Summertime is the perfect time to go camping with family and friends. With cooking equipment like a cooler, grill rack, can opener, and aluminum foil, what meals could one make other than s’mores? No matter who you’re with, you want some easy meals to cook over the campfire that you can prep at home and pack all the ingredients for. These fun and easy campfire meals are guaranteed to have you wanting to pack up and go camping this weekend.
Easy throw-together meals
These meals just require campers to bring the ingredients to assemble at the campsite. First off, is the meatball sub. This easy sub sandwich is perfect for camping without a griddle or grill. You’ll need skewers, buns, frozen meatballs, and any toppings you’d like. First, campers will roast their meatballs, then line them up in a bun and add sauce on top. Whether you’re a marinara sauce and mozzarella person or a barbeque person, this recipe will work for you.
Another option is the tried and true hot dog. This is a necessity and a go-to on a camping trip. They’re easy to make and easy to clean up. All you need is hot dogs, buns, and toppings. The best toppings to bring are the classic ketchup, mustard, and dill pickle relish. Make sure to grab campfire sticks as well to roast the hot dog, just like a marshmallow, to perfection over the campfire.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and shouldn’t be boring. Sausage and Cheese English Muffins are easy breakfast sandwiches for a morning out in the woods. All you need is frozen sausage, cheese slices, and English muffins. First, you’ll heat the sausage all the way through and then assemble the sandwich. Heat it once more to melt the cheese and then it’s done, a delicious hot breakfast.
Pizza nights can still be an option in the woods.
Campers can either take homemade pizza dough and cook it over the fire or for an even easier option, pack some tortillas or flatbreads for the crust. For a crispy pizza, top the crust of your choice in pizza sauce and with your favorite ingredients. Then wrap the pizza with aluminum foil and place it on the grill rack to cook.
Grilled Cheese is a delicious underrated campfire meal. It’s so easy to make and has little to no cleanup. No matter how big your group is, grilled cheese is an easy solution to feed all the mouths. Grab butter, bread, cheese, and foil to wrap each sandwich. Put together the grilled cheese sandwiches remembering to butter both the top and bottom of the sandwich. Then throw them over the fire to melt the cheese and it’s done within minutes.
Meals that need some prep at home
These meals require campers to cook ingredients at home or prep different parts of the meal to make it an easy option for camping.
First up, Rotel Nachos — a delicious meal for any camp trip.
This meal becomes easy when the meat is cooked at home. At the campsite, campers will need a can opener, stirring spoon, foil pan, and knife for this recipe. First, you’ll open the Rotel can and cut a Velveeta cheese block into smaller blocks of cheese helping it melt faster. Then add the Rotel and Velveeta to the ground beef in the foil pan, stir it around, and wait for it to melt together. Bring your favorite nacho toppings like lettuce, olives, and sour cream to really make this the perfect camp meal.
Baked Potatoes are an easy and underrated option for camping. The only catch is to cook them beforehand. Raw potatoes take forever if not prepped at home so you’ll want to cook it fully before wrapping it in foil to pack up. Then at the campfire, just let the fire do its magic and add all the toppings including sour cream, butter, and cheese when it’s soft enough to slice into.
Walking Tacos are a great meal that is easy to clean up. It’s easiest if the meat is cooked at home so that when you are camping, it’s just reheating the meat and adding all the toppings to the chip bag. Delicious toppings include lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese. An easy meal that the whole group can customize — just have enough chip bags.
Breakfast Burritos are an easy solution to all your camping breakfast needs. These breakfast burritos are perfect for camping but will need all the prep at home. Cook your favorite breakfast foods including eggs, bacon, and potatoes, allow them to cool, then wrap all the ingredients into a tortilla and wrap them in foil. Breakfast burritos are an easy meal to throw on the fire and be able to eat within minutes.
Smash Burgers are great to make while camping especially if you already have a griddle on hand to smash them on. Even if you just have a grill, you’ll be able to make delicious burgers while out in the woods. Grab raw burger patties or make some at home beforehand, hamburger buns, and all your favorite toppings including lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. Cook the burgers first then assemble the perfect smash burger. This meal may take a little longer but is still an easy and satisfying meal to throw together while camping.