When Sean and I go camping (or even if I’m solo camping), cooking meals is usually one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. I love cooking outside and using the camp cooking kit that I’ve honed over the years (more on that here). Plus, it’s a really fun opportunity for me to try out new camping meals and explore other ways to make do with what I have on hand while we’re in the mountains. I’m often asked what I make when we go camping, so today I wanted to share my top 3 easy camping meals that I make pretty much every time we go on an adventure!
How I Plan Our Camping Meals
Before we leave on a camping trip, I plan out all of our meals. I try to plan camping meals that share ingredients and build off of each other, in case there are leftovers. For example, if we have extra broccoli from Friday night’s meal, that can get tossed into the stir fry on Saturday night. Making the same meals also means that my grocery shopping list is manageable and always the same. Since we’re usually behind schedule when leaving for an outdoor adventure, little efficiencies like this make a huge difference!
Usually my menu looks like this:
Friday:
Dinner: Butter Basted Steak with Broccoli
Saturday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bacon, coffee
Lunch: sandwiches with lunch meat and cheeses
Dinner: Thai Curry Simmer Sauce with Chicken and Vegetables over Jasmine Rice
Sunday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bacon, coffee
Lunch: sandwiches with lunch meat and cheeses
Like I said, when I prep our meals for camping, I try to go to one store and not hunt for anything special. We go to Trader Joe’s since their pre-made ingredients and meals help save time and cooler space! If you don’t have access to Trader Joe’s, I’m sure there are similar options available.
My Top 3 Easy Camping Meals Recipes:
Butter Basted Steak with Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 NY Strip steaks
- Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 head Broccoli
- ½ Lemon
- Thyme to taste
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the steaks dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s smoking, add the steaks and set a timer for 4 minutes. Don’t move or flip the steaks during this time!
- After 4 minutes, flip and add the butter and thyme to the pan. Set a timer for 4 minutes. While the steak is cooking on this side, tip the pan and use a spoon to scoop the juices in the pan over the steaks. Do this the entire time the steak is cooking, basting it with the butter/oil/thyme mixture. When the timer goes off, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature (these cook times and based on our preference for rare steaks, btw. Adjust time accordingly to your tastes!).
- Remove the steaks and put them on plates to rest for 5 minutes. While they are resting, add the broccoli to the pan and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Saute and allow to crisp and char until it turns bright green. Remove broccoli from heat, plate with the steaks and serve.
Nutrition
Thai Curry Simmer Sauce with Chicken and Vegetables over Jasmine Rice
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- Trader Joe’s Thai Curry Simmer Sauce
- 1 Chicken Breast cubed into 1″ pieces
- Chopped Vegetables onion, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms… whatever we have at home that needs to get used
- 1 cup Jasmine Rice
- 2 cups Water
- 3 cloves Garlic smashed
- Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pan or pot with a lid, heat olive oil over low heat. Once warm, add the rice and lightly toast for 1-2 minutes. Then pour in water, butter, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then drop the temperature to a simmer. Cook for approximately 12 minutes or until the rice is soft and has absorbed all of the water.
- While the rice is cooking, heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Saute onion until soft, then add chicken, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1-2 minutes then pour in half the jar of simmer sauce. After a few minutes, add the chopped vegetables and the rest of the sauce. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are the texture you like (I prefer mine with some crunch to them still).
- To serve, add rice to a bowl and spoon the saucy chicken and vegetables over the top. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with cilantro!
Nutrition
Ravioli and Chicken Sausage Topped with Quinoa Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 Pre-made ravioli from Trader Joe’s
- 1 Chicken apple sausage from Trader Joe’s
- 1 Quinoa pesto sauce from Trader Joe’s
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and cook the ravioli according to the packaging.
- While the water is coming to a boil, cut the sausages into 1″ rounds and saute in olive oil.
- Once both components are cooked, add both to a bowl and top with quinoa pesto.
Nutrition
So what do you think of these camping meal ideas? If you end up making them, be sure to snap a photo and send it to me on Instagram! I always love seeing when you make what I share on the blog.
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great camping meals! love it!