14 Simple Camping Meals
14 Meal ideas that are easy to make and easy to plan.
Camp meals are extremely rejuvenating and can be highly social. Sometimes even more so than having meals at home. More than likely the cell phones and tv will be off. Then the sharing and visiting will commence.
The best way to start creating your menu is to count how many meals you need and make a list of meal ideas. Decide on which meals are practical, meaning which meals can be made without taking up a lot of storage, prep time, cook time, and clean up time. If you have a hard time deciding, you can hand out a list and let the group provide input. Lastly if your meals match your budget, it’s time to go shopping.
If your group or family has a hard time deciding, try the meals at home, which will help decide what meals they like and get practice cooking them.
Each of the meals listed below are supposed to promote togetherness, conversation, rejuvenation and relaxation for your “busy fun” camping schedule.
Ravioli and French Bread.
My parents used to use this meal as a quick and easy one to enjoy after a long day of sightseeing or hiking. They would purchase the #10 cans of ravioli (probably hard to find now days) and feed our family of 8 with it. Thinking back on it, I realize they planned that meal for a night they knew we would need an easy hot meal. They would serve it with buttered French bread.
Chili and Corn Bread.
I usually make my chili from scratch at the campsite using ground beef or diced steak, a packet of chili seasoning (or spices of your own liking), diced onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and beans. You can get any of these ingredients canned or prep from whole produce. I prefer the latter but have done both.
It is good to prepare all your ingredients prior to camping. This meal is best when cooked in a large pot and stirred while you hang around the campsite. The key word here is simmer. Stirring the simmering chili for a few hours or more makes for good chili. The cornbread can be baked at home or made at the campsite.
Pan Seared Steak and Asparagus.
Nothing says camping like cooking a hardy steak over the campfire. I love to relax in the evening surrounded by mother nature enjoying juicy meat and seasoned delicate asparagus tips. I marinade my favorite cut of meat for a couple of days prior to the camping trip. I usually grill it on a campfire insert but it can be pan fried or cooked on a camp grill.
The secret to getting your steak right is to manage your heat so it grills evenly and does not burn. Cooking it over red hot coals not roaring flames will ensure the steak will cook on the outside and the inside as evenly as possible.
Pancakes with Sausages, Ham or Bacon.
Such a simple meal, with easy cleanup. For the pancakes, use a just add water mix or make it from scratch at the campsite. If you want bacon, I find cooking it from raw bacon always tastes better, but you can use precooked. That is the same with the sausage. Pre – sliced ham is best just slightly warmed. Serve with orange slices and top the cakes with your favorite fruit, creams, and syrups.
Clean up is a cinch if you use non-stick pans for everything. I you don’t use nonstick or use cast iron, you need to wipe the pans as clean as you can. Then boil some water in them with a little bit of dish-soap. You can clean all your cooking utensils in the hot soapy water then rinse the pan until cleaned. If cast iron, see this cleaning technique I found on YouTube.
Omelet and Hashbrowns.
I usually cook this breakfast on a day when I have nothing planned for the morning because making an omelet can be time-consuming. especially if you have more than two people to cook for. To speed this up you can have two pans going and have premixed eggs and precut ingredients.
If you are camping with a family or a group, let each person pick out what they want in their omelet while they are waiting. Hand each person a small disposable paper cup or other container to put their choice of omelet ingredients in.
For the hashbrowns, cook them in a frying pan or on a griddle top before the omelets. You can hold the hashbrowns on low heat in a pan or foil over the stove or on the grill until the omelet is ready. Pre prep everything you want in your omelet while you are packing. Pair this meal with delicious melons or other fruit people can eat while they are waiting.
Oatmeal and Fruit.
This one is self-explanatory. You can either use regular oats or instant oats. Prepare a fruit tray or bowl with your favorite fruit. This will be the most time consuming, but you can get the fruit cut while the water is heating up or you can bring it already cut up in a sealable container. The Breakfast prep can be as simple as heating hot water in kettle and laying everything out. Very simple if you have a full day or activities.
BLT’s
BLTs are very tasty and simple sandwiches that can be built upon to make an even heartier sandwich. You can add avocado, spouts, pickles, and other condiments to make it even more interesting. BLT’s (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) are very satisfying and easy to make. Add some chips, vegetables or fruit on the side and you will have a satisfying lunch for everyone.
Campfire Stew.
This one is a campfire classic. I recommend using canned or preboiled potatoes and carrots because they will be extra raw while everything else gets burned. Make sure you use strong foil.
For those of you who are not familiar with this the stew usually consists of cubed steak, carrots, onions, and potatoes. You wrap a serving size in foil making sure it is tightly sealed with rolled up edges. Then you bury the packet under hot ashes covered with hot coals in your fire pit. This usually cooks in about 15 – 20 minutes.
To wrap up the stew, fold the foil in half until the edges match up and the stew is completely covered. then fold in each open edge a few times. Make each fold about as wide as your pinky finger until the foil is completely sealed. Then do this again with another large piece of foil so it is double wrapped.
You can add your choice of spices to the stew or let the pre seasoned marinaded meat add the flavor. If you are worried about undercooked steak, you can use a pocket thermometer or use precooked steak. You can also add other items to your stew like peppers, and other veggies. I have also cooked the foil packet out of the ash on a grill over the fire.
Campfire Cooked Chili Cheese Dogs.
Cooking hot dogs over a fire is a meal that everyone can have fun doing. Roasting hot dogs and making smores are my favorite memories of camping. If you don’t want to cook over a fire you can fry them on the camp stove or grill.
The chili topping can be left over chili from a previous meal, brought precooked or from a can. To add more flavor to this simple meal, offer toppings like grated cheese, nacho cheese, ketchup, mayo, different styles of mustard, diced onions or other toppings like sauerkraut. Serve with your favorite fruits like watermelon or grapes. You can also make this meal with Bratwurst.
Salmon and Rice.
This might be one of the simpler meals on this list. Place Salmon Fillets on a piece of aluminum foil twice the size of the fillet. Brush your choice of oil or melted butter on the salmon. Sprinkle your choice of seasoning (I use lemon pepper) lightly over the salmon. Fold the tin foil and roll in the edges to close each edge evenly up to the edge of the salmon. Cook over grill, or camp stove.
The rice can be precooked and just heated up or use the boil in a bag rice over the fire or on the camp stove. This meal can be completed with salad or grilled asparagus. About 30 minutes in total.
*Hint, cook salmon over medium flames and turn once after about 6- 8 minutes. If you don’t like to use tin foil, you can use a frying pan with a lid. When cooked, the fish should be firm but not crumbly. Just flakey. If the skin is on the salmon, you can cook it on the skin side without turning but they will cook more evenly with a lid or in the foil. For a little zest, add some fresh lemon juice.
Hogie Sandwiches and Chips.
Building Hogie sandwiches makes for a fun meal everyone can enjoy. Just lay out the choice of meats, cheeses, veggies and sauces out. Let each person create their own sandwiches. I know this takes little to no instruction so just put this on your list. It is simple meal for a lazy laying in the hammock or table games type of day. You can also pair this meal with potato salad, chips, and fruit.
Peach Cobbler
I got a little help from Barbeque Lovers .com because even though I love this camping desert, I have never personally made it. It requires peaches, butter, vanilla cake mix, cinnamon, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and sprite. The link to this recipe is right here. https://www.barbequelovers.com/dutch-oven-cooking/easy-dutch-oven-peach-cobler
Serve with ice cream if available from a nearby camp store or whipped cream from your camp cooler.
Pan Cooked Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
I got this idea from my daughter. We were camping in Newport Oregon for my birthday. My daughter told me that she was going to cook me one of my favorite cakes, a pineapple upside down cake. I asked her how she could cook that for me while we were camping. She said don’t worry about it. Come the next day, my birthday, she presented me with a very delicious pineapple upside down cake. When I asked her how she did it, she said she cooked it in the skillet. I will post the link to this recipe and I will try to make it the next time I go camping.
https://www.joyousapron.com/skillet-pineapple-upside-down-cake/
Cheese Meat Veggie Cornucopia.
Here is a simple meal where you just need to lay everything out. Keep the platters covered or eat in an enclosed dining awning. Here is what a lot of people include: Sliced meats, meat sticks, dried and fresh fruits, crackers, cheese slices and cheese spreads, olives, snack items such as pretzels, breads, sauces, favorite finger deserts and nuts.
The idea is to have a variety of your family’s or group’s favorite foods. The enjoyment is being able to get creative with all the different choices. I think you get the idea. This would be great for a non-cooked meal and game night.