Emma Parker
We all love cooking outside. For many car campers, the limited camping kitchen setup ultimately means that one needs to be even more creative with how they cook. This is where one-pot camping comes to your rescue!
A skillet or one-pot camping meal can be made with a single piece of cookware. We often tend to use different utensils for making meals. For example, for making pasta, we use a separate utensil for boiling it, simmering sauce, sauteing veggies, and what not!
However, a one-pot meal simplifies the process to a great extent and makes the overall camp cooking experience way easier and less messy!
The most lucrative advantage of one-pot cooking is having fewer dishes to wash. This ultimately means one doesn’t have to scrub multiple pots and pans! Whether you are cooking for a crew or a few people, one-pot meals can be scaled depending on the group’s overall size. One-pot meals are packed full of flavor yet easy to prepare!
Following are the 10 one-pot camping meal ideas
Pad Thai
It is a traditional Thai dish that comes straight from the streets of Bangkok! This dish offers incredible flavors and textures. The best thing is that only one pan is needed for this zesty one-pot meal! It is made with rice noodles. These noodles are stir-fried with eggs. They are also marinated with tamarind juice garlic and served with lime wedges. The meat eaters can eat pork. On the other hand, vegetarians can use tofu as a substitute.
Ravioli
The type of pasta which is served in a broth with a sauce is called ravioli. It is traditional Italian food. The best part is that it is tasty and very easy to make! Traditional Shakshuka ravioli is a dish that has runny eggs that simmer in the spicy tomato sauce. One can serve this dish with crusty bread in the sauce and savor its deliciousness!
Mac and cheese
Add milk, butter, macaroni pasta, and salt to the pot. Switch on the burner, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook the pasta for 15-18 minutes. Add cheese (sharp cheddar) to the pot and cook slowly. Stir until the cheese has completely melted. Depending on the sharpness of the cheese, you can add another cup of cheese. You can slowly turn the gas off as all the ingredients blend in!
One pot, Paella
A Paella is a classic Spanish rice dish made with simple ingredients such as saffron, rice, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. First, add olive oil to the pot, and then add onion, bell peppers, and garlic. You have to keep sautéing until the onion cooks! After that, add chopped tomato, paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Then, it’s time to add the broth and bring it to a boil finally! Cook paella uncovered for about 15-18 minutes!
Pesto Couscous
This is the easiest side dish, and the ingredients are whole wheat or regular couscous, pesto, lemon juice, and olive oil. First, measure the dry couscous in the bowl, add an equal amount of water, and add pesto. You have to stir these ingredients and set a lid on the top of the bowl. After 5 minutes, add lemon juice, olive oil and salt/pepper to taste and finally serve!
Creamy sausage and spinach penne
The unique combination of the Italian sausage plus the creaminess of the pasta makes this dish lip-smacking! Put olive oil in a large pot, and then add minced garlic and onion! After adding sausages to the pot, add a package of penne! You have to stir continuously to make sure that the pasta does not stick! You then have to add salt, parmesan and spinach to wilt! Stir continuously until fully cooked! You can also garnish it with more cheese and enjoy!
Tacos
The one-pot cheesy taco skillet is an easy, delicious, veggie-packed meal, and it is a low-carb meal! The ingredients needed for this dish are ground beef, yellow onion, bell pepper, tomato, Zucchini and shredded cheese. You have to cook the ground beef and then add onion, tomatoes and cheese in it. After all the vegetables have softened and the cheese has melted, you can fill the mixture in tacos and enjoy the dish! However, you must remember that getting a nicely browned vegetable is crucial for blending in of all the flavors.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a healthy and quick breakfast option that many people love! The best part about this dish is that you can customize it according to your favorite ingredients. The ingredients required for this one-pot meal are 1 cup milk, salt, 1 tablespoon honey, apple and cherry, etc. The fruits are used for garnishing the dish. You can take the fruit of your choice. Oatmeal is a very healthy dish as oats are gluten-free and a great source of minerals, fiber and vitamins.
Banana pancakes
The ingredients required for this dish are 3-4 bananas, oats, one egg and a dash of cinnamon and an egg. The optional ingredients are Nutella, maple syrup and blueberries.
Skillet lasagna
This dish is a dinner game-changer. The ingredients required for this dish are onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, lasagna noodles, parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. You have to heat all the ingredients in olive oil and cook until they become translucent. After cooking, add Italian seasoning, cheese and chopped basil and serve this lip-smacking dish!
Conclusion
Cooking your meals in a single pot tends to be very liberating as it is easy to dump everything into one pot and even easier to clean up after you are done! The next time you are out camping with your family and friends, put together the one-pot camping recipes.
Moreover, it is a great option for feeding large groups of people. These recipes use a handful of ingredients for creating hearty and delicious meals that will leave you drooling for more! A one-pot meal saves you a great amount of time and also saves you time and energy!
When you cook in one vessel, you do not have to worry about the remaining dishes getting cold. The cherry on the cake is that these dishes are push you to be creative and customize the dish according to your own requirements.
