5 Great Make-Ahead Camping Meals

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen tater tots
• 8 flour tortillas, burrito size
• 1 lb. ground sausage, spicy
• A sweet red bell pepper, finely diced
• 12 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded cheese, ideally a Mexican blend

Directions

First, cook your tater tots according to package directions and allow them to cool. Next, sauté the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, crumbly, and cooked. Stir in the red bell pepper. Drain off excess fat but leave a little to cook the eggs in. Remove the sausage/ pepper mixture to a large bowl and let cool. Next, scramble your eggs with salt.

Next, scramble your eggs with salt and pepper in the skillet. When cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the salsa. (We love a thick, medium-spiced salsa for this like Tostitos Medium Chunky Salsa!) Let cool, then add to the bowl. Then, stir in the shredded cheese and cooked tater tots.

Next, divide up the filling equally among the tortillas. Roll up and wrap in foil. Pop them into a plastic bag and freeze. Finally, simply thaw before you intend to eat them, and heat them in your camp oven at 325º for 20 minutes, or until hot. (You can heat these up on the campfire too, but we’d be lost without our trusty Coleman Camp Oven. If you don’t have one yet, what are you waiting for? They make everything easier, including heating up make-ahead camping meals!)

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 8 pieces of your favorite cuts)
• 3 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 8 fresh ears of corn, shucked and de-silked
• ¼ cup (half a stick) of butter, melted
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Barbecue Sauce

Directions

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add Old Bay Seasoning. (The Old Bay adds great flavor to the chicken that will complement the later addition of barbecue sauce.) Add the chicken, bring it back to a boil, cover, and turn off the heat. Allow sitting covered for an hour. Then, remove the pieces, cool them, then put them in a large plastic bag and refrigerate.

Next, bring that same water to a boil once again. Add the corn and simmer for 3 minutes. Then, remove the corn and cool. Next, put the corn in its own plastic bag, pour in the melted butter, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and refrigerate. Finally, when you are camping, heat them up on the campfire. Crisp up the chicken and slather it with your favorite barbecue sauce. Throw the corn on the grill during the last few minutes just to warm it up and get some nice char marks.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 5-6 medium carrots, peeled, sliced and cut into 1” chunks
• 2 celery sticks, sliced into ½” chunks
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 lbs. well-marbled beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2” chunks
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
• 2 tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper
• 4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

First, heat a large stew pot and sauté all the vegetables except for the potato and mushrooms in 2 tbsp. of the olive oil until softened but not browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Next, toss the beef with the flour plus some additional salt and pepper to coat the beef. Shake off the excess flour and brown the meat in the pot in the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil.

Subsequently, add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Next, add the vegetables to the pot along with the potatoes and mushrooms. Continue to simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes on medium-low, or until meat is fork tender.

Then, turn off the heat, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cool, stir in the parsley, and store in the fridge in a large Ziploc bag. It may also be frozen if it will not be eaten within a few days. Then, at the campsite, simply heat and serve.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. thinly-sliced deli ham
• ½ lb. sliced muenster cheese
• 8 Potato sandwich rolls
• 3 tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 tbsp. yellow mustard
• Sliced bread-n-butter pickles

Directions

Lightly butter the insides of the sandwich rolls. Next, drizzle some mustard on. Then, pile on the ham, alternating with a couple of slices of cheese. Top with a few slices of pickle. Then, wrap them up tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze. Thaw and eat as desired.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsps. fresh lime juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained
•  1 (8.5 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup cooked white quinoa
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup multi-colored bell peppers, chopped
• 2 tbsps. fresh diced jalapeno pepper
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Next, add in all the remaining ingredients. Toss gently. Refrigerate. This will keep well for 3 or 4 days.

When you are ready to enjoy, serve with corn tortilla chips or some crusty bread. For easy camping food storage, try one of these fantastic, collapsible silicone containers by Vremi.

They’re ideal for transporting make-ahead camping meals! Their rectangular shape is a space saver that will easily fit in your cooler, and they collapse and store flat, too. And if you’re looking for a quick way to dice all those veggies, grab yourself one of these excellent choppers—it’s a time-saving gadget no kitchen should be without!