My son and husband camp basically every single weekend. So I've learned that the second you pull up, someone's already asking what's for dinner, and "we'll figure it out" never actually works out once you're standing over one burner with 200 people around. At this point, I just make everything ahead, in containers, ready to go- no mystery ingredients, no scrambling, just the steps that actually work on real trips.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
Here are 17 camping meals you can prep ahead and heat at the campsite, no drama.
Five simple dinners. One grocery list.
No recipe hunting, no messy shopping notes, no complicated chef projects. Just family dinners that fit real weeks.
1) Make-ahead chili (freeze in zip bags)
Ingredients
Method
- In a skillet, cook the ground beef with the onion and garlic until the beef reaches 160°F (71°C), then drain the excess fat.
- Stir in the broth, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors blend. Divide the chili into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly until cold.
- Pack the cold chili into freezer bags, press out the air, seal, freeze flat, and transport frozen or at 40°F (4°C) or below in an ice-packed cooler.
- Thaw in the refrigerator, or in a leak-proof bag submerged in cold water that is changed every 30 minutes. Pour the chili into a pot and reheat to 165°F (74°C), stirring often.
I think chili's one of the best things you can freeze because it actually tastes better after a few days in the freezer once everything's had a chance to sit and meld. I lay the bags flat to freeze, not upright, so they stack instead of eating up your whole cooler or freezer space. Get as much air out as you can for yourself. I wouldn't push it past about 3 months.
One thing I've learned: reheat it low and slow so it doesn't turn to mush.
2) One-pot chicken and rice (prep in jars)
Ingredients
Method
- In a broad mouth jar, layer the ingredients: rice, chicken, vegetables, and seasonings.
- While at camp, place a pot on a burner to boil some water. Use 2 1/2 cups for measurement.
- Add contents of the jar to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes after giving it a good stir. The rice should be tender after 5–7 minutes of cooking.
- Taste the dish and if necessary add a small amount of salt or pepper. Serve while it’s hot.
When people see the setup at the campsite they think I'm crazy to slave away making this one pot chicken and rice, but what they don't know is I've used the jars and I've done it ahead of the game. You just dump and go.
I lay the dry rice first, then spices, then whatever aromatics right into the jar. So all that's left to do out there is add a little bit and the chicken, and then it all goes in. One pot, everything cooks at the same level, soaking up all that flavor instead of just being done and then set aside.
Be careful of the ratio because it matters more than anything. I do about one part rice to one and a half parts liquid. If you skip on the liquid you get crunchy rice, too heavy and you get mush.
I always go for chicken thighs over breasts because they hold up so much better over that long cooking time. And don't try to rush it. Just stop yourself from lifting that lid. I know it's tempting, but every time you do this it lets all the steam out.
After this, some crusty bread and everyone goes to bed happy.
3) Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs & sausage
Ingredients
Method
- Cook and crumble the sausage at home, then drain the fat. Let it cool.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together. Then, cook the mixture in a skillet until the eggs are scrambled and done. Allow them to cool.
- Combine sausage, eggs, cheese, and any cooked potatoes in a bowl.
- Put some filling on each tortilla, roll it up, and then wrap it in some foil.
- At the camp, hold one burrito over a low flame and turn it every minute. It will be ready to eat in about five to seven minutes.
I make these breakfast burritos a lot because everyone eats them without complaining. Scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese, wrapped in a tortilla.
Pull them off the heat just before they look done, because they keep cooking after you take them off. So if you wait for them to look finished, they'll be overcooked by the time they cool, and they go super rubbery.
Season the eggs well; salt and pepper bring out a lot of flavor, so you don't really need to add much else. Wrap them tight so they don't fall apart, or you've got a mess everywhere. If I'm bulking these up for my son, I'll add hash browns or tater tots, too.
These work for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, whatever is happening that day.
4) Pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes (cold-packed)
Ingredients
Method
- Make your pasta from home. After cooking it, drain it, then rinse it with cold water to chill it. After all of this, you can put it in a container.
- Gently mix pesto with the chilled pasta.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and nuts if you are using them.
- Season with salt and pepper, store in a sealed container, and keep chilled in the cooler.
- You can eat it cold and right out of the container. No stove is required!
Pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes is a brilliant choice for when you want to go camping. You literally just make this one at home before you go, pack it in a cold-packed container, and then, when you get to your camping destination, you can eat it for an easy dinner or have it the next day after that long hike.
I always make this one because I have tons of basil from the garden, which I turn into pesto at home. This works really well with fusilli pasta because it catches all of that basil pesto and the creamy tomato from the sun-dried tomato. Fabulous no-cook situation.
5) Hearty beef stew (reheat from foil pouch)
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef chuck cubes in batches for 5 to 8 minutes total, then return all the beef to the pot.
- Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and flour for 1 minute.
- Add the broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, then add the carrots and potatoes and continue simmering for 30 to 60 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and the potatoes are tender.
- Divide the stew into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly until cold. Transfer the cold stew to freezer pouches, seal, and freeze flat.
- Thaw in the refrigerator, or in a leak-proof pouch submerged in cold water that is changed every 30 minutes. Transfer the stew to a pot and reheat to 165°F (74°C), stirring often; do not place a pouch over direct flame.
Whenever I use these foil pouches for a portion, I feel like I'm cheating, but it's okay, and I don't care. They are so shelf-stable, so you don't need to put them in the fridge at all until you actually open one up, which is amazing for camping. Just toss them in the food, and then I can get it off until you're hungry.
It's so easy: just drop the whole pouch into a pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes, then cut it open. Microwaving works too if there's a microwave around, but you do end up with hot spots, with the edges burning while the middle stays cool.
6) Couscous salad with chickpeas & feta
Ingredients
Method
- In a bowl, combine couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and feta.
- Pour the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper into a jar. Close the jar and shake it to combine the ingredients.
- Add dressing to salad and mix to combine.
- Place inside a cooler and sealed. If you want, you can reheat it in a pot on the stove.
This is also a fabulous salad to pre-make before you go on your hiking/camping trip; literally, couscous is so easy to make. I do this a day before I go camping.
And I'll make sure to add the lemon, olive oil, and herbs, and I like adding spices to the couscous as well when it's a little more, because I just feel like it absorbs everything so much better. This couscous salad with chickpeas and feta holds really well in a cooler.
So basically, when we arrive at our campsite, I pull this out, and you can either have it as your main meal with a bunch of other salads, or you can have this alongside your barbecue. It always just finishes off a meal really well.
7) Chicken tikka masala (freeze in silicone bags)
Ingredients
Method
- Combine chicken with yogurt and tikka paste. Marinate for 1–2 hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator.
- Cook the onion in oil until soft. Add the marinated chicken and cook, stirring, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest pieces.
- Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Mix in the cream and butter. Cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate until cold, then freeze flat in a food-safe freezer bag.
- At camp, thaw in a refrigerator or ice-packed cooler kept at 40°F or below, or reheat directly from frozen in a saucepan with a splash of water. Heat throughout to 165°F, stirring often to prevent sticking.
The sauce and the chicken tikka masala, they're going to be weird and separate if you do it the wrong way… always use freezer bags, Stasher or whatever you've got, since they lie flat in the freezer and you can stack loads of them and others in space.
Make sure that portion of the well is for single or double servings rather than one big batch, because they pull faster that way and you're not stuck with way more than you actually need.
Let's face it, everyone knows I hate waste. If the sauce does separate a bit once, don't panic; just stir it and change it while reheating. Add a splash of stock because it needs to be brought back together.
8) Campfire nachos kit (shredded cheese in a paper cone)
Ingredients
Method
- Preprep: create a paper cone with parchment and fill it with shredded cheese. Then, wrap it in plastic.
- Place chips and toppings in separate zip bags or small jars.
- At the campground, heat some oil or butter in a small skillet on your single burner.
- Pour the cheese cone contents into the skillet, stir, and allow them to melt into a smooth sauce.
- Put the chips on the foil trays and then spoon over the melted cheese.
- Serve warm after topping with beans, salsa, jalapeños, and green onions.
This is a magical little Nutricut secret I do for my son as soon as we arrive after traveling. It's a tin build-yourself, which he loves to do. It's all separate so nothing goes soggy, and then you can mold the cheese over a single-burner stove. Make sure the coals are on medium heat, not flames, because if they're too hot, it gets burnt on the bottom, and if they're too cold, the center doesn't melt.
I typically go for shredded block cheese here because it melts faster and more evenly, and I try to avoid those pre-shredded bags because they contain that starch stuff, which inhibits melting. This is a super comforting food that always goes down a treat when we camp.
9) Veggie-packed lentil curry (single-burner friendly)
Ingredients
Method
- At home: chop vegetables, rinse lentils, and put them into an airtight container together.
- At your campsite, use one burner and set the heat to medium to warm some oil in a pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
- Add in the carrots, curry powder, and cumin, and cook for one minute.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and lower the heat.
- For 15-20 minutes, boil until the carrots and lentils are soft. Add peas and salt, heat for 2 minutes.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
A decent curry powder or garam masala does most of the legwork for you here. Bloom it in the oil for a minute before you add any liquid; that's a massive difference to the flavor.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
Only use red lentils here because they require absolutely no soaking, and they're done in about 15 to 20 minutes on the burner.
For the veg, anything hardy like potato works; it goes in anything that has time to cook through. But the softer veg you want to add near the end; otherwise, it turns to complete baby food.
So far, the ones that hold up best are the lentils and the veg that do the trick. Season at the finish: salt, pepper, and something acidic. A squeeze of lemon does the trick.
10) Breakfast oats jars with dried fruit & nuts
Ingredients
Method
- In a bowl, combine the oats, milk, yogurt, chia, syrup, and salt.
- Stir in dried fruit and nuts.
- Divide into 4 jars, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
- At camp, warm up in a pot over one burner, stirring until it gets warm.
- Eat straight from the jar or bowl. You can add more milk if it’s too thick.
This is a typical go-to breakfast for us, especially when we're going away, cuz it's absolutely hassle-free. Wake up and eat. Plus, my son loves them. I like to soak my oats overnight with a mix of yogurt and almond milk. Then I make them super cute by layering them with some berries, and that's it. These are ready for everybody as soon as they wake up, just to grab out of the cooler.
So we can sleep in, and the kids take care of themselves. Plus, I get great comfort out of the fact that they're super healthy. This keeps us going strong till lunchtime.
11) Sausage and pepper skillet mix (pre-sliced)
Ingredients
Method
- Place your single burner on medium heat and warm the oil in a skillet.
- Add sausage and cook/brown for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add peppers and onion, stir and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened.
- Add paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.
- Cook for one to two more minutes to warm up the spices. Serve directly from the pan.
This is a really sneaky dinner or lunch idea. It's all pre-sliced- your sausage mix and your pepper mix- so you don't have to think about any of that other stuff like washing, cutting, etc. Pretty much, you can just throw this into a pan, cook it up, add some spices like paprika, whatever you brought along with you, and it turns into this amazing meal that you really thought of but you actually really haven't.
This goes really well with some bread you brought along, which you can just quickly put on the fire to heat up. Makes a great lunch or dinner, whatever you've got left to use up.
12) BBQ pulled pork (vacuum-sealed)
Ingredients
Method
- Use fully chilled cooked pulled pork. Combine it with the BBQ sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Divide the cold pork mixture among four vacuum-seal bags and seal them.
- Keep refrigerated until the trip, or freeze promptly. Transport at 40°F (4°C) or below in an ice-packed cooler.
- Thaw in the refrigerator, or in a leak-proof bag submerged in cold water that is changed every 30 minutes. Open the bag, transfer the pork to a pot, and reheat to 165°F (74°C), stirring often.
- Stir and serve on buns or rice.
I always make sure I've got this barbecue pulled pork coming with us when we go away on a camping or hiking holiday. It's vacuum-sealed, and I've either bought it from somewhere or made it myself, and I've taken it out of the freezer especially for this trip.
It's great; it's got a wonderful freezer life of about 6 to 12 months, and it's even good in the fridge for about 4 days. It's still good; that vacuum sealing locks in all the juices and that smoky flavor.
This is a real super fast, easy meal to prepare when you've just got a stovetop, and that's it. Put it in boiling water at about 165 degrees Fahrenheit (SVD-style), then cut it up and pour it over whatever you've got ready. Let's say a baked potato you've already made, which you put with the rice you brought with you. You can turn this into whatever meal you feel like.
13) Shrimp boil foil packets (potato, corn, shrimp)
Ingredients
Method
- At home, par-cook the potatoes until just tender, then spread them in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly until cold. Assemble four foil packets with the cold potatoes, corn, shrimp, butter, lemon, and seasoning.
- Seal the packets and keep them at 40°F (4°C) or below in an insulated cooler packed with ice or frozen gel packs; cook them the same day.
- At camp, set one burner to medium and heat your pot or large skillet.
- Place the packets in the pan, cover, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until the shrimp are opaque and reach 145°F (63°C) and the corn and potatoes are hot.
- Please let it rest for one minute. Then, you may open it carefully, and squeeze some extra lemon over each packet.
This is my go-to when I'm trying to be fancy and entertain friends camping. A few tips here, and what I've learned over the times that I've made it, is that the layering order really matters. Potatoes and corn go on first because they need the most cooking time, and then the shrimp goes right on top at the end because they cook really fast. If you put them in with everything else at the start, then they turn rubbery before the potato is even close to being done, and the whole meal is ruined.
Old Bay is non-negotiable for me, and I always add butter, garlic, and sausage if you want to fall off. Fold the foil over a couple of times to seal it, because that trapped steam is what's cooking everything through evenly.
Set this in the oven or on the barbecue or fire at 400 degrees; pull back and check at around 15 to 20 minutes. Open it to check.
These are great because they're all prepackaged, and when it's done, it's literally just open up the foil packet and, honestly, a super visually fancy meal.
14) Tomato basil soup (thermos-to-pot)
Ingredients
Method
- At home, place the tomato soup in a covered container and refrigerate it until cold. Pack it at 40°F (4°C) or below in an insulated cooler with ice or frozen gel packs; do not use a thermos to chill it.
- At camp, pour the chilled soup into a small pot on the burner.
- Pour in the broth, butter, and cream. Mix together and heat on medium-low.
- Bring the soup to a simmer and heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Stir in the basil, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
This is soup that's made at home, packed straight into the thermos, and reheated in a pot once you're there. It's not one of those just-add-water microwave situations.
Tomato and basil work so well together. The basil's sweetness cuts right through the acidity of the tomato. It's such a classic dish and such a classic pairing.
Watch out for the reheating part, because scorching at the bottom happens quite often. Keep the heat low and stir it more than it feels necessary. This one catches faster than you'd expect, in a small pot at every campsite.
If it's a bit too thick, thin it down; don't rush it. It'll gently loosen up. Gentle does it. I like to add fresh basil at the end; don't cook it together, otherwise it goes brown and oxidizes.
This is really nice to serve with a toasted grilled cheese on the side. Quick, easy, and delicious.
15) Quinoa salad with roasted sweet potato
Ingredients
Method
- On your stove, bring the quinoa and water to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
- Spread the cooked quinoa in a shallow container and refrigerate it promptly until cold.
- Mix in roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peppers, onions, and parsley.
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper into a small jar; shake and pour over salad and toss.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature, and refrigerate within 2 hours if it is not kept cold.
I make this quinoa salad with roasted sweet potato purely for myself on these kinds of trips because I crave health and don't necessarily want to eat all that barbecue or unhealthy stuff. I take great comfort knowing that quinoa has so much protein and nine essential amino acids, and that sweet potato is low in GI.
The salad lasts really well and heats really well on a single-burner stove. I'll typically have this on its own; all the boys will have it alongside meat or whatever else they've got going on. It's delicious with feta, chickpeas, fresh baby spinach, red onion, and a squeeze of lemon, which is already in there when I make it, and so all the flavors come together really well.
Just be careful: I like to add my dressing before I eat it, because if this is left too long with dressing, it does become soggy. Also, add fresh herbs- whatever you've got going on in the garden.
16) Maple-glazed salmon foil packet
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the ingredients: garlic, maple, soy, oil, salt, and pepper in a small container.
- Put a salmon portion on each square of foil. Spoon some sauce over the fish.
- Add a lemon slice on top and seal the foil packet.
- While at camp, heat a skillet on a single burner over a medium-low flame.
- Cook packets for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them once, until the salmon flakes.
- Open foil carefully, and away from your face. And serve.
This is a great way to get in some healthy protein, like fish, when you camp, and it's really easy to do over a burner. Just cover your salmon in foil packets, make sure you seal them right, with that maple glaze and tons of garlic.
And then you basically let that steam. It gives you that delicious smokiness, and no one says no to this salmon plus maple syrup. Plus there's absolutely no washing to do. I like to serve this with a green salad I put together really quickly, and there you have a super-easy dinner, or even a light lunch while you're camping.
17) Black bean & corn quesadillas (pre-assembled)
Ingredients
Method
- In a bowl, combine beans, corn, cheese, chili powder, salt, and cilantro.
- Spread the filling onto one half of each tortilla, fold, and press the edges together.
- Wrap each quesadilla in foil, refrigerate promptly until cold, and pack at 40°F (4°C) or below in an insulated cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cook the same day.
- While at camp, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat on your single burner.
- Take one quesadilla out of the package. Then, cook it for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Cook until the cheese has melted and the tortilla has browned.
- Repeat the process, and for the ones completed cover them using foil to keep them warm.
I stack these apart with paper between each one so they don't stick together, and I assemble them ahead of time because it saves so much energy and drama once you get there. Black beans and corn are both always in my pantry, so canned versions or other work perfectly fine; no need to overthink it.
Don't overfill these in the middle, or they split everywhere and get soggy, so try to keep them even, because the cheese holds them together. We've also got the option to practice it on medium heat; that's what gives the cheese time to properly melt, but a few minutes per side is usually right.
These are lovely to hand around as snacky food while we're waiting for the main food at camp.
