How to master camp cooking: 13 stress-free recipes you’ll love

Balmy nights, campfires and interacting with nature; the camping season is in full swing and what better way to escape the daily grind than to relax in the great outdoors?

Australia has some of the world’s best camping spots and experiences. But if you’re not prepared or haven’t packed the essentials, keeping hungry campers happy can be stressful.

Whether you’re catering for fussy eaters or tired of the typical hamburgers and hot dogs, here are a few easy recipes that are sure to become camp cooking favourites.

12 Tasty camping recipes

• Breakfast burritos • 15-20 minutes
• Jailed eggs • 10-15 minutes
• One-pan big breakfast omelette • 10-15 minutes
• Mason jar pancakes • 15 minutes
• Baked eggs and beans • 15 minutes
• Foil wrapped spuds/sweet potato • 30-40 minutes
• Campfire nachos • 20 minutes
• Pie iron pizza • 10 minutes
• Asian fried rice special • 10-15 minutes
• Bubble n’ squeak • 15-20 minutes
• Drunken cauliflower tacos • 20-25 minutes
• S’Mores • 10 minutes

1. Breakfast burritos • 15-20 minutes

The ultimate grab and go breakfast when you have adventuring to do.

Burritos are popular with kids because they incorporate favourite breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns, cheese and a blend of a spices. They can also be easily tailored to suit different dietary requirements.

You’ll need

• Cooking oil
• A skillet/pan and lid. Cast iron skillets are usually best for camp cooking, however, any will work
• Large bowl to mix ingredients
• Sturdy spatula
• Aluminium foil
• Your favourite breakfast burrito ingredients

Method

1. Heat oil in skillet/pan over medium heat
2. Add chopped sausage/bacon, cook until almost ready then set aside
3. Cook hashbrowns in pan over high heat until golden brown
4. Whilst the hashbrowns are cooking, scramble eggs in a bowl. Eggs can be replaced with bite-size tofu pieces (extra firm) to ‘scramble’ if you want a vegan/vegetarian option. Season with salt/pepper, hot sauce if you want a kick and a little lime juice
5. Add diced veggies to the cooked hashbrowns and mix the sausage/bacon back into the pan with the egg mixture. Alternatively, the scrambled tofu can be cooked for 10 minutes without the meat/egg
6. Cook until eggs are almost set and add shredded cheese to melt through
7. Put the mixture into the tortilla, folding the sides and bottom to make a burrito. Roll and wrap in aluminium foil to heat over campfire on low heat

Get the breakfast burrito meat version recipe here or try the vegetarian/vegan option.

2. Jailed eggs • 10-15 minutes

A twist on the standard eggs on toast, eggs in jail is a fun recipe for kids to cook (with supervision). Cook on a BBQ plate or pan over the campfire and pair with your favourite breakfast drink.

You’ll need

• Cooking oil
• Frying pan or BBQ plate
• Spatula
• Thickly sliced bread, eggs, butter. Serve with bacon and/or tomatoes, avocado if desired

Method

1. For the bacon option, cook bacon first over medium heat until crispy or skip to step 2
2. Butter the bread on both slices or add a teaspoon of butter/oil to the pan
3. Cut a hole into each slice of bread to accommodate a cracked egg, about 10 cm
4. Put the bread into the hot pan and crack an egg into the hole – this will ‘trap’ the eggs into the bread slices. One egg per slice of bread
5. As the egg begins to form, carefully use the spatula to flip the bread/egg combo and cook both sides. Cook until browned or the eggs are how you like them.
6. Season to taste

Recipe from Go Camping Australia Blog.

3. One-pan big breakfast omelette • 10-15 minutes

If you’re after a hearty start to the day or have amany mouths to feed, you can’t go past the one-pan big breakfast omelette for an easy camping meal.

Stick to the basics or get creative with ingredients for a deliciously tasty camp recipe.

You’ll need

• Cooking oil
• Frying pan
• Spatula
• Mixing bowl or Ziploc sandwich bag
• Omelette ingredients such as bacon rashers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, lightly beaten eggs, spinach, grated cheese

Method

1. If you choose to use the sandwich bag, ingredients can be pre-placed into it for each camper to prep before camping
2. Heat pan with butter or oil
3. Cook bacon until crispy
4. Prepare lightly beaten eggs in mixing bowl whilst bacon cooks
5. Add chopped mushrooms to pan and stir until brown
6. Drain any excess fluid in pan
7. Pour egg mixture into the pan with ingredients
8. Add cherry tomatoes cut in half, spinach
9. Top with grated cheese

Recipe from here.

4. Mason jar pancakes • 15 minutes

Cooking pancakes in the outback doesn’t have to be a messy or stressful experience.

In fact, with a trusty Mason jar you can turn these at-home favourites into an easy camping meal. No stove or mixing bowls necessary!

You’ll need

• Mason jar(s) with a tight fitting lid
• Frying pan
• Fork
• Spatula
• 2 cups of self-raising or all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 cups of milk, buttermilk or water. Alternatively, try these beer pancakes for the adults!
• Butter and/or oil
• Maple syrup
• Berries, banana or other seasonal fruits to top (optional)

Method

1. Pre-measure the dry ingredients before you go camping and keep them in the Mason jar
2. Add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to whisk the mixture
3. Cook over campfire and serve/top as you normally would

Read Chocolate and Marrow’s recipe or wrap your taste buds around more pancake recipes here.

5. Baked eggs and beans • 15 minutes

A classic vegetarian camping meal which can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

You’ll need

• Frying pan
• Soup ladle
• Oil
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tin four-bean mix
• 1 tin chick peas
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 2 pieces of bread
• 1 fresh lime

Method

1. Heat oil, garlic, paprika and cumin over your campfire
2. Stir the bean mix, chick peas and tomatoes in and cook for approximately 10 minutes
3. Use the back of the soup ladle to press a hollow into the mix to crack the egg into
4. Add eggs to hollow and cook gently
5. Serve with bread/toast and season to taste, with a squeeze of fresh lime

6. Foil wrapped spuds/sweet potato • 30-40 minutes

A good supply of aluminium foil is essential for camp cooking. Potatoes and sweet potatoes can both be wrapped in foil packs and cooked over the fire. Load with your favourite toppings and seasonings or keep it simple with a few basic ingredients.

You’ll need

• Cooking pot
• Aluminium foil
• Olive oil
• 4 medium sweet potatoes or large spuds
• 1 diced onion and/or spring onion
• 1 tin kidney beans (drained)
• Tomato paste
• ½ can beer
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ tablespoon cumin
• Additional toppings, cheese, sour cream, avocado and anything else you want

Method

1. Individually wrap spuds/sweet potatoes in foil and cook to soften in the campfire embers. Turn them to ensure they cook evenly
2. While they’re cooking, heat the chilli and half of the onions (save the other half for topping) in a pot and sauté
3. Add the tomato paste, beans, spices and beer. Stir well and leave it to simmer for 20 minutes
4. Once the sweet potatoes are ready (about 30 minutes, depending on size), unwrap the foil and make a slit down the middle for the sauté mix and toppings

Recipe from Fresh off the Grid.

If you love sweet potatoes, this simple Mexican-style camping meal will also go down a treat.

7. Campfire nachos • 20 minutes

There’s nothing like a large plate of nachos after a day of outback adventures. This simple vegetarian camping recipe is a good one for pleasing the masses and can be tailored slightly to suit meat eaters.

You’ll need

• Cast iron pan
• Bag(s) of corn chips
• 1 tin refried or black beans
• 1 jar black olives
• Cheese, grated
• 2 tomatoes
• ½ onion diced
• 1 jar salsa
• 1 tin of sweet corn
• Jalapeños
• Shredded lettuce
• ½ red pepper

Method

1. Use the camp ground BBQ or cook over the camp fire
2. Create a layer of corn chips at the base of the iron pan and top with beans, olives, tomatoes, cheese, onion, corn and jalapenos
3. Create a second layer of chips and top with the remaining of your toppings, with additional cheese on top

Get the recipe from The Live-In Kitchen.

8. Pie iron pizza • 10 minutes

Particularly a favourite with the kids, pie iron camp food is fun, easy and tasty – everything a good camp meal needs.

You’ll need

• Pie iron
• Pizza crust dough (thick bread slices can do the trick too)
• Your choice of pizza toppings

Method

1. Butter the pie iron and place dough or bread inside. For pizza dough, lay the dough on one side of the iron with an equal portion hanging over
2. Spread pizza sauce on both sides, toppings and seasoning. The pizza dough will need to be folded in and back over the toppings
3. Trim excess ingredients once the pie iron is closed
4. Cook on the BBQ (bread pizza about 3 minutes on both sides, dough pizza about 5 minutes on both sides)
5. Open the iron and use a spatula to remove the pizza

Read the recipe on Camping with Gus.

9. Asian fried rice special • 10-15 minutes

For this camping recipe, you can choose to pre-cook the rice to save more time.

You’ll need

• Frying pan
• Rice
• Oil
• Soy sauce
• Egg
• Your choice of vegetables (broccoli, frozen peas, white cabbage, onion etc)

Method

1. Heat the oil and add chopped vegetables. Fry until almost cooked
2. Add the rice and cook until slightly brown
3. Flavour the rice with soy sauce
4. Crack the raw egg into the rice and cook for approximately three minutes
5. Slowly mix the egg with the rice and vegetables for another five minutes

Recipe from Do it Yourself RV.

10. Bubble n’ squeak • 15-20 minutes

If you love spuds, cabbage and sausages, try this recipe for a simple camping meal.

You’ll need

• Frying pan or large pot
• Oil
• Large cabbage chopped
• 5 medium potatoes sliced into bite-sized wheels
• Your choice of sausages – Kielbasa are best
• A cup of water

Method

1. In a large pot or frying pan layer the chopped cabbage and other ingredients
2. Add water and cover
3. Simmer until sausages are cooked, approximately 15-20 minutes

Get the recipe here.

11. Drunken cauliflower tacos • 20-25 minutes

Beer-simmered vegan cauliflower tacos topped with zingy quick pickled red onions are a twist on a Mexican food favourite.

You’ll need

• Frypan
• Mixing bowl
• Olive oil
• Large cauliflower head chopped into small bites
• ½ cup of beer
• 2 tablespoons of cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 corn tortillas
• Small red onion
• 2-3 limes
• Salt
• Any additional toppings such as avocado or hot sauce

Method

1. Prepare the pickled onions with lime juice and salt in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes, tossing in between
2. Cook the cauliflower in pan with beer, seasonings and garlic. Simmer and stir frequently until liquid has evaporated
3. Add olive oil and brown the cauliflower until tender
4. Warm the tortillas in aluminium foil over BBQ plate, campfire or portable propane stove
5. Assemble the tacos

Recipe from Fresh off the Grid.

12. S’Mores • 10 minutes

Camping isn’t quite the same without s’mores to cook over the campfire. The kids will love making and eating these, and the adults too!

You’ll need

• Long metal skewers
• Your choice of medium-large crackers
• Plain milk chocolate bars
• Large marshmallows

Method

1. Take crackers and break in half (one for top and one for bottom)
2. Cover one of the halves with chocolate pieces
3. Put a marshmallow (or two) on the metal skewer to cook over campfire. Roast until slightly golden brown
4. Once toasted, lay the marshmallow on chocolate side of the cracker
5. Take the other half of the cracker and put the two together to create a sandwich. Push down firmly to remove the skewer and allow the toasted marshmallow to melt the chocolate
6. Wrap the s’mores in foil to keep warm as you make more

Read the recipe on Del’s Cooking Twist.

Camp cooking should be fun, stress-free and involve the whole family. A camping getaway is a great opportunity to teach your children about cooking and try new things.