Cooking everything at the campsite can be time consuming, and make packing more tedious than it needs to be. Take some of the stress out of this process with these camping meals that have plenty of flavor without all the fireside work.
More: 4 Tips for Cooking at Your Campsite
Smoked Tomato Pasta
Pasta is a simple dinner dish that makes even the pickiest eaters happy, which is why it's especially good for family camping. When you make your pasta at home, cooking time is cut in half, allowing you to feed your hungry kids faster.
- Make ahead: Pasta
- Fireside: Tomatoes
At home: Cook your pasta, and dress it with olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh chopped basil and a dash of oregano. Prep thick sliced tomatoes by marinating them in a bath of olive oil, pepper and freshly minced garlic. Place this in a sealed container and pack into your cooler.
At the campsite: Put your pasta in a pot on the stove with a little oil and let heat. Take your marinated tomatoes and place them on the fire pit grate; let sit for 3 to 4 minutes and flip. Once both sides are wrinkled, take them off the grill, and cut into quarters. Mix these into your heated pasta and top with shredded Parmesan for a five star fireside meal.
Want More Italian? 5 Delizioso Recipes for Camp
Tinfoil Tuna Casserole
Tuna noodle casserole is a household staple, but when placed in tinfoil, it can be an essential camping meal too. Not to mention the quick prep process yields huge flavor.
- Make ahead: Partially cooked casserole
- Fireside: Cook tinfoil packets
At home: Parboil your pasta, and mix in one to two cans of tuna, cream of celery soup and peas. Place spoonfuls of this mixture into 5" by 5" tinfoil parcels, and pack into your cooler.
At the campsite: Crumble breadcrumbs on top of the casserole, close the packets back up, and place them on the fire. Once heated, you can eat directly from the packet. Top with freshly ground pepper for a full-flavored dinner.
