Are you stuck in a camping food rut, eating the same old hot dogs and pancakes every time you head out for an adventure in the great outdoors? These 15 camping recipes will broaden your culinary horizons, from dutch oven cinnamon rolls to campfire pizza and less-messy s’mores.
Skillet Lasagna
It wouldn’t occur to most of us to try to make something like lasagna while camping, since you don’t exactly have access to an oven in the backcountry – but you can make it in a skillet! Skillet Lasagna may not brown on top, but it’s still delicious, and easy to customize to your tastes.
Dutch Oven Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
“Warning – this isn’t diet food!” says Dutch Oven Madness about this drool-worthy recipe, and they aren’t kidding. But who could turn down a fresh blueberry cinnamon roll slathered with cream cheese frosting first thing in the morning, after rolling out of a tent?
Tin Foil Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Taking camping dessert beyond the requisite s’mores, this tin foil pineapple upside-down cake is simpler than it sounds. Chunks of canned or fresh pineapple are topped with cubes of pound cake, butter and brown sugar and then placed on a hot BBQ (or coals) for just a few minutes.
Shrimp and Grits
Convenient dehydrated ingredients make a hearty, warming meal of shrimp and grits a surprisingly easy proposition, even when you’re backpacking with just basic cooking supplies. Get the recipe at MNN.com.
Tin Foil Potato Boat Dinner
Slice up a potato and fill it with meat (or, if you prefer, vegetables!) before wrapping it in foil and throwing it on the coals. Make it even faster by baking the potatoes before you leave home, so they won’t take long to cook.
Truffle Oil Omelet with Spinach and Mushrooms
Truffle oil turns an ordinary omelette into a gourmet treat. Bring along a small amount for this tempting recipe by Overland Gourmet.
Dutch Oven Stuffed Peppers
Bell peppers are stuffed with mushrooms, rice and meat or a vegetarian meat substitute in this filling one-pot recipe by Dirty Gourmet.
Black Bean Huevos Rancheros
Does breakfast get much more flavorful than this? Corn tortillas topped with eggs, black beans, fresh salsa, sour cream and avocado make a tasty meal that’s just a slight variation on classic huevos rancheros.
French Toast with Nutella, Strawberries and Bananas
There’s no trick to making this french toast any differently than you would at home – it’s essentially the same recipe, no matter where you cook it. This one adds nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas.
Campfire Banana Boats
Here’s another super-simple recipe that you’ll wish you had thought of yourself. Bananas are simply slit, stuffed with chocolate chips and marshmallows and grilled to blend the flavors.
Nutella Banana S’mores on Peanut Butter Cookies
Want another twist on s’mores? Replace the graham crackers with peanut butter cookies and the chocolate with nutella, and add banana.
Campfire Pizza
Pizza cooked over an open fire or hot coals is infused with a delicious smoky flavor, and leads to a nice crispy crust. Use flatbread, naan or pre-made pizza crust, and this meal will only take a few minutes to prepare.
Southern Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast
Bake a few biscuits before you leave the house, and then all you’ll have to do is fry up some sausage and mix together gravy for this hot home-cooked meal.
Inside-Out S’mores
S’mores can be messy. Here’s an easier way: warm your marshmallow over the fire, dip it in melted chocolate and then roll it in graham cracker crumbs.

