One of my favorite parts of a camping trip is the food. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, tastes better when cooked over a flame. Clearly, I was born in the wrong century. I can remedy that cosmic mix-up whenever I go camping with my family. Here are some delicious and easy foods (beyond hot dogs on a stick) to prepare and some hacks to make it all that much more effortless.
Recipes
Kababs
This delicious recipe takes a little bit of home prep before packing for your camping trip, but it is well worth it. You can use pretty much any meat you like for this (chicken, beef, etc.)
Ingredients
- The meat of your choice
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Desired vegetables colored bell peppers, onions, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms
- bamboo skewers
Instructions
- Trim fat and cut the meat into 1″ cubes.
- In a plastic bag or marinating pan combine olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic, and lemon juice. Add cubed steak and place in the fridge to marinate overnight (or at least 4 hours).
- Cut up vegetables into 1″ pieces and set aside in a bag.
- Soak bamboo skewers for 10 minutes in water.
- Put steak pieces on skewers. Put vegetables on their own skewers. Cook on the grill or over an open fire for 10 minutes or until the desired level of doneness is reached. Serve with rice.
Waking Tacos
If you decide to cook the meat when camping, you will need a cast iron frying pan to cook the meat over the fire (make sure to oil the bottom). Otherwise, the taco meat can be prepared at home and put in the cooler. Warm it over the fire in your frying pan. This is a very popular recipe that is as fun to make as it is to eat, and other than a fork, no dishes are required.
Ingredients
- single-serve bag of Doritos (or Fritos) – one person
- 2 lbs of taco meat ready
- Favorite taco toppings (chopped lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, shredded cheese, or sour cream)
Instructions
- Prepare your taco meat.
- Prepare the taco toppings.
- You will need at least one bag of Doritos (single serving size) for every person.
- Crush the Doritos slightly.
- Slit the bag of Doritos down the side.
- Spoon the Taco meat inside and add your favorite taco toppings.
- Stir and enjoy.
Campfire Quesadillas
These quesadillas are so easy to make and are great around a campfire, you don’t even need a plate to eat them!! This is a great gluten-free option as well.
Ingredients
- large flour tortillas
- 1 can of chicken breast
- shredded cheddar cheese
- Taco Sauce (any brand)
Instructions
- Open and drain the can of chicken.
- Add chicken, cheese, and taco sauce into a sealable plastic container (super important in bear country)and mix together.
- I refrigerate overnight and place it right next to the ice in the cooler. This is usually the first meal we eat when we camp.
- I put these together at camp, rather than preparing them at home. Put the mixture in the tortillas and fold them in half.
- I have a Stansport 339 Deluxe Grilling Broiler and it is a camping game-changer (You can buy one on Amazon). It makes cooking these quesadillas super easy.
- Let cool for a few minutes before removing it from the broiler.
Pizza Sandwich
These are incredibly easy and a popular choice with kids. They can be prepared right at your campsite.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of English Muffins
- 1 container of Pizza Sauce
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni
Instructions
- Open the English muffins, cover both 1/2 with pizza sauce (one side will need more sauce than the other.)
- Cover the side with more sauce with cheese.
- Add pepperoni on top, then cover with the other side.
- Place pizza sandwiches in the grilling broiler.
- Cook until chees has melted.
Easy Campfire Chili Mac N’ Cheese
This is an easy but extremely tasty recipe that works great over the campfire. Kids will love this one too!
Ingredients – (Serves 2 people)
- 1 can of Mac n’ Cheese (We used Chef Boyardee)
- 1 Can of Chili with Beans (We used Hormel)
Instructions
- Open both cans and put them over the fire. Wait until they begin to boil. (You can also empty cans in a cast iron pot – I would cook separately.)
- Put chili into individual bowls, top with the mac n’ cheese, mix them together, and enjoy.
Beans & Brats
This is a filling meal that goes a long way. You can even use a little creative license with this dish and make it your own. My kids love it when I turn up the heat on these beans and make them, well… face-melting. (lots of red hot!)
Ingredients
- 1 large can of your favorite baked beans
- 1 package of Johnsonville bratwurst
Instructions
- Cook the bratwurst at home (or over the campfire.)
- Empty baked beans into a disposable foil baking container.
- At this point you can leave the beans just as they are, or spice them up a bit. (I like to add BBQ sauce and red hot. I’ve heard of people adding mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar.)
- Cut up the bratwurst and stir them into the beans. Cover with tin foil and keep in the cooler until you are ready to warm it up over the fire.
- If you don’t plan on eating it for a few days, you can freeze it and let it thaw out before cooking it over the fire.
Load Potatoes Foil Pack
This dish takes a little home prep but works great over a campfire.
Ingredients
- 5 # Bag Yukon Gold Potatoes washed and diced to about 1″ cubes-no need to peel
- 1 # Bacon chopped and fried until crispy
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheese I used Colby
- 1/4 Cup chopped green onion
- 7 Tbsp Butter cut in 1 Tbsp portions
- Salt and Pepper
- Aluminum Foil
Instructions
- Tear off 7 squares of aluminum foil 12″x12″
- Portion cubed potatoes, crisped bacon, cheese, and green onions onto the center of each foil square.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Top with 1 Tbsp of butter on each foil square
- Fold up foil lengthwise and roll shut then roll up the sides so it forms a sealed packet
- Cook at 450 degrees for one hour or cook on the grill. Grilling times will vary depending on what else you are cooking and the temperature of your grill.
Dessert
S’more Cones
Ingredients
- Box of Sugar cones
- Mini Marshmallows
- Chocolate chips
- Aluminum Foil
Instructions
- Fill cones with marshmallows and chocolate chips
- Wrap cones in aluminum foils (This can be all prepped before you leave for your camping trip)
- Keep them in the cooler until you are ready to cook them.
- Place the foil-wrapped cones on the edge of the fire grate, not directly in or over the fire.
- Use tongs to remove the cones from the edge of the fire and set them aside to cool.
Campfire Cooking Hacks and Hints
Campfire Cresent Rolls on a Stick
This is an easy cooking trick. Bring a package of refrigerated crescent rolls. Open the package and wrap each portion around a stick and cook over the fire until golden brown.
Cooking in the Can
We do this a lot, cooking everything from baked beans to Chef Boyardee Spaghetti-O’s. I have an honest belief that everything tastes better cooked over a fire, which includes canned food. Simply remove the top and the paper label. Make sure to stir it every once in a while to make sure it heats up consistently all the way through.
Pancake Batter for Easy Pancakes
Use an empty bottle with a squirt lid, and pour in dry pancake mix. Once you are ready to make the pancake (at your campsite) just add water. Make sure to have enough oil in your pan so the pancakes don’t stick.
Easy Scrambled Eggs
You can make easy scrambled eggs by preparing your eggs before you leave. Simply add your egg mixture to a clean small soda bottle. Once you reach your campsite and heat up your cast iron frying pan, you can add your mixture.
Bring your Own Ice
Rather than buy ice for your cooler, use containers you already have, a gallon milk jug, or water bottles. Fill and freeze them and use them to keep your food cold, you can use them for drinking water later on.
Condiments
I found an easy way to bring the condiments along without having to buy smaller sizes or cart along the regular-sized containers from home. I purchased travel bottles and filled them at home with our favorite condiments. It also allowed us to bring more of a selection on our camping trip. (Making all our campfire food taste even better!)
Put A Thermometer In Your Cooler
If you put a thermometer in your cooler, you can eliminate the guesswork of wondering if your food is at a safe temperature to eat.
Camp Coffee… Tea Bags
Making coffee when you are camping can be a pain in the ass (pardon my French). We’ve found an easier way… Make coffee tea bags. Put your coffee grounds in a coffee filter and tie it up with dental floss. All you need to do is boil some water, pour the hot water (carefully) into your mug, and let the coffee steep.
Fireside Popcorn
Jiffy Pop, made over the campfire, is one of my favorite treats. I’m not sure if it is the adrenaline of nearly always burning yourself in the process, or just as I said before, everything tastes better cooked over a campfire. We have always included Jiffy Pop in our camping trips, long before we had children, and now it has become a family tradition and campfire staple.
Aluminum Foil Is Your Best Friend
If there is one thing you need to bring on your camping trip (for cooking, anyway), it is aluminum foil. You can cook just about anything in it or line the grill over the fire.
Do you have any great campfire recipes or hacks we can include? Let us know! We will add them here!