The Best Cast Iron Skillet Cookbooks to Own

We all know that food has to be quick, fast & in a hurry to fit into today’s time-strapped world. And while there’s a lot to be said about cooking & eating slow, intentional food, sometimes busy is just life. So it’s important to have a versatile skillet (like a cast iron pan) & a corresponding cast iron skillet cookbook or two on deck at all times.

For budget-conscious families, home cooks and new cooks, investing in a cast-iron skillet and a collection of family-friendly recipes you can make in that skillet is a smart choice. So today, I wanna share some of the best cast iron skillet cookbooks that have easy recipes to delicious food. You’ll be creating classic dishes & finding new family favorites in no time, girl!

Each year I focus on learning/practicing one skill in my kitchen. Last year, that skill was cooking with cast-iron. And lemme just say, this just might be the only pan you’ll ever need. Although you’ll probably end up loving it so much you’ll want more in various shapes & sizes! 

Benefits of Cast Iron Skillet Cooking

Cooking with cast-iron cookware has great benefits. The durability alone gets me. A cast-iron pan is easily the best pan to hand down generation to generation. Real talk. They’ve been known to last for decades (probably more). And althugh they do require some TLC to restore (& intentional care to maintain), they’re buy-for-lifers. They may be on the pricey side sometimes, but within reason, that money is very well spent if you take care of your pan. (I personally don’t like paying more than a solid $20 on a large-ish skillet though.)

The cast iron pan can evenly distribute heat too. So long as your stovetop doesn’t sit at an angle like mine does periodically, you cook everything evenly.

Whether you’re searing a rack of lamb, frying up some Dungeness crab cakes or baking a warm pear upside down cake, cast iron skillets & bakeware are incredible tools of the kitchen. Unlike artificial nonstick pans (which leach plastics into your food btw) cast iron cookware is chemical-free. It can leach iron into some foods when used over very long periods of time or with highly acidic foods like tomato sauces. But unless you have a condition with iron, it’s typically very minimal. 

Lastly, these pans allows for different cooking techniques, from stovetop to oven. So if you wanna save time, break out a 50lb cast iron skillet & supercharge any regular cooking routing into a kitchen-table operation. (So yeah, about that. A real last benefit would be using these pans as a weapon on intruders! I always told my husband “If I can just get this pan over my head someone will be in trouble”) ahahaha they are heavy compared to most pans. Ever wondered what any best-selling cookbook meant when they said to use a “heavy bottomed pan”? Ahahaha Cha-ching!

Types of Cast Iron Skillet Cookbooks

A. Quick & Easy, Budget-Friendly, Pantry Staple Meal Ideas Cookbooks

These community-style cookbooks offer a collection of delicious recipes that won’t break the bank. From breakfast favorites to main dishes and side dishes, these recipes use simple ingredients. Plus they require minimal prep time because getting together to eat as a family (or just to sneak off after bed & eat with your spouse) is what we all need.

• Cheap and Wicked Good!: 5-Ingredient Budget-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Meals (Simple and Easy Budget Meals) – Louise Davidson
• Cast-Iron Cooking for Two: 75 Quick and Easy Skillet Recipes – Joanna Pruess
• Cast Iron Skillet One-Pan Meals: 75 Family-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Dinners – Jackie Freeman

B. One-Pot Meals & Casseroles

• Home Skillet: The Essential Cast Iron Cookbook for Easy One-Pan Meals – Robin Donovan
• The Complete One Pot: 400 Meals for Your Skillet, Sheet Pan, Instant Pot, Dutch Oven, and More – America’s Test Kitchen 
• The Essential One-Pot Cast Iron Cookbook for Beginners: 150 Delicious & Easy One-Pot Meals from Breakfast to Dessert – Laura Garrett.

That last one is actually a pretty amazing book I discovered at the library. I loved some of the traditional recipes for desserts (which are my weakness!) but also found some new vegetable recipes to try like skillet corn & eggplant parm. Funny story, I’ve only made eggplant once & botched it so bad that I’ve been banned by my husband from making it again ahahaha I think after 8 years, I’m ready to try again. What do you think?? 

C. Soul Food and International Meals

Girllll, if you love travel the way I do but just haven’t been able to catch that flight yet, Get. In. Yo. Kitchen! Your taste buds can take you on a culinary blitz through the world with any of these warmhearted cookbook winners. There’s some soul food classics and international flavors. So whether you wanna hit the East Coast, NOLA or Tokyo, it’s here waiting for you. From black skillet recipes to dishes inspired by grandma’s kitchen, you’ll find a surprising number of recipes to try.

• Cast Iron: The Ultimate Cookbook With More Than 300 International Cast Iron Skillet Recipes – Rachael Narins
• Tasting the World… One Country at a Time: 192 Countries, 192 Meals – Nicole Jordan O’Donnell
• Fix Me a Plate: Traditional and New School Soul Food Recipes – Scotty Scott
• The New Orleans Kitchen: Classic Recipes and Modern Techniques for an Unrivaled Cuisine – Justin Devillier

The last two aren’t specifically so much for the cast iron, but you can still use them. And they’re both a great book to have regardless.

D. Cookbooks for Beginners or Just on Basics

This collection of cookbooks is geared towards basics of cooking & cast iron care. But there’s still classic & many a unique recipe to be discovered too. A little history with your main courses in a way. Whether beginner cook or vegetarian eater, you’ll fine set of recipes that make the most of all that farm-fresh produce you probably harbor in the kitchen now. I liked putting this list together because it encompasses the full details of all you need to know about cast iron cooking & cooking in general to be quite honest.

• The Fannie Farmer Cookbook – The original was published by Fannie Merritt Farmer but was updated my Marion Cunningham & I guess everyone just refers to her as the author of the Fannie Farmer cookbook now.
• Cast Iron Cooking for Vegetarians – Joanna Pruess
• Modern Cast Iron: The Complete Guide to Selecting, Seasoning, Cooking, and More – Ashley L. Jones
• MaryJane’s Cast Iron Kitchen – Mary Jane Butters – This unique cookbook has several treasured family recipes. There’s even a recipe for a puffed dutch baby (which is like a fluffy pancake)!
• Lodge Cast Iron Nation: Great American Cooking from Coast to Coast – The Lodge Company – this is the lodge cast iron cookbook a lot of owners of cast iron skillets turn to.  

Choosing the Right Cookbook for You

And don’t be afraid to explore different techniques and styles looking for that perfect fit for your kitchen! You can also scope out books based on ingredients you want to incorporate more of or learn more about like olive oils, balsamic vinegar, etc. You might not go looking for a book with the tarragon aioli or prosciutto-wrapped radicchio, but then again maybe you do!

When you’ve found some you like or love, then consider buying them. And even then, thrift first or choose the digital version which is sometimes cheaper. There’s so many I want to add to my ever-growing collection of ebooks because I can’t wait to find their physical copy in a thrift-book hunt. But on the off chance I do find it in print, it’s like finding a very rare gift ahahah

In the end…

Investing in a cast iron skillet and a few solid cookbooks is a wise decision for any skill level home cook. Good food should be good & exciting! It should keep you coming back for more! Maybe you’re one of the seasoned cast iron enthusiasts I see on book covers sometimes or new to all this. No matter. There’s a pan & a cookbook out there just waiting to become your favorite pan. (Remember to check your local thrift store & flea markets too because those are great ways to save money while you build up here!) 

You’ve got this lovely!