Wilderness Culinary Adventures: A Guide to Cooking While Camping

We're all familiar with the traditional camping fare - hot dogs, hamburgers, and plain old PB&J sandwiches. But let's be honest, isn't it starting to feel a bit monotonous? Why not spice things up and prepare some extraordinary camping meals that will delight your loved ones?

Imagine this: a crackling campfire, the scent of nature in the air, and a tantalizing array of delicious foil camping meals sizzling away. From mouthwatering foil-wrapped salmon with lemon and dill to savory packets of seasoned potatoes and vegetables, these delectable dishes will have your taste buds dancing with delight. You can even try creating foil packets filled with marinated chicken and colorful bell peppers for a zesty and satisfying feast under the stars.

Looking to impress your fellow campers? Plan ahead with some impressive camping meals that will leave everyone astounded. Picture this: waking up to the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls or savoring a gourmet breakfast skillet packed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese. With a little pre-planning, you can prepare make-ahead camping meals like hearty chili, lasagna, or even gourmet mac and cheese. Simply reheat them over the fire or on a camping stove, and you'll have a crowd-pleasing meal that will make you the camping hero. A great camping stove is the Coleman Triton 2-Burner Propane Camping Stove. It has 2 burners and wind guards for easier cooking. At $69 its a great 2 burner stove to cook on while camping.

If you're looking for simplicity without compromising on flavor, one pan camping meals are the way to go. These fuss-free dishes require minimal cleanup and still deliver on taste. Whip up a hearty skillet of sausage and peppers, or sizzle some shrimp and vegetables in a garlic-infused butter sauce. You can even try a one-pan campfire nacho skillet, layering tortilla chips, cheese, and all your favorite toppings for a gooey, melty, and irresistible camping treat. One pan stove burner Dual Fuel Stove with Butane & Propane Compatibility.

Now, let's talk about elevating the classics. Yes, hot dogs and hamburgers can be delicious, but with a few expert tips, they can become extraordinary. Consider upgrading your hot dogs with gourmet toppings like caramelized onions, jalapeno relish, or even a tangy slaw. For hamburgers, try mixing in some minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, or crumbled blue cheese for an added burst of flavor. And don't forget about the buns! Toast them on the grill or campfire for a warm and slightly charred texture that will take your burger experience to the next level.

With these tantalizing ideas for foil camping meal recipes, plan ahead camping meal recipes, over the fire camping meal recipes, and gourmet camping recipes, you will be a showstopper at your next camp out with your friends and family!

We will start off with some camping foil packet meals as they are the easiest to prepare while camping.

Foil Camping Meal Recipes

Sausage and Potato Camping Foil Packets:

Ingredients:

• Smoked sausage, sliced
• Potatoes, cubed
• Onion, sliced (anyway you want it)
• Bell peppers, sliced
• Olive oil
• Bacon (can be enough grease without olive oil, Just line the foil before putting in other ingredients)
• Garlic powder, salt, and pepper (I add garlic if I have it)

Instructions:

1. Put bacon on foil then sausage, potatoes, onion, and bell peppers on foil sheets.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Seal the foil packets and cook on the campfire grate or portable grill for 20-25 minutes.

    On campfire rotate about every 5 min so the bacon grease dispurces and seasons all the ingredients.

You can prepare all the items in separate Ziploc bag at home ahead of time, just have water in the potato bag. On a plus side this will take out some starch making it more likely to crispify some of them for added flavor. 

These foil packet recipes are not only delicious but also easy to customize based on your preferences. I added corn in the picture below as my guests were corn lovers. Enjoy the convenience and simplicity of foil meals during your camping adventures!

Cheesy Bacon Potato Camping Foil Packets

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Oil (or butter
• Bacon bits
• Garlic powder, salt, and pepper (I add garlic if I have it)

Instructions:

1. Put wedged potatoes on foil and drizzle the potatoes in oil and season with seasonings.
2. Seal the foil packets and cook on the campfire grate or portable grill for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes reach the desired tenderness.
3. Open and add cheese and bacon bits
4. Return to fire about 5 min and then remove.

    On campfire rotate about every 5 min so the potatoes do not char. On portable grill cook on med-high heat.  Potatoes can be pre cut at home then soaked in water to stay fresh and also release some of the starch.

BBQ Chicken Campfire Foil Packets:

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• BBQ sauce
• Red onion, sliced
• Bell peppers, sliced
• Corn on the cob, halved
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Place chicken, vegetables, and corn on individual foil sheets.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat with BBQ sauce.
3. Seal each packet tightly.
4. Grill over the campfire or portable stove for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

The chicken and vegetables can all be pre cut at home ahead of time packaged in ziplock bags, store raw meat in its own bag and vegetables in the other and easily dump them on to foils.

((((((Cooking thermometer))))

Campfire Foil Veggie Packets

Ingredients:

• Assorted vegetables (e.g., potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini)
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme)- For extra pizazz

Instructions:

1. Slice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place the veggies on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.
4. Fold the foil into a packet, ensuring it's sealed tightly.
5. Cook on the campfire grate or a portable grill for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Lemon Pepper Chicken and Veggies Campfire Foil Packet

Ingredients:

• Assorted vegetables (e.g., broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini)
• Olive oil or butter
• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Chicken Cut up into bite size pieces

Instructions:

1. Slice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place the Chicken on heavy-duty foil.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.
4. Add the vegetables to foil.
5. Fold the foil into a packet, ensuring it's sealed tightly.
6. Cook on the campfire grate or a portable grill for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

All these ingredients can be cut ahead of time and placed in a Ziploc bag until ready to use.

One Pan Camping Recipes

One Pan Sausage and Eggs Camping Breakfast

Ingredients:

• 1IL or ground sausage (we use HOT as it as a perfect spice of flavor when cooked with so many eggs)
• 1 Dozen eggs

Instructions:

1. Cook the sausage while breaking it up into smaller pieces.Cook until desired crispiness.
2. You can soak up some of the grease at this point but is not needed.
3. Crack the eggs right over the sausage and start treating it like scrambled eggs.
4. Grill over the campfire or portable stove for 5-10 minutes, stirring the eggs often.

No need for you to scramble the eggs as it will turnout scrambled this way also. No extra dishes while camping. The chicken and vegetables can all be pre cut at home ahead of time packaged in ziplock bags, store raw meat in its own bag and vegetables in the other and easily dump them on to foils.

A great cooking pan you can use over the fire or on a propane grill is the Lodge cast iron skillet for only $19.90.

One Pan Chicken Camping Meal

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme), optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over the campfire or portable stove.
2. Season chicken thighs with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Add olive oil to the skillet and sear the chicken thighs until browned on both sides.
4. Add halved baby potatoes and baby carrots to the skillet, arranging them around the chicken.
5. Cover the skillet and let it cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
6. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add broccoli florets to the skillet.
7. Garnish with fresh herbs if available.
8. Serve directly from the skillet

One Pan Breakfast Potatoes and Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 pound potatoes, halved
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 bell peppers chopped
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme), optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over the campfire or portable stove.
2. Season potatoes with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Add generous olive oil to the skillet and cook potatoes until desired browning.
4. Add the rest of the onions and bell peppers to the skillet, cook for 5 min.
5. Fatten out the potato mixture and arrange six cracked eggs over the top of the potatoes individually.
6. Cover the skillet and let it cook for 6-10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to the desired runniness.
7. Garnish with fresh herbs if available.
8. Serve directly from the skillet

You can add bacon while the potatoes are cooking and add cheese after cooking to elevate this one pan camping meal to the next level.

One Pan Seasoned Steak bites and Broccoli

ngredients:

• 3Lb Sirloin Steak cubed
• 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Garlic and herb seasoning (McCormick's is really good)

Instructions:

1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over the campfire or portable stove.
2. Season steak with seasonings (can be cut and seasoned at home).
3. Add olive oil to the skillet and halved potatoes , cook covered for 10-15 min.Then move to one side.
4. Add broccoli floretts over the potatos
5. Then place the steak bites in other half.
6. Cover the skillet and let it cook for 6 minutes and rotate the steak bites and cook an additional 5 min.
7. Garnish with fresh herbs if available.
8. Serve directly from the skillet