20 Easy Campervan & Camp Cooking Meals

You always know that the itch to go on a campervan or camping adventure can’t be far away, so it’s time to get your supplies together, gather your friends or family, and shop for our top 20 easy campervan and camping meals.

Pea and Ham Soup

Pea and ham soup in various forms have served as a traditional staple of Australian, English, and American food. It will take a few hours to cook properly over your campervan gas stove or in a pot over an open campfire. Pea and ham soup, due to its thick, rich, and somewhat salty flavour can easily take its place among the world’s great comfort foods.

Ingredients

• 1 large container of chicken broth
• 1 package of dried split peas
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 diced onion
• Hambone or other odds and ends from a ham
• Seasoning to taste

Method

• Add all ingredients into a pot
• Bring to a boil
• Simmer for at least three hours, or until ham is easily broken apart with fork and soup has a consistent texture

Grilled Cheese

What could be simpler or more satisfying than that blast from your childhood past – good old fashioned grilled cheese? Your campervan has pans ideal for cooking the perfect grilled cheese on your gas stove or over the campfire.

The grilled cheese offers a lot of versatility. Try a variety of different kinds of cheeses and cheese combinations. Most people butter one side of each slice of bread before cooking, but we suggest trying mayonnaise instead. It creates a richer tasting crust on the sandwich.

Ingredients

• Slices of white or wheat bread
• Any type of cheese that will melt easily
• Butter or mayonnaise

Method

• Coat outside of bread with butter, margarine, or mayonnaise. Mayonnaise provides a superior taste and crispness
• Add cheese
• Grill on both sides until golden brown

Fish and Chips

While this wonderful combination of fried fish and potatoes is not always associated with camping, the gas stove in your campervan makes this simple and delicious feast possible.

Ingredients

• Your favourite fish sliced into planks or cut into chunks
• 1 egg and 1 cup of milk
• Flour and seasoning
• Potatoes
• Two pots with cooking oil

Method

• Slice potatoes into strips or chips and cook in oil until golden brown
• Dredge fish through egg and milk wash, coat in flour, dip again in egg and milk, roll through flour one more time
• Deep fry until golden brown, crispy, and cooked all the way through
• Drain grease in paper towels

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs make great camp food, but not everyone in Australia has experienced this dish from the American South. This is a pity because they are remarkably easy to cook up, thanks to a smart and straightforward mixture of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and spices. You can also use your imagination and include an almost endless variety of foods, textures, and flavours.

Ingredients

• Hard boiled eggs
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Paprika and other spices

Method

• Hard boil eggs, remove shells, slice lengthwise in half and pop out yolks
• Mix yolks with other ingredients to taste
• Search the internet for any number of creative ideas to add to the filling
• Fill pocket of egg white with filling until flat surface of the egg is covered

Barbeque Chicken

You could cook barbeque chicken on your gas stove, but an open campfire will give it the distinctive char and smoky taste. We recommend that you do not cook boneless chicken breasts over the campfire because the process will usually dry the meat out.  A bone-in chicken will stay moist and juicy throughout but also takes longer to cook. You definitely do not want your chicken medium rare!

You can also experiment with your sauce.  Add some apple cider vinegar, crushed red peppers, and brown sugar or honey, then simmer for about 30 minutes, for a sauce with a real bite.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs and/or legs with bone and skin
• Your favourite barbeque sauce

Method

• Put sauce in a bowl and chicken on an open flame grill
• Use a brush to occasionally coat chicken with sauce as it cooks
• The goal is to get a crispy skin where the sauce caramelises on it with just a hint of char
• Make sure chicken gets cooked thoroughly

Shrimp Boil

You can find hundreds of ways to do a shrimp boil, but the most basic form is both easy and delicious. Combine apple cider vinegar and cheap beer, bring to a boil, and drop your shrimp in. Adjust the vinegar/beer ratio to taste. Keep stirring the shrimp while cooking and remove a few minutes before they look done. The shrimp will continue to cook a few minutes after you remove them from the liquid.

To experience a great American twist on the shrimp boil, order the Maryland-made seasoning, Old Bay, online. Dump most of a small box into your liquid at the beginning of cooking. Those from the area call it “Chesapeake Bay style shrimp.” It adds a great deal of spicy depth to your shrimp.

Ingredients

• 3 cans of cheap beer
• 1 jug of apple cider vinegar
• 1 or more pounds of shrimp
• Old Bay seasoning (optional)

Method

• Removal of shrimp shell is optional
• De-veining shrimp is not optional. Make sure you do this
• Mix three parts beer and two parts vinegar, then bring to boil. Add Old Bay now, if desired
• Put in shrimp and boil until nearly done
• Remove and let rest in a bowl for five minutes to allow shrimp to finish cooking
• Shrimp shells can be used, along with vegetables, to make a great fish stock

Mexican Style Fajitas

Another easy and versatile meal with a unique twist, fajitas serve as one of the best camping foods. Sliced beef, chicken, and sausage, as well as shrimp, can all serve as great protein bases. A basic fajita also consists of sliced peppers and onions cooked alongside the meat. Serve folded or wrapped in a warm tortilla. Shredded cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and other additions are delicious as well.

The best way to cook these is in an iron skillet over an open fire, but the gas stove will work as well.

Ingredients

• Thinly sliced steak or chicken. If using shrimp, de-vein, remove shells, and cook whole. Brown chorizo sausage if it is used
• Tortilla shells
• Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or other cheeses associated with Mexican cooking
• Sliced green peppers, sweet bell peppers, and/or onion
• Salsa or other Mexican style sauce
• Sour cream

Method

• Season and cook meat on high heat in small amounts of butter or oil until well cooked and charred
• Soften tortilla shells
• Fill shells with other ingredients, fold in half like a taco or wrap like a burrito
• Sauces, sour cream, and cheese are all optional

Beef Stew

Like pea and ham soup, beef stew cooks slowly and serves as a comfort food favourite. Cubed beef, potatoes, carrots, and whatever else you want to throw in the pot, cooked slowly with some kind of thickening agent serves as a perfect dish for those cold camping nights. It will make you feel almost as warm and cozy as your sleeping bag and campfire will.

Ingredients

• Cubed beef
• Cubed potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables
• Flour or cornstarch
• 1-quart beef stock or broth

Method

• Roll cubed beef in flour
• Put ingredients in stock or broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while covered for at least two hours
• If not thick enough after cooking, add small cup of cold water with a tablespoon of cornstarch, add to simmering stew

Quesadillas

Another staple of the food culture collision between Mexico and the United States, quesadillas are similar to fajitas but are cooked on the outside. Grill meat and/or vegetables, slice or cube them (except for shrimp), then put the meat and your cheese of choice in a tortilla folded in half. The difference is that you pan cook the meat and cheese filled tortilla after filling it, allowing the cheese to melt through the rest of the food and bind it all together.

Quesadillas may be one of the most perfectly delicious finger foods.

Ingredients

• Thinly sliced beef or chicken, crumbled and browned chorizo, and/or shrimp
• Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or other cheese identified with Mexican cooking’
• Tortilla shells
• Olive oil

Method

• Choose one or more meats, season, and pan fry in skillet
• Fill tortilla shell, add cheese, fold in half
• Cook in iron skillet until browned on the outside and cheese binds interior together

Barbeque or Baked Beans

The best side dish for anything barbeque, these beans traditionally bring a rich combination of savoury and sweet to the table. Technically, barbeque beans are cooked on a stovetop, and baked beans in an oven, but they typically have the same flavourings. Ingredients can include some, but not all of the following:  ketchup, barbeque sauce, mustard, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, garlic, onions, and anything else your culinary cranium can imagine.

Ingredients

• 1 can baked beans
• Choice of mustard, ketchup, barbeque sauce
• Brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, 1.4 cup diced onion

Method

• Make barbeque beans in an open top pot on stove, or baked beans in a closed pot on the oven or near an open campfire
• Add ingredients to taste
• Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour, being taking care to stir often and to avoid burning

Potato and/or Macaroni Salad

Mayonnaise-based salads make great sides in your best camping meals, but do not react kindly to summer heat. Fortunately, your campervan from Travellers Autobarn has both a stove and a refrigerator.

You can make both of these salads in almost the same way. Boil macaroni or diced potatoes until soft, drain and cool down. The basic versions of each take mayonnaise, mustard, a touch of sugar, and diced hard boiled egg. Of course, creative culinary geniuses can add a variety of ingredients to match their personal taste and flair.

Ingredients

• Four diced potatoes or 1 box of macaroni
• Mayonnaise and mustard to taste
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Method

• Boil potatoes or macaroni
• Hard boil eggs
• Remove shells from eggs and dice or slice them
• Add all other ingredients to taste with either potatoes or macaroni
• Chill for an hour before serving

Grilled Kangaroo

Kangaroo meat can be delicious if prepared correctly. Experts say, however, that kangaroo meat is not best for those who prefer their meat well done. Cook it medium rare or medium to keep it from drying out.

Ingredients

• Kangaroo steaks
• Black pepper, salt

Method

• Put pepper and a dash of salt on both sides of the steak
• Cook over an open flame on both sides to taste

Shrubs

This word does not refer to a small bush, but a pre-modern fruit concoction that could be used as a base for a cool drink, a syrup, or a glaze. Mix equal parts vinegar, fruit, and sugar in a jar and put into the campervan refrigerator. The balance of sugar and vinegar will prevent spoilage, even over a long period of time.

Add the shrub to either carbonated water or alcohol.

Ingredients

• One part fruit, one part clear or apple cider vinegar, one part white granulated sugar

Method

• Mix thoroughly, put in jar, seal, and refrigerate.
• Balance of ingredients will ensure that it keeps for a long time

Fried Chicken

Just like fish and chips, fried chicken does not appear on the typical campervan and camping menu. Also like fish and chips, the campervan’s gas stove serves as the perfect spot to cook up this delicious meal if you want.

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts, thighs, legs, wings
• Egg and milk wash
• Flour and seasoning
• 1 quart cooking oil

Method

• Heat oil
• Put eggs and milk in bowl and beat thoroughly
• Place four and seasonings on plate
• Dredge chicken through egg and milk wash, roll through flour, dip in milk and eggs, then roll through flour again
• Deep fry until golden brown and cooked all the way through

Hamburgers

Who doesn’t love hamburgers cooked over an open fire? Make sure that you adjust the thickness of the burger based on its proximity to the fire and your preference for how well done you like it. In other words, thick beef cooked close to the fire will give you a lot of char on a rare burger.

Of course, you want to make sure and top your burger the Australian way, with delicious beetroot.

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Hamburger buns
• Cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce, and any other desired condiments

Method

• Make ground beef into burgers of desired size and thickness
• Add seasoning to outside if desired
• Grill over open flame until cooked to taste
• Place on bun with condiments and other additions as desired
• If Australian, add beetroot!

Barbecued Snags

Australians love a great barbeque, especially if it includes the country’s favourite grilled food. Barbecued snags are made of pork or beef and can include spices from around the country or even from around the world. Get the best snags at a local meat market.

Ingredients

• Your favourite sausage from a quality meat market

Method

• Cook over open flame until thoroughly cooked
• Serve, if desired, with grilled peppers and onions

Dagwood Dogs

Australians call them Dagwood Dogs. To Americans, they are corn dogs. But whatever country you come from, you can just call them delicious. Cornmeal batter-covered hot dogs, served on a stick and deep-fried is a food that fairgoers from Western Australia to West Virginia love. Your campervan gas stove is perfect for cooking up Dagwood Dogs for the whole family.

One difference exists between the Australian Dagwood Dog and the American corn dog – Americans tend to prefer ketchup or mustard as a condiment instead of tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• Hot dogs
• Cornbread mix
• Eggs
• Milk
• 1 can of tomato sauce

Method

• Mix cornbread mix as instructed. Most will require milk and eggs
• Put hot dog on stick and dip into batter
• Deep fry until golden brown
• Top with tomato sauce

Nachos

Nachos originated as a quick lunch whipped up by a Mexican restaurateur for visiting Americans. Crispy tortilla chips serve as a great foundation for ground hamburger or shredded chicken, pork, or beef. Top with your choice of vegetables, salsa, sour cream, and loads of ooey gooey cheese and you have easy camping food to keep everyone satisfied.

Ingredients

• Tortilla chips
• Ground beef, pork, or other meat
• Cheddar, Monterrey jack, or other cheese usually used in Mexican-style cooking
• Sliced and diced vegetables
• Mexican sauce or salsa
• Sour cream

Method

• Brown and season meat
• Put chips onto a plate or platter
• Put meat over chips, then cheese over the meat, than any combination of vegetables and sauce desired

John Dory Fillet

Sometimes you need a meatier and more substantial fish, and Australia’s John Dory fish fits the bill. It tastes just as great whether battered, grilled, or pan-fried, making it a versatile treat for your next camping expedition.

Ingredients

• John Dory Fillet
• Seasoning

Method

• Season fish and then grill until thoroughly cooked over campfire

Fruit Salad

You could always take the option of not cooking at all. Hot summer days beg for sliced or diced fresh fruit salad. Mix your fruit in a bowl, add a splash of orange or some other juice, then put it in your campervan fridge until good and cold.

Ingredients

• Apples, pears, bananas, maraschino cherries, kiwi, or any other fruit
• Orange or other sweet citrus juice

Method

• Slice fruit, place in bowl. Add citrus juice until fruit is covered.  The citric acid will prevent browning of apples, bananas, and other fruit

When out camping, you need fun, delicious, and easy camping meals. Whether you choose one of the above selections or create your own camp feast, rely on Travellers Autobarn to hire out high-quality vehicles equipped with a gas stove, pots and pans, a refrigerator, and even a microwave.

Here are even more campervan and camping meal tips and ideas to get your taste buds going.

Also, for more recipes, adventures and happy customer stories, come and explore our YouTube Channel!