Preparing Fish for Cooking Over Open Campfire
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19 Easy Camping Recipes for Delicious Dinners Outdoors

Here are 19 rewarding meals, from breakfast to dessert, best served outside.

Sometimes, preparing your meals for camping feels like you have to choose between slaving over a gourmet recipe or roasting basic hot dogs over the campfire. We're here to say: That's definitely not true.

With a little bit of prep, these easy camping recipes can give you the best parts of a camping trip—sitting around a fire, bonding over a plate of good food—without the hassle. They're only slightly more work than noshing on a bag of granola, but much more impressive to fellow campers.

The first step to prep for your camping meals is to understand how you will be cooking and how your gear works. As campfires might be prohibited (and can make cooking tricky), a portable stove is a great option for your next camping trip. Camp stoves are a lot quicker than an open fire and operate more like cooking at home. Of course, if you'd like to cook over a campfire use a cast iron skillet, which won't be ruined by the fire and will heat evenly throughout the skillet. Here are some awesome Dutch oven and cast iron meals to cook.

To make things simple for your camping trip, do as much work at home as possible. Measure out exactly how much of everything you will need, pack ingredients together (think black beans and cheddar cheese for nachos in one container) and chop veggies. The goal is to throw everything into a pan and relax.

With that in mind, explore these 19 easy camping meals that are sure to please on your next camp trip.

READ MORE: The Best Camp Kitchens of 2023