Simple Camping Menu for Your Weekend Escape

Summer is the perfect time to ditch your screens and soak up the sun in the great outdoors. To make the most of your camping adventure, a bit of preparation is key. While packing cozy socks and the right sleeping bag are important, planning your meals and ingredients ahead of time is just as crucial.

This guide will outline a meal plan for a two-night car camping trip, assuming you arrive at your campsite mid-day on Day One and leave after breakfast on Day Three. The secret to crafting a delicious and diverse camping menu is using overlapping ingredients and doing as much prep work as possible before you load up the cooler.

Day One

Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches with apple and prosciutto.

Just because you're embracing the outdoors doesn't mean you have to settle for bland meals. The combination of prosciutto and thinly sliced apple adds a perfect balance of salty and sweet, with the apple giving a satisfying crunch. Grab your favorite bread and cook up this sandwich over indirect heat for a cheesy, melty moment by the campfire. Pair with potato chips or fresh celery sticks for a little extra crunch.

Dinner: Foil-wrapped sweet potatoes topped with Black Bean Chili.

Cristi

For a hearty, protein-packed meal, roast your sweet potatoes until they're tender. Slice them open, mash the insides a little, and then pour your warm black bean chili on top. Sprinkle any leftover cheese from your grilled cheese sandwiches earlier in the day for a rich finishing touch.

Before You Hit the Road:

Wrapping your sweet potatoes in aluminum foil before you leave home keeps you from having to bring a whole roll of foil when packing space is precious.
Cook your chili ahead of time and store in glass canning jars in your favorite cooler.

Day Two

Breakfast: Bacon & Egg Breakfast Tacos

Buckwheat Queen

While you're cooking up your eggs and bacon, heat your tortillas over indirect heat. Place a slice or two of cheese (from Day One's grilled cheese sandwiches) on the tortillas so it melts perfectly before you pile on the eggs and bacon. This meal is loaded with the protein, fats, and carbs you'll need to power through the day. And though it's optional, a little hot sauce can give these tacos an extra kick.

Lunch: Peach & Tomato Caprese Salad with prosciutto

After a morning of hiking, few things are as satisfying as this refreshing twist on a classic caprese salad. The prosciutto from Day One’s grilled cheese adds a savory, protein-packed element to help you recharge after a day outdoors.

Before You Leave Home:

Consider packing fragile peaches and tomatoes in a hard-sided plastic or glass container, or reuse an egg carton for safe transport.
Mix your oil and balsamic vinegar and store in a glass canning jar.

Dinner: Grilled Sausages with Potatoes and Green Beans

meloniegreening

This dish is cooked entirely in an aluminum foil packet, making it a super simple camping meal that doesn’t require any extra pans or utensils. Foil packet dinners are a campfire favorite, and you can prep everything at home—just wrap the ingredients in foil, pack them in your cooler, and cook them when you’re ready.

Before You Hit the Road:

Chop your onions, potatoes, and trim your green beans.
You could even slice your sausages into small pieces to cut down on campsite prep.

Day Three

Breakfast: Eggs, Toast, Bacon, and Fruit

Mishal

The perfect last meal of your trip, using up all the leftover ingredients from the previous days. Eggs and bacon from Day Two’s breakfast take center stage, while bread from Day One’s lunch becomes crispy toast, and peaches from Day Two’s caprese salad add a sweet touch. If you’ve got any leftover potatoes, they’re a great addition to this Campfire Skillet Breakfast.

Essential Gear for Your Camp Kitchen

While there are countless guides on what to pack for a camping trip, there are only a few key cooking tools that will truly make meal prep on a picnic table much easier.

If you’re doing most of your meal prep at home (highly recommended!), be sure to pack any items that could become soggy or get damaged in plastic bags to prevent leaks from any water that may accumulate in your cooler.

This menu doesn’t include raw red meat, but if your camping meal plan does, make sure to handle your knife and cutting board with extra care. Clean them thoroughly after preparing any raw meat to avoid contamination.

As always, store all food and trash in your car or secure it properly at night or when you’re away from your tent to prevent attracting wildlife to your campsite.

And don't forget the essentials for s'mores—marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate!

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