There’s nothing better than the smell of food cooking over an open fire, letting the flames carry the scent of scrumptious meals over acres of open land, and replacing the lost calories gone from a full day of camping fun.
Cooking and eating on an RV trip is one of the most fun parts of RV camping trips. Meal planning, cooking, and serving food can be a family activity that everyone can take part in and enjoy the fruits of.
If you are trying to decide how and what to cook for your next RV trip, look no further! From how to cook, prepping methods, and shopping lists, we’ve got a full guide on how to make your next RV camping trip a foodie’s paradise. Let’s dig in and learn how to enjoy camping food to the fullest!
Ways to Cook
There are several different ways to cook meals during your next RV trip. If your motorhome has a full or even partial kitchen, you should have ample storage and prep room for your daily meals. Some folks prefer to cook outdoors, even with a full kitchen in their RV.
Open flame cooking over a campfire certainly boosts flavor to everything cooked, but it is also more work and more time-consuming. If your RV isn’t equipped with a cooking area, or you don’t want to cook over an open flame, you can always opt for a propane camp stove to cook your camping meals. Most sporting goods stores can pick up a single or double burner camp stove.
Remember when you are cooking with propane to watch your propane levels. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of cooking and have your propane run out. A good rule of thumb to remember is that you have an average of 2 hours of cooking time for each pound of propane.
What to Bring
After you have determined how you want to cook meals on your RV camping trip, the next thing you need to do is decide on what to bring. You should always have basic cooking supplies on hand: a cooking pot and skillet with lids, serving utensils, a heat-resistant carafe for water, and a bucket and sponge to wash your dishes.
You may opt for paper or metal plates and utensils, though paper isn’t recommended in state and national parks. Choose reusable cups and bottles instead of single-use and use non-potable water to wash up instead of using your drinking water. Depending on how elaborate you want your camping meals to be, you may consider bringing additional spices, cooking supplies, or food items.
Easy Camping Meals
True foodies will disagree, but you can make your RV camping meals as elaborate or simple as you like. Easy meals are great for large groups or families with small kids, but you can go all out with your meal plans if you want to focus on camp cooking. Here are a few camping meal ideas to get you started on your next RV trip.
Breakfast
The most important meal of the day, breakfast, is all the more important when you have a full day of hiking, climbing, or water sports involved. Preparing a filling and nutritious breakfast is the best way to start your camping days.
Easy but satisfying breakfast camping meals can include overnight oats, pancakes, eggs, bacon, or muffins. If you want to leave the boring granola bars at home, you can premake and freeze crepes, biscuits, and sausage to toss over a fire and heat quickly.
Lunch
Simple sandwiches are always a great idea for camping lunches. There are endless possibilities of toppings and bread that can turn the simple into sophisticated. Nut butter, such as peanut butter or almond butter, is easy to pack and put together, whether at camp or on a trail.
If you want to bump up your sandwich a bit, throw hamburger patties over a fire or camp stove and load it up with lettuce, tomato, and all of the condiments you have on hand. This can make your simple sandwich hot and filling when you need a midday energy boost.
Dinner
Camping dinners are a crowd favorite because everyone seems to be starving at the end of a long camping day. If you don’t feel like cooking anymore at the end of the day, a fantastic go-to is roasted hotdogs. Not only is this a hot, filling camp meal, but you can get everyone involved in roasting their own. Parent pro-tip: if you are camping with kids, having them roast their own food is a great way to get them to eat more of it!
Dinners can also be simple or elaborate. Foil packets are amazing ideas because you can toss anything into them and place them on the fire. They don’t take much management, and you can create stunning dinners with little to no work.
You can also break out of the traditional camping meals if you have a cast-iron skillet handy. Build pizzas and calzones right in the pan and leave them over the fire until the cheese is melted in the center. This meal takes a little trial and error, but it’s worth it!
Find More Camping Meal Ideas at BookOutdoors.com
Deciding on what to cook for your next RV camping trip is a lot of fun. You can get the whole family involved by choosing simple roast-your-own meals and letting children choose a meal for the meal plan. Be sure to note how much cold and dry storage you have so you can plan accordingly. Always remember to toss all of your trash and leave no trace!
