef-and-Spinach Ravioli Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cheesy Beef-and-Spinach Ravioli Perfect for kids, the foundation of this quick and easy cast-iron recipe starts with pre-made ravioli to keep things simple. 08 of 41 Skillet Caramel Apple Pie Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet Caramel Apple Pie Just as delicious as it is beautiful, this beloved apple pie recipe is sure to impress all of your dinner party guests. 09 of 41 Skillet S'mores Dip Southern Living Recipe: Skillet S'mores Dip Turn a classic campfire dessert into a decadent cast-iron skillet dip with this simple recipe. 10 of 41 Ginger-Plum Slump Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Ginger-Plum Slump There's something about warm, flavorful fruit in a cast-iron skillet that makes Southerners jump for joy. This ginger-plum slump recipe puts a modern twist on a classic cobbler. 11 of 41 Potato-Bacon Hash Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Potato-Bacon Hash Every Southern cook knows a good hash recipe or two, and you'll be adding this one with russet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and thick-cut bacon to your list. We suggest you top it off with a fried egg. 12 of 41 Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes This delicious dinner recipe proves that you don't need a deep-fryer to get crispy, golden goodness. 13 of 41 Texas Skillet Cake Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Texas Skillet Cake If you love classic Texas sheet cake, you'll be obsessed with this thicker, richer Texas skillet cake. 14 of 41 Cast-Iron Pork Cacciatore Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cast-Iron Pork Cacciatore This is the most restaurant-worthy 30-minute recipe you'll ever serve. A tip from the test kitchen: Pork chops that aren't too thick or thin are best in this recipe. Look for chops that are one inch thick—they will be meaty and filling without taking a ton of time to cook. 15 of 41 Crispy Sweet Potato-Green Onion Cakes Hector Sanchez Recipe: Crispy Sweet Potato-Green Onion Cakes This recipe blends the delicate flavor of sweet potatoes and green onions with the spicy zest of chopped red jalapeño peppers. 16 of 41 Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata Greg Dupree Recipe: Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata The best part of this chicken piccata is it only requires one dish to make, and we recommend a cast-iron skillet. It will heat more evenly than a nonstick pan, yielding a delicious cutlet that's tender with crisp skin. 17 of 41 Cast-Iron Salsa Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cast-Iron Salsa Turn your skillet into a Mexican comal, aka griddle, by slowly charring onions, garlic, and peppers in a dry skillet. We like to use this traditional dry char technique because it coaxes sweet, earthy flavors from the vegetables and gives them just a hint of smokiness. 18 of 41 Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole This rustic meal, a company's-coming riff on the old-school chicken-and-rice number, is held together by a tangy gravy flavored with country ham and mushrooms. 19 of 41 King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese All the flavors of a favorite casserole come together in the comfort of mac and cheese. Serve this dish to your family, and it will become a quick favorite. 20 of 41 Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick The "top-shelf" in this recipe speaks to the crispy skin, superior flavor, and juiciness of the bird. 21 of 41 Pork Chops with Dijon-Buttermilk Sauce Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Pork Chops with Dijon-Buttermilk Sauce One reader called this "the best pork chop recipe ever," and we think you'll agree. 22 of 41 Bacon-and-Cheddar Skillet Biscuit Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Bacon-and-Cheddar Skillet Biscuit Why fuss with a biscuit-cutter when you can make a giant biscuit in your cast-iron skillet? Slice it up for the whole family. 23 of 41 Cast-Iron Skillet Brownies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Cast-Iron Skillet Brownies The cast-iron skillet provides perfect brownie texture—crisp edges and gooey centers. 24 of 41 Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy We lightened up the suppertime classic with perfectly portioned mini turkey meatloaves. Since they bake right on top of the veggies in the cast-iron skillet, you truly get a full dinner in one dish. 25 of 41 Skillet Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp with Salted-Almond Streusel Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Skillet Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp with Salted-Almond Streusel The streusel topping on this springy dessert recipe includes Marcona almonds for a buttery, elegant twist. 26 of 41 Cast-Iron Skillet Burgers photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cast-Iron Skillet Burgers Our Test Kitchen called this recipe "the burger to end all burgers," and we have a feeling that cooking all the following ingredients with bacon grease from the bacon is why. 27 of 41 Green Tomato Skillet Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Green Tomato Skillet Pie If you thought "fried" was the only way to enjoy green tomatoes, let this pie recipe prove you wrong. When baked up with warm spices and sugar, green tomatoes are similar to Granny Smith apples. 28 of 41 Southern Skillet Cornbread Southern Living Recipe: Southern Skillet Cornbread Southerners know that all good cornbread starts with a cast-iron skillet and bacon drippings. 29 of 41 Strawberry-Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake This spring treat is the perfect addition to your weekend brunch. A tip from the Test Kitchen: If you're worried that the cake might absorb savory flavors from the cast iron, line the pan with parchment paper. 30 of 41 Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese "Delicious. I've made this several times now and my family just loves it," wrote one five-star reviewer. "The Panko crumbs really add a top crunch that combines well with the cheesy pasta and cauliflower. I must always use the cavatappi pasta now. It's a special dish!" 31 of 41 Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Mushrooms Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Mushrooms Instead of fussing with homemade piecrust, this recipe calls for frozen puff pastry sheets, which looks and tastes amazing. 32 of 41 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake You can't go wrong with this iconic Southern dessert that looks as pretty as it tastes. 33 of 41 Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions Sweet cooked apples are a delicious match for skillet-seared pork chops and onions. 34 of 41 Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits Cobbler is often associated with summer fruits like peaches and berries, but this apple cobbler is full of the flavors of fall. 35 of 41 Skillet Enchiladas Suizas Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet Enchiladas Suizas No rolling required! With these skillet enchiladas, you can layer everything up and serve family-style. 36 of 41 Savory Bacon Dutch Baby Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Savory Bacon Dutch Baby If you've never tried to make a Dutch baby before, this puffy skillet breakfast pastry should be your weekend baking project. This recipe uses savory ingredients like bacon, cheddar cheese, and chopped chives, but you can also use toppings and fillings like fresh fruit and whipped cream for a sweet take. 37 of 41 Skillet-Baked Ziti with Andouille, Tomatoes, and Peppers Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Skillet-Baked Ziti with Andouille, Tomatoes, and Peppers A cheesy pasta bake is the easiest way to guarantee a happy family at suppertime. Andouille sausage adds a hint of smoke and spice to an otherwise classic baked ziti. 38 of 41 Cast-Iron Potato Kugel Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Cast-Iron Potato Kugel Though kugel is usually make in a casserole dish, the cast-iron skillet is the best vehicle for perfect texture. 39 of 41 Beef Tamale Pie Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Beef Tamale Pie A package of corn muffin mix and budget-friendly ground beef come together in this simple skillet supper that the whole family will love. Add more sliced jalapenos to the top if you like a little spice. 40 of 41 Israeli Couscous and Shrimp Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Israeli Couscous and Shrimp Shrimp, couscous, and colorful bell peppers make for a quick and healthy dinner. 41 of 41 Southern Fried Corn Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Southern Fried Corn This classic Southern side belongs on every cookout menu this summer. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit