Easy camping meal ideas

[airmanwilliams]

After having a craving for a tinfoil dinner tonight I decided to convince the wife and son to have them for dinner and wondered what other variety of tinfoil dinners do you guys make up or other easy camping meals.

 

[mesha]

Fritos, pour on chili, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese, etc.

cheap 99 cent pizzas. fold them in half, wrap in tinfoil.

for the trail we really like boiled eggs

We don't eat a lot of tinfoil dinners because they take so long to cook. My grandparents used to cook them on the engine of the jeep.

 

[DAA]

Tin foil dinners are kind of my idea of the opposite of an easy camping meal. They are time consuming to prepare and a PITA to cook.

Steaks. Fried potatoes. Cheesecake (store bought). Brats. Canned veggies like asparagus. Pork chops. Halibut filets. Chocolate cake (store bought). Yakisoba. Salmon patties. Cheeseburgers. Bacon fried green beans. Fried cabbage. These are easy camping meals.

None of the above require any "prep" time at all and all require only a single skillet and any cheap two burner propane stove to prepare. From opening the tailgate of the Jeep to eating, I'm not more than 15 minutes on any of these. After eating, dishes are done and the stove put away in 5 minutes. That's my idea of an easy camping meal.

- DAA

 

[Rot Box]

This is my favorite breakfast:

-Can of corn beef hash.
-Two eggs.
-Two strips of bacon.

Directions: Heat corn beef hash until beef is crispy. Cook the eggs over easy. Put the eggs on top of the corn beef hash (Sometimes I add a little cheese if I want to get crazy) and enjoy.



:greg:

 

[Kevin B.]

Crazy? Cheese is necessary.

 

[jeeper]

My camping/trail meals are SUPER EASY!

Step 1: say 'wife, I'm hungry'
step 2: go do something not related to food at all
step 3: return and eat.

clean up works about the same way.

 

[sixstringsteve]

You need to experience the magic of the pie iron.

I agree with foil dinners being the worst camping food. If you DO end up going this route, I recommend pre-cooking the meat and veggies so you just have to heat them up. I've had many nights waiting 30 min for the fire to get some good coals, then waiting another 45 min for the meat/potatoes to cook, only to have raw meat or bunt to a crisp veggies.

 

[sixstringsteve]

here are some of our favorite car camping meals. Usually when I'm camping I'm hungry and I don't want to wait 20+ minutes for dinner to be ready. So for me, fast and easy are important, along with easy and quick cleanup.


Breakfast
- scrambled eggs and tortillas for breakfast burritos. Crack the eggs into a water bottle beforehand so you don't have to worry about the mess of shells or broken eggs at camp. Pour into skillet, scramble, and put on some tortillas with cheese. Get some ketchup or hot sauce packets from your favorite fast food joint.
- bagels and cream cheese. easy, fast breakfast
- costco muffin and yogurt


Lunch
- PB&J. Easy
- cheese and crackers (DIY lunchables)
- hoagies


Dinner
- bagged salads. They have everything including dressing, and it's surprising how good a salad tastes after a long day on a trail
- hot dogs or brats. easy and fun for kids for dinner
- cup o noodle. Add lots of bacon bits. SUPER easy
- pie iron grilled cheese, pizzas, desserts, the sky is the limit
- instant mashed potatoes with nuts, spices, and fritos
- fast food on the way down. Sometimes it's just more convenient to grab a burger and take it to camp.

 

[Troop92]

Tin foil dinners are kind of my idea of the opposite of an easy camping meal. They are time consuming to prepare and a PITA to cook.
- DAA

We discourage our boy scouts from making them, invariably they burn crispy or come out raw.

Crazy? Cheese is necessary.

This.

My camping/trail meals are SUPER EASY!

Step 1: say 'wife, I'm hungry'
step 2: go do something not related to food at all
step 3: return and eat.

clean up works about the same way.

You're a brave brave man...

Many of my choices track with what DAA suggested. We try to show our scouts the wide world of good foods that can be done on a campout, especially one where you're driving in and have use of a stove.

Breakfast
Dutch oven (or skillet) scramble, with eggs, sausage, onion, pepper, and potato. Eat from plate or stuff in pita or tortilla. Endless variation.

Lunch
Sandwiches, fruit, granola

Dinner
Steak, chicken, brats, kebabs (made at home)

One cooler holds it all - top to bottom dinner, breakfast, lunch.

 

[carsonc1974]

We have become big fans of pie irons over here. Lots of fun things to make, and minimal cleanup. Only downside is the need for coals.

 

[Kevin B.]

I've used my pie irons over propane flame a couple times now. It's just a small cast iron pan with a really long handle...

 

[Spork]

I've used my pie irons over propane flame a couple times now. It's just a small cast iron pan with a really long handle...

I stick my dutch oven on a camp chef most of the time, it probably makes the true dutch oven cooks cringe.

BTW, bacon, potatoes, carrots, onion, can of soup and some water + about 40 minutes makes some great potatoes to go with your steak.

 

[DaveB]

Tin foil dinners are easy if you use the method I would teach my scouts.... cook it in the oven at home before you leave then freeze it. Stuff it in a plastic bag inside your sleeping pad to keep it cold. By the time you get to camp its thawed out and all you need to do is warm it up.

 

[Skylinerider]

A good easy breakfast is freezer bag omelets. Dump all your ingredients (eggs, peppers, meat, etc) into a freezer bag, seal them up and drop the bag in boiling water. Makes for easy cleanup and everyone gets what they want in their own bag. Write your name on the bag with a sharpie to avoid any confusion.

 

[sixstringsteve]

crock-pot bags also work well, they have a higher melting point, if that ever becomes an issue.

 

[Jinx]

My grandparents used to cook them on the engine of the jeep.

We need to start another Thread out engine compartment cooking.

Burritos wrapped in foil on intake manifold
Can of Chili bailing wired to the exhaust.

 

[Kevin B.]

I've done frozen burritos over the exhaust manifold. I'm too scared to put a sealed can of anything under there though.

 

[ID Bronco]

After having a craving for a tinfoil dinner tonight I decided to convince the wife and son to have them for dinner and wondered what other variety of tinfoil dinners do you guys make up or other easy camping meals.

I love tinfoil dinners! But, I always cook them first at home, fully cooked. I usually put them in a disposable bread pan which is a snap to cook in and eat out of, and only when I am car camping and can haul my trash off.

Then, I love them. I do it like this: 1. Hashbrowns shredded, 2. hamburger fully cooked, ground, 3. little smokies mixed in, 4. carrots and corn, 5. can of cream of chicken soup, 6. cheese and.... 7. bacon bits (or real bacon if your not sick of cooking yet)

It's not easy but it is awesome on the trail, in the fire after camp set up or a short hike. (or day of hunting, pull out of cooler and really fill up!)

Fritos, pour on chili, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese, etc.

cheap 99 cent pizzas. fold them in half, wrap in tinfoil.

I will be doing this!!!! Soon!

You need to experience the magic of the pie iron.

I agree with foil dinners being the worst camping food. If you DO end up going this route, I recommend pre-cooking the meat and veggies so you just have to heat them up. I've had many nights waiting 30 min for the fire to get some good coals, then waiting another 45 min for the meat/potatoes to cook, only to have raw meat or bunt to a crisp veggies.

here are some of our favorite car camping meals. Usually when I'm camping I'm hungry and I don't want to wait 20+ minutes for dinner to be ready. So for me, fast and easy are important, along with easy and quick cleanup.


Breakfast
- scrambled eggs and tortillas for breakfast burritos. Crack the eggs into a water bottle beforehand so you don't have to worry about the mess of shells or broken eggs at camp. Pour into skillet, scramble, and put on some tortillas with cheese. Get some ketchup or hot sauce packets from your favorite fast food joint.
- bagels and cream cheese. easy, fast breakfast
- costco muffin and yogurt


Lunch
- PB&J. Easy
- cheese and crackers (DIY lunchables)
- hoagies


Dinner
- bagged salads. They have everything including dressing, and it's surprising how good a salad tastes after a long day on a trail
- hot dogs or brats. easy and fun for kids for dinner
- cup o noodle. Add lots of bacon bits. SUPER easy
- pie iron grilled cheese, pizzas, desserts, the sky is the limit
- instant mashed potatoes with nuts, spices, and fritos
- fast food on the way down. Sometimes it's just more convenient to grab a burger and take it to camp.

I bought pie irons for our troop and for my family. I have tried a few deserts and they haven't turned out very good. Tasty, but the cleanup was a pain on the cast iron, pie iron. Like cleaning up a cobbler in a dutch oven.

I'm sure cheese, pepperoni and olives would be way less mess.

 

[ID Bronco]

Also,

I love DIY lunchables but I use beef stick with it. It fills us up and stays with us a while. I have also become really used to and fond of the "sweet and salty" trail mix kind of products. I buy them at Sam's and include the single serving planters variety pack. Lots of kinds of nuts. Great trail food, and while hunting they keep me going and very little mess/garbage.

 

[airmanwilliams]

Thanks guys. After having tinfoil dinners last night we were trying to come up with easy meals we can put together and either have at home in the backyard in our fire pit or out camping. We will be picking up a dutch over for my wife as her mothers day present since thats what she wants and will be picking up a few other various sized ones from my father that he hasnt used for a few years. I also need to soon pick up some small pans that will work on our small stove in our tent trailer.

Steve- We have 3 square irons but need to pick up a few other choices and a bag for them soon. There once was someone on here that was selling them and other camping stuff, Stephen maybe?