5 Recipes to Eat Like A King (or Queen) At the Campsite

There are obviously a few staple food items you just have to have when you go camping, like hot dogs, S’mores, and for the truly wild, Spam.

Yes we tried Spam, yes it was a bad as I thought it would be… [Photo taken by Kyle]

Meals on the fire, though, can go beyond your standard menu all it takes his a bit of culinary creativity (and Pinterest). Here are my 5 recipes that I have tried and successfully cooked that you might enjoy too. The best part is all of the ingredients are fresh and with most of the prep work done pre-trip, it allows more time at the site for what really matters.

BREAKFAST

1. Eggs in a basket
This dish is a perfect start to a full day of hiking and exploring!

Ingredients:
– 2 slices of bread
– 1 (or 2) eggs
– Butter
– Salt and Pepper (for taste)

How it’s done:
1. Take one slice of bread and cut a circular hole in the middle, saving the excess and buttering both sides of the excess and the original piece.
2. Place your cast iron skillet over the fire (on grates) and place the cut bread in it.
3. Crack the egg in the middle of the bread so it fills the hole and let it cook all the way through. Add salt and pepper if you’d like to.
4. Place the other slice of bread and the excess on the skillet for toast, serve, and enjoy!

Rain caused a wet fire pit, but our small grill worked just as well! [Photo taken by Kyle]

HINT: It’s best to cook on elevated grates so the bread doesn’t burn. If you’re at odds for a fire, all of this can be done on a small grill as well!

LUNCH

2. Sandwich melts

Ingredients:
– Sliced American Cheese
– Sliced ham
– Sliced turkey
– Sliced Salami
– Pepperoni
– 1 French Baguette, sliced sandwich style
– Any other sandwich toppings you like

How it’s done:
1. Before you leave for your trip prep this meal by placing the cold cuts and the cheese on the baguette to make one long sandwich and wrap in aluminum foil. (Dressings, if any, are best put on at the site to avoid soggy bread)
2. At the site poke holes in the top of the foil or fold to create a small opening at the top and simply place on the grates over the fire until the cheese is melted.
3. Cut into halves and serve!

3. Burritos

Ingredients:
– Shredded lettuce
– Shredded cheese
– Canned corn (1 can)
– Diced red onion (1)
– Diced Tomatoes (1-2)
– Black olives (1 can)
– Sour cream
– Seasoned ground beef
– Flour tortilla wraps

How it’s done:
1. At home, prepare the shredded lettuce, onions and tomatoes. In one gallon bag, mix the corn and the dices red onions to create your corn salsa (adding cilantro is a great flavor addition too). In other bags place the lettuce, the olives and the tomatoes. Pre-cook the beef in any seasoning you prefer (taco works best) and store in another gallon bag. Keep all these items along with the tub of sour cream and bag of shredded cheese in the fridge and then cooler until ready to cook.
2. Dump the pre-cooked beef onto your cast iron skillet and warm over the fire.
3. Warm the tortillas for no more than a minute or two in aluminum foil over the fire, this keeps them warm without getting crispy.
4. Take out all of your toppings, the warmed beef and tortillas and serve yourselves buffet style! Its like your own personal (and healthier) Chipotle outside your tent!

DINNER

Hard at work cooking frittata over the fire, and no that isn’t my beer, yuck. [Photo taken by Kyle]

4. Frittata (aka Italian Omelete)

Ingredients:
– 3-4 eggs
– Milk
– Parsley (just a pinch)
– Grated Romano cheese
– Chives
– White Onion (1)
– Diced Potatoes (2)
– Diced Zucchini (1)

How it’s done:
1. At home, prep these items as follows: beat 3 eggs, add milk, parsley and cheese (to preferred amounts) and store in a large freezer bag. Dice the potatoes and nuke in the microwave for several minutes (4-5), then chop the zucchini, and the onion and store all in a separate gallon bag.
2. Spray the cast iron skillet with cooking spray and pour in the eggs. Mix in the potatoes, onions and zucchini. Cook one side then flip until the eggs are cooked all the way through.
3. Serve on a plate then top with chives. Slice like a pizza and share!

5. Foil Bake
(This was originally a veggie dish but we used leftover beef from the burritos to add some proteins. Shaved steak or diced chicken would work well in this dish as well.)

Ingredients:
– Broccoli (1 head)
– Baby carrots (1 bag)
– Squared potatoes
– Salt and Pepper
– Olive Oil
– Ground beef, Shaved steak, chicken (optional)

How it’s done:
1. At home chop up the broccoli and rinse the baby carrots. Dice up the potatoes nuke for 4-5 minutes and season with the olive oil, salt and pepper. If you choose to have any meat, pre-cook it at home and store in a freezer bag, that way it will heat up fast on-site.
2. At home use bowls to shape aluminum foil boats (one for each camper) and mix each type of veggie into them. Close the tops and place in a freezer bag.
3. Take the foil boats, add any meat you have into each, and create a ventilation system at the top by poking holes.
4. Place these over the fire on grates or right in the fire to cook faster.
5. Carefully open the hot boats and enjoy right from the foil! This keeps the meal warm and it makes for super easy clean up!

Please remember that any food stored in bags from these recipes must be kept cold at all times over ice in coolers (its better for the food to freeze a little than to mold).

The best part about these meals, is that many of the ingredients repeat, and can be bought ahead of time at a low cost! These are just a few of my favorites and I plan to find more this upcoming camping season. If you have any recipes you like for camping feel free to share, I’d love to give them a try! Until next time, happy travels!