15 Camping Meals That Will Level Up Your Outdoor Adventure

Camping meals are rarely luxurious, fresh, or gourmet since they have to be easy to pack and safely edible for several days. Most campers come home craving fresh vegetables and a big, hearty meal. These easy, delicious ideas can change the camping game.

1. Breakfast Burritos

Premake breakfast burritos before heading on your outdoor adventure. Fill the burrito with scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese, wrap it in tinfoil, and freeze it. Throw it on the campfire when your tummy demands a warm and cheesy meal.

2. Hobo Packs

Campers call these meals “hobo packs” or “hobo pies.” Cooks wrap sausage, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, bell pepper seasoned in pepper, salt, garlic powder, sriracha, and ketchup tightly in foil. Once cooked over a campfire, they add shredded cheese that melts on top.

3. Roast Vegetables

Peppers, squash, and potatoes roasted in foil over a fire are great ways to get in your five portions of fruit and vegetables. Once roasted, you can always add a dollop of cream cheese or sour cream on top.

4. Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Cut out the tomato cores and stuff them with cream cheese. Cook them over the fire in foil, and either warm up pre-cooked pasta or cook it simultaneously. Mash the tomato and cream cheese and pour it over the pasta.

5. Banana Dessert

Some campers sandwich chocolate between two slices of banana, add butter and brown sugar, wrap it in foil, and then grill it. It can be either a delicious dessert idea or a sweet breakfast option.

6. Cinnamon Bears

Wrap packaged biscuit dough around a cooking fork and bake it over the campfire until it’s crispy. Roll the “biscuit” in melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

7. Chili and Tortilla Chips

Prepare a batch of chili and freeze it before you go camping. Thaw it, then heat it over the camp stove or campfire. Serve it with tortilla chips and cheese for a tasty dinner.

8. The “Grandpa Special”

This breakfast meal is similar to what campers report their older family members made when they went camping. Cook bacon in a cast-iron pan, then use the bacon grease to fry onions and potatoes. Scramble eggs and combine with the potatoes, onions, bacon, and shredded cheese.

9. Steak Sticks

Steak sticks are a great meal when you need a hit of protein. Before you leave home, thinly slice a flank steak and coat the slices in a marinade of water, molasses, mustard powder, ground ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pack the steak with the remaining marinade in a ziplock bag in the cooler. When ready, thread the steak slices onto skewers and cook them until you get a nice sear.

10. Breakfast Sandwich

Cook sausage, diced tomatoes, onions, and cheese, and scramble together with eggs. Sandwich the ingredients between two slices of bread, a biscuit, or an English muffin.

11. Breakfast Bagel

Toast a bagel over the grill and add cream cheese, lox, or whatever else you like. They’re also good for breakfast sandwiches or as the base for a quick pizza.

12. Skewered Fish

For the camping fisherman, once you’ve caught your prize, season it with salt, pepper, butter, and lemon juice. Put the fish on skewers and cook over the campfire.

13. Charcuterie Board

Pack different cheeses, pickled vegetables, fruits, and nuts to place on a board. Not only do you look classy setting this up, but almost zero prep is involved, and cleaning consists of wiping off the board.

14. English Muffin

Another good way to cook an English muffin is to top it with scrambled eggs and cheese and wrap it in tinfoil. Bake the muffin over the campfire. Add sausage, bacon, ham, or even sliced beef to make a hearty breakfast option.

15. Hot Dogs

Wrap bread dough around a straight, clean stick or skewer and bake it over the fire until it’s crispy. Remove the bread from the stick and fill it with a hot dog. You can also add fruit jam or any other filling you enjoy.