JamesT The key to upgrading the meals at your campsite is all about prep. The more you can do at home the better you will eat on the road. Here’s our article dedicated foods you can reheat at camp. From ‘Glamping’ to dry camping on a backpack trail, we have to narrow down a couple things. We assume you have a propane stove, or at least a grate that will allow you to heat two pans at once over an open fire. Also, a cooler that will allow you to keep food at a safe temperature as needed.
Meatloaf
Meatloaf is one of our favorite travelling meals. Warm it up for a filling meal on a chill night, or sandwich it up cold for a sweaty day of exploring. For dinner, in 15 minutes, you can have a rich meal of comfort food.
In separate bags prep 1 cup diced onion with 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 cup sliced mushrooms. Bring cooked meatloaf, sliced to ¾ of an inch, your favorite instant mashed potato mix, 3 cubes of beef bouillon, and a cube of butter.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a sauce pan and add onions with the flour, stir well for about 30 seconds then leave on medium heat. Bring some water to a boil while the onions cook. Make the potatoes as per the recipe, and set aside. The onions should be lightly browned and translucent by now, add the mushrooms and crumble in the bouillon cubes. After a minute add 1-1/2 cups boiling water to the mushrooms and onions, stir well, turn heat to low and simmer. Warm a skillet and place the meatloaf slices in until they are warmed and ready to eat. Serve with meatloaf atop the mashers and the mushroom onion gravy over the top.
Frito Pie
A classic outdoor meal is Frito pie in the bag. Pick the size bag of Fritos you want, one for each person. You can make a filling in advance, there’s a plethora of recipes out there, or you can use your favorite all meat chili spiced up to your liking. Whichever way you go, heat up the saucy part in a pot. When it is warm enough, put a Frito bag on a plate, slit the side on top open and spread apart. Ladle some of then meat mix or chili right on top of the chips, add some shredded cheese and you are ready to go.
Camp Tacos
Tacos are a great travelling meal. Prep all you favorite toppings at home, along with cooking your taco meat. When the time comes to eat, heat a broad skillet over medium high heat. Toss in the taco meat and add ¼ cup of water, stirring constantly. As the water steams it quickly warms up the meat, feel free to add more as needed, until the meat is hot, then serve. A simple variation on this is to prepare a bed of greens with an easy dressing of ½ sour cream and ½ salsa. Take a bag of tortilla chips, gently crush them in the bag until they are roughly half the original size. Toss in shredded cheese and shake until
mixed. Throw in the warmed taco meat and toss again (literally, try blowing the bag up like a balloon and holding the top shut while you toss everything around inside). Put the meat/cheese/chip mix on top of the greens for a quick and tasty taco salad.
Sausage & Mashed Taters
Sausages and such always make for great travelling food, cured and smoked sausages were specifically created for an age without refrigeration. A good hearty meal starts with your favorite fully cooked sausages, bring some julienned onions, your preferred mustard, and your favorite instant mashed potato mix. In a lightly oiled skillet start the onions over a medium high heat while you also prepare the mashed potatoes, which usually have to sit for a few minutes. When the onions begin to brown slightly, throw in the sausages. When the onions and sausages have colored up well, add a few ounces of beer (no, not on the ingredients list because who camps without beer?!) and a tablespoon of mustard. Stir, let simmer a couple minutes, then serve over the mashed potatoes.
These are a few ideas, but with a little planning, you can reheat virtually any meal you can think of. With a food sealer, you can make your own boil–in-bag foods. Cutting any food into smaller pieces makes it reheat, and cook, in shorter periods of time, so keep that in mind when prepping. So much depends on the facilities, if any, you have at your campsite. Of course you don’t have to work too hard, it seems like everything tastes better when you eat it at your campsite
