Easy Meal Ideas for Camping Trips

For my family, cooking during a camping trip is something we actually look forward to. When we camp, our goal for each trip is to relax and typically lounge at our site, with very little plans for the day. Except our plans to cook. Funny how that works – I do more meal planning for our camping trips then I do for our everyday life at home.

I love waking up, making coffee and going outside to enjoy the view, whether it’s by the water or in the woods. I’ve seen deer, raccoons, land crabs, iguanas and some amazing birds. Soaking in the beauty of wherever it is we are is one of the best parts about camping, but that peacefulness comes to an end once any of my three children join me.

Which means, it’s then time to make breakfast!

Keep in mind that we have a travel trailer, which gives us the luxury of having an outdoor kitchen and a tiny kitchen inside that also includes a microwave. Those of you who tent camp or who have pop-ups may not have access to these items, but you could still cook some amazing dishes if you bring the right supplies along and prepare beforehand.

We are known to prepare a big breakfast during our trips. I’m not talking cereal and fruit. We keep a toaster, a coffee pot, a griddle and an Instant Pot (which can also be used as a slow cooker) in our camper at all times. So in the morning, we break out our griddle (my favorite piece of camping gear!) and use it to cook pancakes and eggs. We sizzle bacon and grill sausage and warm bread. We add fruit and bagels and sometimes smoked salmon. Oh and let’s not forget the Bloody Mary and mimosa drinks for the grown-ups.

On most breakfast mornings, our table of goodies looks like a feast at the Cracker Barrel. And we savor every bite.

Lunch is usually low key, so we munch on sandwiches, fruit and chips.

But dinnertime is delish.

We have a few items on our dinner menu when it comes to camping. There’s the typical grilling of meat, then there’s my spaghetti with meat sauce, my husband’s fantastic steak and the cocktail meatballs my kids devour. We usually combine the main dish with easy sides that have either been made at home before the trip, or ones that can be prepared easily in the camper.

If we are camping with friends (and most of the time we usually are), we bring all of our food together and have a buffet that would feed a small army. It’s awesome.

We also like to go out to eat for dinner at least once during our trips, so I usually search for reviews of local restaurants to try. That’s always fun, too, as long as my kids cooperate.

When we first started to camp, I asked friends what they make when they camp, and I looked on Pinterest to see what recipes work best for my family. My camping menu is still a work in progress. I love to add to it, so please post some of your favorite camping recipes in the comment section below.

Here are some of my food ideas:

Perfect Camping Breakfast Meals

• Eggs, bacon, sausage and toast.
• Pancakes, bacon and yogurt.
• Hardboiled eggs (you could prep ahead of time) and fruit.
• Cereal and fruit.
• Store-bought muffins (or premade) and fruit.

Quick Lunch Ideas

• Bring lunch meat, veggies and bread to make sandwiches.
• Fruit and yogurt.
• Grill hot dogs and/or hamburgers.
• Warm up canned (or premade) soup.

Delicious Dinner Options

Main Dish Ideas:

• Grill hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or sausages.
• Make spaghetti with meat sauce in your Instant Pot. It’s so easy, and my kids devour it. Here is the link to the recipe I use. https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-one-pot-spaghetti-with-meat-sauce//
  (A special thank you to http://skinnytaste.com Her recipes have fed my family for the past couple of years!)
• Bring a frying pan and cook pork chops, steak or chicken.
• Make ribs at home, stuff them in plastic baggies and then warm them up on the grill or in a pan.
• Bring your slow cooker and make these yummy cocktail meatballs.
  https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239824/grape-jelly-meatballs/
  These are a staple at my large family holiday gatherings, and now they’re almost always a part of any camping trip.
• Bring the ingredients to make chili and throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning. By dinnertime, you’ll have a nice pot of warm chili waiting for you. Top it off with premade cornbread from the store.
• Make pulled pork or pulled chicken beforehand (or buy store bought. We love Jack Daniel’s Seasoned and Pulled Pork. It can usually be found in the refrigerated aisle of any Walmart or Target) Warm it up in a microwave if you have one, in a slow cooker or on the stove. Bring hamburger buns and whatever other topping you like and enjoy some barbecue sandwiches.

Side Choices:

• Grill corn on the cob
• Bring frozen vegetables, such as broccoli, corn or edamame. We nuke ours in the microwave, dump them in a bowl and serve them as is.
• Buy rice packets that you can warm up in the microwave.
• Macaroni and cheese. Bring the ingredients and dump them in the slow cooker or Instant pot, or buy frozen mac and cheese and warm up via microwave. You could do the same with mashed potatoes.
• Toss together any kind of salad or buy store-bought salad.
• Dips and veggies/chips.
• Rolls.