Quick and Super Simple Camping Meal Ideas

Updated July 2024

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Quick and Simple Camping Meals

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to purchase a van and turn it into a camper so our family can travel the US and enjoy the beautiful sites this country has to offer. I absolutely love traveling in our campervan and we have completed a couple month long camping trips and multiple small trips and have found foods to make that are super easy, require minimal ingredients, take little preparation, and do not cost a lot using our camp stove.

As we travel, I have had to be creative with our food options since I only have a limited amount of space. We use our camping stove for cooking and a mini fridge to store small amounts of food that need to be kept cold.

Whether you are a seasoned camper or new to van life, these easy recipes will provide a tasty, fuss-free meal that are quick and easy to make, typically using only one pan and will make your road trip experience even easier.

I am providing you a list of the meals we eat while we are camping that are simple and easy to make with only a few ingredients and basic cooking supplies. Most items are precooked so I don’t have to use large amounts of water to cook the noodles or rice. We prepare most of our meals in our camper as we travel instead of going out to eat to save money. We have really enjoyed the foods we have made and have found them to be quite delicious. You can add any seasonings you prefer to make each dish to your liking.

Our kitchen setup

Below you will find our kitchen setup that we have in our campervan that we use to cook our own meals. I used a cabinet base from Home Depot and attached a butcher block countertop on it. I cut a hole in the butcherblock and added a bar sink and faucet.

My camping stove sits on top of the counter for easy preparation. Below the sink is where I store some of our food, water tanks and extra paper towels.

Check out the details on my van build and this kitchen setup at my blog post.

List of cooking supplies needed for food preparation

Preparing meals in your camper doesn’t require a ton of specialized equipment and most of the items are everyday items that you probably already have in your kitchen. Here is a list of cookware and utensils needed for a beginner camping trip that will allow you to cook a variety of delicious, easy meals on the road. This is what we have and use while we are camping.

• potholders

• kitchen knives

• serving spoons

• Rachael Ray nonstick pan with lid

• colander

• can opener

• campfire stove and propane bottles

• kitchen gas lighter

• roasting forks

• cutting board

• campfire toaster which can be used on the Coleman campfire stove

• kettle to boil water on campfire stove for oatmeal

• serving bowl

• IKEA bag sealing clips

• food storage containers

• other -salt and pepper and other spices

• other -plates, bowls, silverware, paper towels

• Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap and dish scrubber

Meal Plans

Camping meal ideas are shown below. Each of these meal options are easy to prepare and require very little preparation or cooking supplies.

Breakfast

• Kodiak Cakes oatmeal packets

• Kodiak Cakes pancake mix & Sausages

• Bread or bagels to toast, precooked bacon, fried egg

• Kind Granola bars

• Precooked sausage & scrambled eggs

• Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, pears, cherries)

• Greek yogurt with fresh berries and granola

• Chobani drinkable yogurt

• Bolthouse Farms smoothie

Lunch

• Precooked Sausage, sliced & precooked rice packet (can add canned tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans)

• Charcuterie board: Summer sausage, cheese cubes, crackers, dried fruit, cucumbers, peanut butter & apples, black olives, jerky

• Salad (radishes, boiled eggs, shredded Parmesan cheese) Trader Joes dressing

• Fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges)

• Sandwiches (Hawaiian rolls with turkey and cheese, condiment of your choice)

  • Chips, fruit, carrot sticks

  • Sliced cucumbers with Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning

• Taco salad

  • Precooked hamburger, beans, cheese, lettuce, diced tomato

• Tortilla shell. Spread refried beans and cheese on half of shell, fold over and eat

• Lunch meat roll ups. Lay 3 or more slices of lunch meat overlapping on counter, add sliced peppers, sliced banana peppers, cheese and Italian dressing. Roll up and eat.

• Salad: Shredded lettuce, diced avocado, sliced lunch meat, diced tomato, black olives, cheese chunks and dressing of your choice

• Tuna or chicken packets - we take these on hikes with us and eat them at the top of a mountain with crackers for either a snack or lunch.

Visit Farmers Markets for fresh produce

Farmer’s markets are a fun place to visit during our travels. These events can be full of excellent food trucks, fresh produce, crafts, jewelry, live music and so much more. Most are pet friendly.

We were able to visit the Sarasota’s Famers Market in Sarasota, Florida and purchase butter lettuce and radishes to complete our salad. Open: Every Saturday (rain or shine) from 7am to 1pm. Address: N Lemon Ave, Sarasota, Florida

I also enjoy going to Trader Joe’s where you can purchase many different organic products that offer a unique variety without the price of name brand labels. They strive to price their products at a low price making it convenient for any shopper. The staff are always so friendly and helpful and you will enjoy browsing their isles for a new spice, produce or unique black bean chips. You can see the Romane Caesar Dressing to go on top of our salad that we purchased here. I definitely recommend you find a Trader Joe’s near you to shop for healthier grocery options.

Dinner

• Precooked Sausage & precooked rice packets(can add canned tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans, fresh cilantro, corn or any other vegetables you desire) mixed together in pan with melted butter and cooked until hot

• Precooked Chicken sausage & precooked quinoa and rice packets mixed together in pan with melted butter and cooked until hot

• Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken, precooked rice packets, chopped broccoli. Cooked in pan with melted butter until hot

• Precooked Barilla pasta, precooked sausages, spaghetti sauce. Cooked in pan with butter until hot.

• Hot dogs. Warmed up in pan.

  • chips, fresh veggies, cottage cheese

• Trader Joes frozen rice and peppers & precooked sausage. Cooked in pan with butter until hot.

• Precooked tortellini, ravioli or gnocchi with spaghetti sauce. Cooked in butter in pan until hot.

• Premade pizza crust and toppings (pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese). Cook in skillet on camp stove with lid on until hot in the middle and cheese is melted. Rotate pan while cooking to prevent hot spots. The below pizza crust was purchased at Wal-Mart and this pizza was really good.

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I purchased this camp stove at a thrift store, brand new in the box, for $7. It has worked great for us over the past 4 years!! It requires small propane bottles that are cheapest at Walmart. The price has increased to $5.47 a bottle (2024). We only need about one bottle for a month’s trip, but I always bring two just in case.

Snacks & Drinks

• Black olives

• Chex mix

• Dot’s Pretzels

• Fig Newtons

• Goldfish crackers

• nut mixture

• apples and peanut butter (peanut butter, vanilla yogurt, granola, and mini chocolate chips. Mix together and eat with apple slices)

• crackers and cheese

• Yogurt covered raisons

• Knock off Starbucks drink

  • Tazo Passion Tea & Simply lemonade (mix together as desired (1/4 - 1/2 Tazo and the rest lemonade)

  • Mango juice, Simply lemonade, frozen dragon fruit (add 2 cups lemonade, 1/2 cup mango juice, 1/4 cup frozen dragon fruit, 1 cup ice to a bottle. Shake good to mix and serve)

• Marshmallows for grilling by the campfire. Smash marshmallows in between two Fudge Stripes cookies from the Dollar Tree, so yummy.

• Don’t forget a water bottle or tumbler to refill with water as you travel. I often get ice at a gas station from the fountains. Some places will charge you a minimal fee for the ice while other stations will give it to you for free.

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S’mores on the campfire

Our version of S’mores. I purchase marshmallows from Aldi’s and Fudge Stripe cookies from Aldi’s or the Dollar Tree. This is way cheaper than buying Hershey Chocolate Bars and still so good!

You cook the marshmallows over the fire to desired doneness and then squish it between two Fudge Stripe cookies. Yum!!

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I am still experimenting with our food selection. I want to find quick convenient meals that will feed us on the road and are mostly healthy. I wouldn’t normally buy precooked foods, but I didn’t want to take the time or extra equipment in our van to cook a meal from scratch. Our space is limited so I also didn’t want to travel with too many extra cooking supplies. Our water supply is limited too so I needed precooked pastas and rice for that reason as well.

You can purchase many of the cooking supplies at thrift stores, borrow from family or use what you have in your home already. These camping food meals are quick and easy to prepare and don’t require preplanning except maybe the browned hamburger if you can’t find that in the store.

Comment below with your favorite quick and easy camping meal.

Enjoy your journey,

Meet the author: Jennifer

I am a girl who loves to travel with my family and enjoys sharing expert family travel advice. I am a content creator and influencer on Instagram with years of travel experience and provide readers with advice, tips, and details on adventurous family travel and tips on saving money while boondocking or traveling across the US. You can usually find me dreaming up our next epic vacation or outside exploring natural landscapes. I am a fearless roadtripper who isn’t afraid to explore new and off the path adventures.

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