Best One Pot Camping Recipes for Families
One pot meals are the cornerstone of good camp cooking. A single pan, a handful of ingredients, minimal washing up, and a genuinely satisfying result, one pot camping recipes deliver food done right for your camp mates.
With children who are hungry after a day outside and limited patience for complex cooking, one pot camping recipes are not just convenient, they are practically essential.
Here are our favourite one pot family camping meals, all of which work reliably on a two-ring camp stove.
Why One Pan Camping Food Works So Well for Families
Before we dive into some recipes, what’s the benefit of one pot family camping meals?
Here we look at the three big positives, if you’re still unsure, which will hopefully change your mind!
- Minimal washing up. A single pan washed in a camping bowl takes two minutes. Washing three pans requires multiple rinses, more water, and more time. With children who want to get back to playing, one pot cooking saves real time and energy.
- Fewer things to carry. Every item in the camping kit has to be packed and unpacked. A single heavy-based pan covers most one pot recipes.
- More forgiving cooking. One pot meals involve things being added to a pot and cooked together, which means timing is more relaxed than coordinating multiple pans.
The Best One Pot Camping Recipes for Families
Ready for some recipes? Here’s some classic one pan camping food, that we think the family will love!
Sausage and bean stew
The ultimate camping one pot meal. Brown sliced sausages in a little oil, add a chopped onion, then tip in two tins of baked beans, a tin of chopped tomatoes, and a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Simmer for twenty minutes and serve with crusty bread.
Children love it, adults love it, and it tastes better than it has any right to for something so simple.
Chicken and rice
Dice pre-cooked chicken at home and transport in a sealed tub.
On site, fry diced peppers and onion in oil, add the chicken, then add a mug of long-grain rice and two mugs of chicken stock.
Cover and simmer for twelve minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed. One pan, no draining required.
Lentil and vegetable soup
Soften a chopped onion and diced carrots in oil. Add red lentils and enough vegetable stock to cover generously.
Simmer for twenty to 25 minutes until thick and the lentils are soft.
Season well and serve with bread. Filling, cheap, and genuinely warming on a cool evening.
Tuna pasta: campsite version
Cook pasta, drain most of the water leaving a little, then add a tin of tuna, a tin of sweetcorn, a tablespoon of cream cheese, salt, pepper, and a handful of grated cheese.
Stir together over gentle heat until warm and melted. Serve straight from the pan. Children tend to love this one.
Shakshuka
Fry a diced onion and red pepper in oil until soft, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon each of cumin and smoked paprika.
Simmer for five minutes then make small wells in the sauce and crack eggs into them. Put a lid on and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about five to eight minutes.
Serve straight from the pan with flatbreads.
Tips for One Pot Camping Cooking
The idea with all our one pot camping recipes is that they make your life easy.
But there are ways you can make it even easier, with three more tips below to end things, and make your camping trip as good as it can possible be on an evening.
- Prep at home. Onions chopped and sealed in a tub, garlic ready, spices measured into zip-lock bags. The more you do at home, the less you do on site.
- Use a heavy-based pan. Thin camping pans conduct heat unevenly and lead to burning. A quality heavy-based pan produces significantly better results.
- Lid management. A tight-fitting lid is essential for recipes that require simmering. It keeps heat in, speeds up cooking, and prevents too much liquid evaporating.
For more camping meal ideas, visit our full camping recipes for families section, check out our easy camping meals for family guide, and find everything else at Camping With Kids.
