Cheap and Easy Camping Recipes

Cheap and Easy Camping Recipes

Both me and Luke love cooking and, for us, it’s real treat to get the chance to cook outdoors. Every camping trip we try out some new camping recipes, and this summer I particularly focused on cheap and easy meals. With a toddler to entertain, we don’t want to spend hours prepping lots of fiddly ingredients, so in order to make the experience as relaxing as possible, I stick to simple meals. Likewise, camping is meant to be a relatively cheap holiday, and so I also tried to use budget ingredients.

After a few years of trial and error, we have perfected our kitchen set up

Starters

During our most recent camping trip we had the use of a brazier, and so we quickly thought of a few simple ideas for cooking over the coals.

Easy peasy cheese on toast

We came up with the idea of making some quick and easy toasties with whatever we had to hand. The bread toasted nicely over the heat, and then for our first attempt we added some brie and a few chopped chives. I also tried with paté and this was also very tasty.

Pate on toast was surprisingly successful!

For our second attempt I added a side of spring onion and tomato to add some freshness

Mains

As we were near the coast, fish featured strongly in our main meals.

  • Seabass and samphire

On the first night we splashed out and bought a whole seabass to cook over the fire. The fish was already prepared, so we just stuffed a couple of slices of lemon in the cavity and seasoned with salt and pepper. We then wrapped in foil and placed on the grill for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through to make sure the fish cooked evenly. We served with samphire, which we gently wilted in a pan with butter.

Fish is a quick and delicious meal to cook while camping

  • Pan-fried mackerel and tuna pasta

Tuna pasta is a staple meal at home. We often have it for lunch, or for our tea when I haven’t been shopping and we need to rely on store cupboard supplies! I cook up pasta, adding a tin of tuna, chopped spring onions, a good glug of olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. If I happen to have some fresh herbs to hand, I’ll chuck those in as well (I used chives here, but basil or parsley works well too).

This meal I cooked on our gas stove for simplicity

I absolutely love mackerel, it’s so tasty and is really cheap compared to other types of fish.  This mackerel came with a herb butter, so I simply pan-fried it on our gas stove.

Served with a side salad, it made a filling meal

  • Pork stroganoff with baked sweet potato

This was a bit of a stab in the dark, but actually worked out really well. I was looking for a simple one pot meal that I could cook in our billy can and remembered that in the past I had whipped up a particularly tasty pork stroganoff, so I decided to try and recreate it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my recipe with me, and without the internet I didn’t have the means to look it up. So I had to rely on my memory, what could go wrong?!

I diced some pork fillet and browned in a pan over the gas stove with onions and mushrooms. I added salt and pepper and a small tub of soured cream. (Proper stroganoff should have paprika, but I forgot to pick some up). I also added a little water as I was worried about it drying out, but I think it would have been fine without. I then put it on the fire to simmer for a while.

I started the stroganoff on the gas stove, but put it on the fire to simmer. In the meantime, we had some lovely sweet corn on the cob for starters

Our finished meal, pork stroganoff and baked sweet potato.

We served our stroganoff with baked sweet potato, which turned out to be a bit of a triumph. I double wrapped the potatoes in foil and placed in the embers of our campfire. From memory I think they took about 45 minutes, although I can’t remember exactly. I basically kept checking and turning them every 10 minutes so I could see when they were done. Served with a good dollop of butter, they were super tasty.

As for pudding, the only option was some toasted marshmallows!

Finn loved toasted marshmallows sandwiched between digestive biscuits. Not the healthiest dessert, but a perfect camping treat!

What are your go-to cheap and easy camping recipes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

  • Sally-Jane Sally-Jane October 05, at 11:37

    We’ve perfected our camping kitchen too and now rely on EHU. With meat eaters, a vegetarian and a non fish eating meat eater to cater for I’ve had to invest in more equipment. I take a two ring electric hob, a mini oven and a mini slow cooker, 3 saucepans and a frying pan. Cooking two meals each night is a juggling act, but in the UK I tend to go for bologanise, chilli and stews or half a chicken cooked in the oven.
    In France we tend to eat cold food most of the time and take advantage of the free bbqs dotted around the site to cook sausages, escalopes or fish from the river. We also have a handy rosterie in the village if I fancy a night off from cooking.

    Reply
    • The Helpful Hiker The Helpful Hiker October 05, at 16:47

      Wow, sounds like you really have got it down to a fine art. I love cooking outdoors, it always tastes better!

      Reply
  • So many tasty recipes here, can’t wait to try some out! Really impressed by your pork stroganoff!

    Reply
    • The Helpful Hiker The Helpful Hiker October 05, at 16:48

      Thanks! It tasted great considering I kind of made it up. I do like experimenting!

      Reply
  • Oldhouseintheshires Oldhouseintheshires October 11, at 09:17

    These look yummy! I love cooking outdoors too…we plan to put in a kitchen in our garden so that we can cook outside. I love fish wrapped in foil on the grill….that looks yummy! #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Sarah Stockley Sarah Stockley October 11, at 10:07

    I love campfire cooking we have a fire bowl and also a frontier stove. We tend to go for easy things like kebabs or pasta really but I’d love to try out some proper recipes. Sarah #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Emma Hip2trek Emma Hip2trek October 11, at 10:50

    I love your camping recipes. These campfire ones sound delicious, especially the pork stroganoff, mmm yummy! #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Holly - Little Pickle's Mom Holly - Little Pickle's Mom October 11, at 13:44

    Ooh you’re wonderfully more adventurous with your camping cooking than we are! Corned Beef Hash is our favourite – it’s something I used to have so often on camping holidays as a child that it just SCREAM tents to me. Ha ha. #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Sarah Sarah October 11, at 13:50

    Wow, they are impressive. I love you set up, especially the gazebo for extra space. My mum was an absolute master as camping recipes and we had some great concoctions as kids, but I am salivating at your brie on toast.

    Sarah | WildDunk Camping

    Reply
  • pip pip October 11, at 22:24

    #ADVENTURECALLING wow that all looks so good. some great ideas for our forest school sessions. thanks. you have made me hungry now! xx

    Reply
  • Lauren Lauren October 11, at 23:03

    Just goes to show it doesn’t have to be just beans 🙂

    We did barbecued bananas. Cut the banana lengthwise, slip in some chocolate buttons (and maybe a little whiskey for the adults), wrap in foil and stick in the barbecue. Yum

    #AdventureCalling

    Reply
  • Ashley Beolens Ashley Beolens October 12, at 12:32

    Great tips and recipes, hope to do more camping next year so will have to bookmark 🙂 #AdventureCalling

    Reply
  • Maid in Dartmoor Maid in Dartmoor October 13, at 14:31

    Can’t beat marshmellows! ? #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Stuart Forster Stuart Forster October 14, at 14:50

    That sea bass and samphire is a great idea. I’m a big advocate of one pan cooking while camping!

    Reply
  • mommamack mommamack October 14, at 21:52

    one thing that puts me off the idea of camping is not being able to eat as well as i’d like to, however these are some fabulous ideas to still cook healthy and hearty meals whilst under canvas, thanks for some great tips #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • Helena Helena October 18, at 19:42

    Despite just having eaten dinner I’m tempted to try these out now. #adventurecalling

    Reply
  • We’re going wild camping on the first weekend of November, with access to a camp fire/brazier to cook, so I’ll definitely try out some of your recipes!
    #Adventurecalling

    Reply
  • David - Potty Adventures David - Potty Adventures October 24, at 14:22

    You’ve definitely inspired me to cook more fish when we’re family camping. We eat loads of it at home but can’t think of once when we’ve eaten it camping. It’s great if you’re by the sea and can source it fresh and locally too. #adventurecalling

    Reply

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