7 Simple Backpacking Meal Ideas Using One Pot or Foil
This Fire's Ready for Cooking! - Photo Credit: Bryan Donoghue
Nothing beats campfire cooking. But cooking over a fire when you're backpacking can be a challenge. Bringing the ingredients for meals and the cookware to cook them in all gets carried on your back. And what if you're going with a group of people? When cooking backpacking meals for a crowd at a campsite, simplicity is key.
Here are some ideas for great backpacking meals with few ingredients that use only a small pot of water or some aluminum foil and are easy to prepare. The fewer the ingredients and camping gear for cooking needed, the lighter your pack will be.
Many of these recipes are adaptable, and you can add proteins or other ingredients depending on your diet and preferences. They're simple and can feed one or two campers up to a large group of people.
Also, here's quick pro tip: if you're cooking for the group, it's 100% okay to require the group to carry some of the food or equipment for the meal.
Teriyaki Rice with Scrambled Eggs and Veggies
Having a tasty rice dish with veggies is delicious and filling. Pack pre-measured portions of rice, dehydrated egg powder, and diced veggies to ensure each person's meal fits in their bag and is ready to cook over a fire. The only cooking equipment you need is a small metal pot to cook it all together over the coals of your fire and an eating utensil.
Ingredients:
2 cups of water
1 cup of rice
2 teaspoon vegetable bullion powder
1/4 C powered egg mixed with 1/4 cup water
4 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce
Diced veggies of your choice, i.e. peas, zucchini, carrots, green beans, broccoli
Package of fully cooked chicken or beef (optional)
Bring water to a boil. Add bullion powder, rice, and veggies. Remove from direct heat, but make sure it is close enough for the water to simmer. Once the water is fully absorbed, (about 25 minutes) the rice add in your egg mixture and gently fluff the rice to fold it in. Replace the lid and let the egg steam for 2-5 minutes. Your dish is ready to serve. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Backcountry Tacos (or Fajitas)
Tacos or fajitas are an excellent choice for a delicious camping meal. Tortillas are extremely lightweight and pack easily. as do the other ingredients. Using dry black beans in a Ziplock bag saves even more space and weight in your pack, while delivering a extra fiber, iron, and protein to your meal. Other ingredients like onion and chopped cilantro stay relatively fresh for several days in a Ziplock bag in your pack if needed.
Ingredients:
Tortillas
Dry black beans
Chopped cilantro, green onion, and bell peppers
3-4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning (I like things spicy)
Package of fully cooked chicken (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
On the day you plan to make tacos, remember to soak the beans during your hike. This significantly decreases your cooking time when you get into camp tired and hungry.
In your pot, bring the water to a boil. Then add the bean onion and peppers to cook together until tender, (about 45 minutes). While waiting for this process to finish, heat the tortillas on a hot rock near the fire or by holding them briefly over the fire (careful with your hands if you do this!).
Once the beans are tender, add your chicken (if desired) and taco seasoning. Let that heat through then dish it out into your warmed tortillas. Dress with your hot sauce and cilantro and you're ready dig in.
Feel the need for cheese on your tacos? So do I. Bring along a bag of Doritos Nacho Chips and crunch them over your taco for a cheesy finish.
Beefy Ramen Noodles
Perhaps the lightest meal you can pack when backpacking, instant ramen noodles are a filling meal that can feed an army.
A couple of packets of ramen and these other ingredients weigh next to nothing in your pack, yet they provide you with the energy you need for the trail.
Ingredients:
Package(s) of instant ramen noodles
Green onion, shredded cabbage
Dried mushrooms (shiitake are a good choice here.)
Beef or Vegan jerky
Using a small pot, sauté the veggies and/or jerky to tenderized. Then add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add noodles and cook for a few minutes until tender. So easy. Serve and enjoy!
Loaded Sweet Potatoes
This is a play on the classic loaded baked potato. Sweet potatoes are delicious, and far more nutritious than their not-so-sweet counterparts. When they are done you’ll have a complete meal full of fiber and nutrients.
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
Salt and pepper
Green onion
Crushed Red pepper
Pre-cooked Chili beans (optional)
Slice potatoes down the middle and wrap in aluminum foil. Place them in the coals and turn occasionally, checking them until they squish a little when you squeeze them. Take them out of the fire, open them up, and load them with green onions, salt & pepper, and chili beans. Wrap them back up tightly in the foil and continue cooking until the middle is completely soft.
Cajun Style Foil Bake
This is a backpacking version of a Cajun tradition. All the ingredients can be prepped at home in advance, wrapped in foil together, and put in a sealed bag for transportation, making it easy to bring with you on your outdoor adventure.
You can make a giant batch to cook altogether or create smaller separate foil packets for individual servings - you just open the foil once it’s done cooking, let it cool a bit, and start eating! No dishes to clean. (But do pack out your trash please.)
And you can easily add fish or jerky to this recipe for some extra protein.
Ingredients:
Corn cobs
Chopped red potatoes
3-4 Tablespoons butter
Cajun Mirepoix (yellow onion, garlic, carrots, celery, red bell peppers)
Zucchini (or other summer squash)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Red beans (pre-soaked)
Shrimp, fish, jerky, or vegan jerky (optional)
Break up corn cobs into 2-3 pieces and wrap in foil with your protein of choice, cajun mirepoix, zucchini, onions, and butter (you can use beans instead of or in addition to corn). Add a whole Cayenne pepper if you want some kick.
Here's how you make sure it steams properly and doesn't burn. Once you've sealed up 3 sides of your foil meal tightly, add in 2-3 Tablespoons of water.
Put the foil cooking packet over the heat -- NOT directly on the heat or you'll burn the bottom. Cook time depends on the size of the packet and the heat of the coals, but your meal should be ready in about 20 minutes. And oh, is it a feast?!
Kebabs
Making kebabs is simple and takes very little in the way of materials. They can be vegetarian or made with meat, depending on your preference and diet. Like other recipes on this list, you can prepare all of the ingredients, and the skewers as a whole, ahead of time.
Ingredients:
Bell peppers
Zucchinis
Onions
Mushrooms
Favorite BBQ sauce
Beef or Chicken (optional, pre-cooked)
Metal or Wood skewers
Soak skewers (if made of wood) for a few hours before cooking to prevent them from burning over the flames. Cut veggies into large pieces and marinate in BBQ sauce. Slide pieces onto skewers, alternating between veggies - for example: pepper, zucchini, onion, mushroom etc. Hold over coals or flame, turning as it cooks. Be careful when using wood skewers as they can burn and break if put in a direct flame.
Grilled Cheese Pitas
Grilled cheese sandwiches are possibly the easiest meal to make, ever, anywhere. Cheese and bread, what can be more simple than that? Hard cheeses such as cheddar or Monterey Jack travel well when wrapped in wax paper and plastic wrap. Pitas are flat, easy to carry, and more durable than traditional sliced bread when jostling around in your hiking pack.
Ingredients:
Hard Cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda) cut into slices.
For vegans, a harder vegan cheese such as Field Roast Chao Cheese works best
Pita bread
Butter/vegan butter
Cut or tear open the pocket of the pita. Fill the pocket with cheese. Spread both sides of your pita with butter. Cook the sandwich on a rack or grill if it is available in the camping site, or on a flat rock near your fire. You can get creative and add veggies of your choice like tomatoes, mushroom, or brocoli, into the pocket for some added nutrients.
Nothing beats cooking over a campfire! - Photo Credit: Ankit Jain
Final Thoughts
Besides the actual food items you bring with you, make sure you leave room in your backpack for seasonings. I like to reuse the sprinkle containers that have several compartments in them. I can have salt in one, pepper in another, taco seasoning in the next...you get the idea. You can also finally use those leftover red pepper or hot sauce packets from your last take out.
A little added flavor goes a long way to making your backpacking meals tasty.
Cooking for a large group with very little in the way of ingredients and equipment may seem daunting, but it will give you a chance to get creative by simplifying the process as much as possible - while still making delicious meals for your entire party.
Did you like these meal ideas?
Check out these other recipes by Pathloom:
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Guest Blogger Paul Wilson is a software engineer with a passion for the outdoors. When he first started camping, he always felt frustrated because many things can initially seem tough (e.g. trouble sleeping in a tent, bugs, etc.), but he gradually found solutions for each of the problems and started enjoying the trips. That’s why he created cutecamper.com - to help other beginners come to similar solutions. He loves sharing his tips and guides to help people enhance their outdoor experiences.
