Campfire cooking is all about no-fuss meals that can be tossed together quickly and don’t take a long time or a lot of utensils. Stick to the basics (a camping grill, pot, skillet and maybe some foil packets) and with a few key ingredients you’ll surely satisfy your craving to eat well while away from home. Take a look at these ideas for some quick and easy camping meals to make on your next camping trip.
Chickpea Breakfast Hash
Rise and shine! A full day of hiking, birdwatching, or fishing by the lake requires a fully charged start to the morning. Give your breakfast some more oomph by incorporating protein packed chickpeas.
Over a heated skillet with oil, dump chopped onions, peppers, and zucchini; sauté for about 5 minutes. Add drained chickpeas and spices and cook until the veggies and chickpeas are cooked through. Move them to the sides of the skillet to create space in the middle of the pan. Add another splash of oil then crack two eggs in the middle and cook to your liking.
Shrimp Boil Foil Packets
Foil packet meals are quick to prepare, easy to clean up, and can be cooked directly over an open flame. The key is to use ingredients that finish cooking at the same time. For this recipe, shrimp, pre-cooked andouille sausage, zucchini, and corn on the cob will do the trick.
Assemble your ingredients: the bottom will receive the most heat, which will speed up the corn and zucchini cook time. Then add the sausage and shrimp. Finally, add the garlic, butter, and spices on top. Seal them inside using aluminum foil and parchment paper, bringing the short edges together to form a seam. Place them over your heat source for about 8-10 minutes.
Dutch Oven Mac & Cheese
Loaded with creamy, buttery, cheesy goodness, mac & cheese brings classic comfort food to the great outdoors! Using a Dutch Oven allows you to apply heat from both the bottom and the top. (This radiant heat steams the pasta instead of boiling it, thus cutting down on the amount of water you need to use.)
Add the elbow macaroni, water, butter, and salt into the Dutch oven, then cover and place on top of a small bed of coals. Place about 15 coals on top of the Dutch oven too. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. After removing from the fire, stir in shredded cheese, and any seasonings of choice, like garlic powder, or more salt if needed.
Campfire Apple Crisp
This no-bake apple crisp is so simple it’s hard to think of a reason not to make it. This fall-inspired dessert is guaranteed to leave you feeling warm and cozy at the end of the night.
Cut a few apples into thin slices then toss them into a cast-iron skillet and let them cook down until they start to get soft and release some liquid into the pan. Add brown sugar, cinnamon (and a shot of bourbon if you’re feeling it)! Mix over the heat to burn off the alcohol and reduce the liquid a bit. Once the liquid starts to thicken, remove from the heat and sprinkle your favorite granola on top.
In addition to these quick and easy camping meals you will also need some of these essential camping items too.