45+ One Pot Camping Meals: Easy Recipes For Delicious Camp Food
Car campers and backpackers have limited space so one-pot meals are great options for reducing the amount of equipment needed to cook their camping food. Plus, these tasty recipes have the added bonus of reduced cleanup, cook and prep time which is fantastic for RV camping too!
My one pot camping meals are packed with flavor! The recipes are specifically created for camp cooking in the great outdoors using readily available, simple ingredients and require only one single pot for cooking (usually a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven or aluminum foil packets). So, let’s get cooking!
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Breakfast Recipes
It is called the most important meal of the day. Starting with a hearty breakfast gives you the energy you need to hike, bike, fish or swim the day away. Here are some of my most popular camping breakfast ideas.
1. Camping Breakfast Skillet
This simple recipe starts with the classic combination of ham and eggs. Then jazzes things up by adding potatoes, cheese and green onions to make a breakfast that’ll be on your table in less than 30 minutes.
2. Mountain Man Breakfast
This gluten free camping food is a traditional camping breakfast that is big and bold … it is for Mountain Men after all. My family doesn’t like casseroles that have too many potatoes and not enough meat, so, I created this unique version that is cheesy, meaty, more moist and has a slightly spicy touch of the southwest. The hot breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese and green chilies are key. Add a bit of sour cream and green onions for the perfect finishing touch.
3. Dutch Oven French Toast
French toast is a sweet breakfast treat but not an easy meal if everyone wants to sit down and eat at the same time. That’s why I created this Dutch Oven French Toast recipe. It has warm flavors that come from the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves … sweetness is added with a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze.
4. Cowboy Breakfast Skillet
One-pot meals usually mean the entire pot contains the same stuff. One thing I really like about this Cowboy Breakfast Skillet is that the eggs can be cooked scrambled and sunny side up together. The bed of sausage and potatoes make the perfect backdrop for this cast-iron skillet breakfast.
5. Dutch Oven Breakfast Pizza
Pizza for breakfast? Sure, you can! This recipe starts with a fast cornmeal batter crust that you top with an egg mixture, cheddar cheese and deli ham. Bake it and serve hot with some fresh green onions, tomatoes and sour cream or honey.
6. Dutch Oven Egg Bake
Hot pork sausage, country style hash browns, eggs, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese create a unique breakfast flavor profile for this simple egg bake. This easy breakfast takes just 5 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.
7. Hungry Man Breakfast
When you combine bacon, Southern style hash browns, green bell pepper, onion, eggs, cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream, you get a satisfying skillet breakfast. It can be cooked on a camp stove or over campfire coals. You’ll be eating in under 30 minutes!
8. Dutch Oven Monkey Bread
This cinnamon & sugar bread is an easy, sweet and slightly crispy recipe that is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
9. Swedish Oven Pancake
This morning meal starts by frying bacon. After it’s crispy, you’ll pour a batter in the pot and bake till the pancake is fluffy and golden brown. Top it with a sweet syrup for a classic taste. Or, try a twist by adding a savory salsa.
10. Savory Dutch Baby Camping Recipe
Bacon and pepper jack cheese make this puffy savory pancake so delicious. You can eat it with a fork or pick it up like a slice of pizza!
Dinner Recipes
If you have meat in your freezer and don’t know what to do with it … you are in luck! Just scroll down to find awesome recipes that use chicken, beef, pork, fish and some that combine several types of meats to create luscious camping dinner recipes.
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Chicken Recipes
11. Dutch Oven Lemon Chicken
Chicken thighs and petite potatoes are combined with garlic, onion, fresh rosemary and lemon for a simple and flavorful one pot meal that makes its own pan sauce!
12. Pesto Tortellini Bake Freezer Meal
This is one of my make ahead freezer meals you just “dump and cook” at the campsite. You’ll love this tasty dish that combines chicken, cheese tortellini and grape tomatoes in a creamy sauce.
13. Dutch Oven Chicken And Potatoes
You won’t believe how delicious this simple recipe tastes. It uses bacon to provide tons of flavor without a lot of work. The chicken, potatoes and carrots make a full and satisfying dinner that only takes 15 minutes of meal prep time and 30 minutes to cook.
14. Dutch Oven White Chicken Chili
We like our chili thick and creamy which is easily accomplished with the addition of cream cheese. This recipe uses cubed white chicken breast meat rather than ground meat so you are really getting a nice bite with each spoonful. Ground cumin, canned green chiles and fresh cilantro give a Mexican hint to this dish.
15. Creamy Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta
I always keep a few pre-cooked chicken breasts in my freezer so I can whip up easy camping meals to make fast campsite pasta dinners. This recipe uses fire roasted tomatoes, Cajun seasoning and a jalapeno pepper to create a slightly spicy kick to this delicious meal.
16. Dutch Oven Thai Campfire Chicken Recipe
Campers may not want to spend a long time prepping and cooking after a long day of exploring national parks and outdoor landscapes so make ahead camping meals are a great option for “dump and cook” or “dump and reheat” easy meals like this Thai chicken recipe.
17. Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie
Personally, I love a good old-fashioned chicken pot pie but I didn’t want to deal with making a double crust at the campsite. So, my twist on this classic comfort food is avoiding the crust entirely. I’ve made this recipe really simple by using frozen veggies (to avoid chopping carrots and green beans) and canned refrigerated biscuit dough that creates a fluffy biscuit upper crust that is buttery and flakey.
18. Dutch Oven Latin Campfire Chicken
When I use ingredients that are not in my normal camping spice kit, I like to measure and mix them at home so I’m not carrying an entire drawer of those bottles to the campsite. A ton of flavor comes from the ground cumin and allspice in this recipe. Add in cubed chicken breast meat, prepared salsa, chicken broth, garlic cloves, a cubed sweet potato, red bell pepper and black beans for a satisfying and flavor-packed full meal.
19. Camp Oven Chicken Curry
Looking to eat something a little different on your next camping trip? Try this curry chicken! The combination of the curry paste, curry powder and coconut milk combine with onion and garlic cloves to provide flavor in the easiest way! The chicken, carrots and potatoes make this a full meal. I also like to serve it with rice but that is totally optional.
20. Dutch Oven Mexican Chicken
This chicken is full of bold flavors baked into a one pot meal of chicken and rice. The chili powder, ground cumin, oregano and coriander provide the spices while the onion and garlic provide the aromatics. Simmer the chicken and rice in prepared salsa and chicken broth and dinner is served.
21. Trinidad Stew Chicken Recipe
This Trini stewed chicken contains chicken, potatoes and carrots that are all simmered together in a deep brown sauce which makes the meat look more like beef than white meat chicken breasts.
22. Chicken Fajitas Freezer Meal
You prep this make-ahead easy dinner at home, freeze it, then just defrost, dump and cook at camp for a quick meal.
23. Chicken Piccata Soup
You don’t need to work all day to make a fresh and warm soup, this one is ready in about 30 minutes.
24. 3 Ingredient Caesar Chicken
You’ll be shocked at how tasty this 3-ingredient recipe tastes!
Turkey Recipes
25. Dutch Oven Turkey Chili
Yes, I do have two white chili recipes! This one has a thinner consistency than the chicken chili and it uses ground turkey. The three cans of white bean add lots of protein and fiber to this totally delicious chili dinner that is low carb making it a great keto camping food option.
Beef Recipes
26. Pesto Steak Pasta
This steak and pesto pasta is one of the best one pot camping meals you’ll ever eat! And, it’s one of our camping pasta recipes that’ll be on your table in 30 minutes!
27. Big Mac Sloppy Joes
This twist on a fast-food classic will wow your hungry campers! This is a fast meal that takes sloppy joes to a whole new level because of the Big Mac copycat secret sauce and the double-decker sandwich.
28. Camp Oven Roast Beef
You only need about 10 minutes of prep work but you’ll need about 2 hours to cook this beef roast to a fabulous fork-tender consistency. The whole family will be happy you made this meat and potatoes satisfyingly good meal.
Slow-cooked home recipes, like pot roast, are now commonly made in an instant pot to cook in less time while still achieving tender meat. But, when you are camping, you need to do things a little differently. The best way to get fork-tender meat without fancy cooking equipment that requires electricity is the old fashioned way … low and slow cooking.
29. Dutch Oven Beef Stroganoff
When I make pasta recipes at the campsite, I rarely boil it in its own pot of water. For this stroganoff, you’ll be boiling mostaccioli in liquid that consists of beef broth, soy sauce and Dijon mustard. The flavor is AMAZING and there is no need to drain the pasta when it is done using this cooking process!
30. Dutch Oven Camping Chili Mac
How do you make ground beef and elbow macaroni taste so good you can’t stop eating it? You make Chili Mac! You’ll only need to chop a little bit of fresh onion and garlic for this recipe then open the cans of beef broth, kidney beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes and green chile peppers to add a bunch of flavor with very little effort.
Because of the inexpensive meat, pasta and beans, this is a budget-friendly recipe that is easy to scale for big crowds making it one of my favorite easy camping meals for large groups.
31. Dutch Oven Steak
This steak dinner is an absolutely delicious one-pot camping meal that is easy to make and affordable too. The secret is a simple marinade that tenderizes strips of flank steak while also providing heaps of flavor. The petite fingerling potatoes add a fancy touch that will keep steak and potato lovers raving about this meal.
32. Hobo Stew Camping Foil Packets
The thing I love about campfire meals in foil is the fact that picky eaters can add … or subtract … ingredients to their own packet and be happy with every dinner you make. So, you just need to prep the fresh ingredients, lay them out on a buffet-style ingredient bar and let each camper build their own foil pack dinner that can be cooked over a campfire or outdoor grill.
33. Dutch Oven Campfire Stew
If you are looking for winter camping recipes that warm you to the core, you need to add this Campfire Beef Stew to your menu! The meat gets so tender after simmering in the thick tomato-based sauce for a couple of hours and the potatoes, carrots and celery make it a well-rounded dinner.
34. Hobo Casserole
Got a taste for good old American comfort food while in the great outdoors? Try this hobo dinner made with a giant ground beef patty that gets topped with onions, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cheese and French fried onions!
35. Diablo Sandwich
Jalapeno peppers, taco seasoning, BBQ sauce and pepper jack cheese are combined to make a slightly spicy Tex-Mex style sloppy joe sandwich that is so yummy!
36. Cowboy Soup Recipe
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Try this easy, Tex-Mex soup that combines hamburger, beans and veggies to make a yummy starter or main dish.
37. Kettle Beef Recipe
Serve this fork-tender beef and simple homemade gravy over mashed potatoes to satisfy the “meat & potatoes” lovers in your crowd.
38. Creamy Taco Recipe
Simple ingredients and minimal prep work make these creamy tacos an easy, tasty & fun one-pot camping meal.
Pork Recipes
39. Pesto Ricotta Pasta Bake
Yes, you can make lazy man’s lasagna in one pot! This simple recipe layers oven-ready noodles with Italian sausage, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, to create a yummy dinner that is amazingly tasty and easy!
40. Dutch Oven Pork Chops And Rice
This is one of my favorite Dutch oven camping recipes. Bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, garlic and oregano give this dish its mild Italian flavors. You’ll love how easy this recipe is prepped and cooked.
41. One Pot Spaghetti Camping Recipe
This one pot meal does not require boiling the pasta in a pot of water … it actually cooks right in the sauce! Fresh basil, onion and garlic are the simple ingredients that jazz up a prepared spaghetti sauce.
42. Dutch Oven Campfire Goulash
It is amazing how much flavor you get out of one ingredient in this dish … hot Italian sausage … it is one of my favorite ingredients! Combine that with some fresh onion, celery and garlic … then add canned tomatoes and beans with elbow macaroni to make a simple recipe that fully satisfies your taste buds.
43. Dutch Oven Sausage
Beer brat sausages are often served as a sandwich in a roll. This recipe uses them differently. You still get the onions and peppers but instead of a roll, we’re using potatoes on the side as the starch. The added garlic and beef broth give this meal a ton of extra flavor.
44. Hot Italian Sausage Soup Campfire Recipe
Spending time cooking over a campfire is the best way to stay warm on cold camp trips. A thick and hearty soup is one of my favorite options to feed a group of chilly campers. This one is truly a meal because it is made with Italian sausage and bacon plus it has starchy and green veggies too with the potatoes and fresh spinach. The heavy cream really gives it the depth you want to call a soup a meal. Don’t forget to serve it with crusty bread for dipping!
45. Pork Chops With Vinegar Peppers And Potatoes
This classic Italian comfort food normally requires at least 3 pans but we’ve made it simple for campsite cooking. The entire dish cooks in one pan and tastes fantastic. Use hot or sweet cherry peppers depending on how spicy you like your food.
46. Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese
If you’re looking for a super easy camping meal that is hearty, filling, ooey, gooey and cheesy … you just found it! Watch our VIDEO to see how easy it is to make.
47. Chorizo Quesadilla
You’ll use one skillet to cook the sausage and potatoes. Then, wipe it out to toast the mixture that is sandwiched between two tortillas.
Fish Recipes
48. One Pot Cast Iron Fish Recipe
I like using dried herbs and seasonings to provide lots of flavor to camp meals. I measure and mix some dried turmeric, oregano, basil and cayenne pepper at home so I don’t have to carry individual bottles to the campsite. Fresh onion, garlic tomato and red bell pepper are added to the pot along with a firm fish and rice to create a complete meal.
49. Garlicky Shrimp Alfredo Bake
You’ll start this meal by sautéing shrimp in garlic butter then building the homemade alfredo sauce right on top of the uncooked pasta. Yep, you cook the pasta right in the sauce … no water boiling is required to make this yummy casserole.
Recipes Using Meat Combinations
50. Dutch Oven Upside Down Pizza
This will be one of the craziest Dutch oven camping recipes you’ll ever make! You’ll pile the pizza toppings in the oven, add dough & bake. The big reveal is exciting when you INVERT the pie so it’s right-side-up on your serving plate! It’s like dinner & a show!
51. Dutch Oven Cowboy Stew
Ground beef, andouille sausage and a couple of strips of bacon are combined to provide a ton of flavor to this dinner. Add some cubed potatoes and canned pinto beans, diced tomatoes, cut green beans, whole kernel corn and chopped green chilies for a well-rounded, hearty meal.
52. Campfire Chili
My award-winning chili recipe uses ground beef and ground Italian pork sausage as the base. The flavorful liquid comes from using tomato sauce along with V8 vegetable juice. Add some chopped onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and dried spices including cayenne pepper, sugar, oregano, cumin and chili powder to create one of the best Dutch oven meals you can cook over an open fire or on your camp stove.
The best part of making big batches of chili is making easy camping lunches with the leftovers. Top hot dogs with a spoonful of leftover chili and you have a tasty meal in mere minutes!
53. Sausage With Sauerkraut And Dumplings
Celebrating Octoberfest on a camp trip? Try making this simple dinner that is simple to prep and cooks in just minutes!
Easy Desserts
One of my favorite ways to make camping desserts in one pot is by using Dutch ovens to bake sweet treats in one pan then slice up individual servings.
54. Dutch Oven Apple Dump Cake
This “dump and bake” dessert uses the Dutch oven as the mixing bowl and the baking pan. And, after you lift this apple dump cake out of the oven, you just need to wipe it with a paper towel … no cleaning is required!
55. Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Some people use a cast iron frying pan to make simple upside down cakes because they are easier to flip. I prefer baking in Dutch ovens. Watch my video to see how easy it is to make and flip this cake onto a plate for cooling, slicing and serving.
56. Camping S’mores Dutch Oven Brownies
Most campers love smores! Instead of making individual servings of this classic campfire treat, try making s’mores brownies in your cast iron Dutch oven. You’ll still enjoy the traditional camping dessert ingredients of graham crackers and marshmallows … but … instead of using a chocolate candy bar, these simple, oooey, gooey brownies will steal the show!
It is so easy to make baked goods in a Dutch oven lined with parchment paper. You can easily lift the entire dessert out of the oven to let it cool. You can see how to line a Dutch oven with parchment paper in my camping s’mores brownies video.
57. Dutch Oven Blueberry Cobbler
My dad didn’t know such goodness could come out of a 12-inch oven! He loves blueberries so I made him this cobbler on a camping trip when we celebrated his birthday. The secret is the combination of fresh blueberries and orange juice!
More Yummy Meals
Not every fantastic camping meal is cooked in one pot!
If you’re looking for awesome ideas for yummy camping food, you’re in the right place! Here’s our entire camping recipes list.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment, question or suggestion below. I’d love to hear from you so let’s chat.