5 Easy Camping Recipes and Must-Have Outdoor Cooking Equipment

Embarking on a camping adventure is more than just a retreat into nature; it's an opportunity to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life and savour the simplicity of the great outdoors.

And what better way to enhance this experience than with delicious and satisfying meals cooked over an open flame? (or in a portable oven!).

Camping recipes hold the magic of transforming basic ingredients into culinary masterpieces, all while surrounded by the beauty of nature's canvas. Whether you're a seasoned outdoor enthusiast or a newbie camper, this blog post is your ultimate guide to creating mouthwatering dishes that will fuel your journey and leave you craving more than just s'mores.

So, let's dive into the world of camping cuisine and discover a treasure trove of flavours that will elevate your outdoor escapades to a whole new level.

5 Easy-to-make recipes

Seared Sausages with Apple and Cabbage

Ingredients

1 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil

8 Sausages

2 Apples, cut in half

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ red cabbage (about 450g), shredded

1 tbsp dark maple syrup or 1 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a hot skillet, then brown the sausages for 5 minutes, until golden in places. Transfer to a plate.

Add the apples in 1 tsp white wine vinegar, then add to the skillet along with the onion and remaining 1 tsp oil; cook on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and the apples take on a little colour.

Tip in the cabbage and sausages, season, then splash in the maple syrup (or sugar) and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and again as the cabbage wilts. Serve and enjoy.

Easy Peasy Camping Nachos

There’s no fancy technique to make nachos, the key is layering.

You’ll need:

400grs tortilla chips

1 tin of tomato sauce or freshly made ‘salsa’

150 grs grated mozzarella cheese

200grs cooked black beans

1 red onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 red pepper (chopped)

Chopped chillies (optional)

You’ll also need (optional):

Your favourite toppings (guacamole, spicy sauce, coriander to garnish, etc).

Method:

If you have a portable oven, you can use a shallow frying pan or deep baking tray. However, if you have a portable stove/grill, you will need a pan with a lid to allow the cheese at the top to melt.

Start by adding a layer of nacho chips, add a thin layer of tomato sauce, add a thin layer of black beans, followed by some onion, peppers and some cheese. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.

Don’t panic if you don’t have the ‘right’ amount of ingredients, you can always add or swap different elements like sweetcorn, cooked minced beef, cooked chicken, etc., the choice is yours!

Put on a low heat until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately, add your favourite topping (if you want) and enjoy!

Campfire Camembert and Red Onion Relish

Ingredients

For the cheese:

• Whole Camembert cheese in a wooden box
• 1 rosemary or thyme sprig
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the relish:

• 1 large or 2 small red onions peeled and thinly sliced.
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1tsbp butter
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ tbsp of sugar

Method:

Start by making the caramelised onion on a frying pan: Heat the butter and oil and fry the onions for a few minutes, until these have softened (about 4 minutes on a medium fire). Mix in the balsamic and sugar. Let it simmer for a couple more minutes. Set aside.

Remove the camembert from the wax paper and put it back in its box. Gently score a diamond pattern on the top rind of the cheese. Brush or drizzle the olive oil. Cut the rosemary or thyme into smaller branches and stab them into the cheese.

If you have a camping oven, heat it to 180C and bake the cheese for 12 – 15 minutes.

If you don’t have a portable oven, wrap the box (with the cheese inside) in foil paper and place it over your open fire or barbecue for about 7 - 10 minutes, but it depends on how high the flames are. Don’t worry if you ‘overdo it’, it only means the cheese will be extra gooey, but it will still be tasty. Serve with rustic garlic bread and the onion relish.

Campfire Ramen

Cooking authentic ramen is a true art and is notoriously time consuming to make. So, we’ll give you a super quick one-pot recipe for a campfire ramen instead.

Ingredients:

2 packs of ramen noodles

1 litre of water

1 stock cube

2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or sesame)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tb grated ginger

200 gr mushrooms, sliced

2 pak choy

2 spring onions, chopped

2 boiled eggs, halved (optional)

Miso paste (to taste)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

Start by heating a pan over your campfire or camping stove. Add the oil to the pot and allow it to heat up. Add the sliced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger and miso paste to the pot and sauté until the onion starts to soften, usually around 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until they begin to brown. Pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the ramen. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions or until they reach your desired level of doneness. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes.

Once the noodles are cooked, add the pak choy and cook for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat and season the ramen with soy sauce or additional seasoning to taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. Divide the ramen into bowls and garnish with chopped green onions. If desired, add halved boiled eggs on top of each bowl. Serve the campfire ramen hot and enjoy!

Feel free to add other ingredients such as cooked chicken, prawns, or tofu to the ramen for extra protein and flavour. Additionally, you can adjust the vegetable quantities or use different vegetables based on your preferences and what's available while camping.

Campfire Brownies

The key for this tasty dessert whilst camping is to use a box of brownie mix, you can buy this from any large supermarket. Add the rest of the ingredients to have a super rich mixture of goodness that will make the brownies crispy at the top, but gooey on the inside.

Ingredients

150grs unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet

1 box brownie mix

100ml whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

200grs miniature marshmallows (optional)

50grs chopped roasted, salted almonds (optional)

50grs chopped fudge (optional)

Handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Method:

Heat a campfire, grill or camping oven to medium or 180C. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Stir together butter, brownie mix, milk, egg, marshmallows, almonds, fudge and chocolate chips in a bowl, when everything is fully mixed, transfer to the skillet. If you’re using a campfire or grill, cover the skillet with a lid or another skillet before cooking for about 25 – 30 minutes. If you’re using a portable oven, cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve with ice cream.

Must-Have Camping Cooking Gear

Here at UK Camping and Leisure we have a great selection of camping or touring cookware, folding tables, melamine tableware, low wattage ovens and more. Choose according to your available storage space, portability, budget and maintenance time (yep, you still have to clean a BBQ and wash camping tableware!).

Let’s have a look at a few of our best sellers and browse the store for the full range of items.

RidgeMonkey Connect Multi-Purpose Mini Pan & Gridle set

The Connect Multi-Purpose Mini Pan & Griddle Set features a deep-sided saucepan and shallow griddle plate. The set has been developed due to popular demand from people who love to cook up a tasty meal in the great outdoors, whether that be anglers, campers, caravanners, or camper van enthusiasts.

Campingaz Attitude 2GO

This tabletop barbecue pairs sleek, urban styling with pioneering precision cooking, all within a compact, portable package.

Royal Easy Up Kitchen Storage Unit

A functional kitchen stand that serves as both a space for food preparation and a convenient place for storing tableware whilst on your camping trip. With an integrated easy up quick folding assembly system, the kitchen stand is also provided with a carry bag to ensure ease of transportation.

Outwell Collaps Collapsible Bucket

Leave no trace of cooking/camping, make sure to always have a bin to dispose rubbish.

Dometic Smev Motorhome Sink and Hob

The Dometic Smev 9722 sink and hob combination unit provides a stylish and compact solution for caravan and motorhome making the most out of minimal space. With a double burner hob and sink this versatile combination unit is finished with heat resistant glass lids which can be used as an extra work surface when the Dometic Smev 9722 hob is not in use.

Outwell Gala 8pc Dinner Set

Melamine dinner set. Portable, reusable and lightweight.

Things to Consider When Creating a Camp Kitchen

It takes more than just a grill and food to create an outdoor meal. You'll require cooking utensils, fuel and more. 

Here are a few basics:

• Water containers. For drinking water and washing. Be prepared to treat water if needed.
• Stove or BBQ. When choosing a portable cooking device think about the type of fuel it uses and how you will have to clean said device. It’s also important to think about size and how portable it is. And finally, think about how long it takes to properly heat and the kind and amount of cooking you’ll be doing.
• Fuel. Depending on your cooking device.
• Pots and pans. To prepare and cook food.
• Cooking utensils. Cooking scissors, knives, serving spoons, etc.
• Cutlery and tableware. Knife, forks, spoons, bowls, plates, etc.
• Tin/bottle opener. 
• Kettle. From foldable to compact kettles, UK Camping and Leisure has the perfect travel kettle for you.
• Cool box/ice packs. In case you don’t have a portable mini fridge and a hook up cable to connect the fridge. A cool box and some ice packs will be enough for a few days, you can always buy extra ice if needed.
• Matches or lighter.
• Drinkware. Glasses, jugs and mugs. You can always use mugs as glasses in case you’re short of space.
• Kitchen towels.
• Chopping boards.
• Food containers. To store food.

Find out more about all you need when you go camping on our Camping Essentials blog or download our handy printable Camping Essentials checklist here to make sure you're not forgetting some basics.

Enjoy cooking and share your favourite recipe with us in the comments!