Want easy one pot dinners for camping? Try these 5 super simple recipes for your next outdoor trip!

Figuring Out This Whole One-Pot Camping Meal Thing

You know, I’ve been camping for ages. Started out with the whole nine yards – multiple coolers, boxes of gear, and a full camp kitchen setup. Felt like I was moving house every time. And the cooking? Don’t get me started. So many pots, so many pans, and then the cleanup… ugh, the cleanup, especially with limited water. It was a real pain.

It took a few too many trips scrubbing greasy pans in the dark with cold water before I finally said, “Enough of this!” There absolutely had to be a better way. That’s when I really got serious about one-pot dinners for camping. It wasn’t some fancy revelation, more like a slow, dawning realization born out of pure laziness and a desire to actually enjoy my time in the woods, not spend it playing dishwasher.

My One-Pot Philosophy: Keep It Simple, Friend

My approach to one-pot camping meals isn’t rocket science. Not at all. It’s about being smart with what you bring and how you prep everything beforehand. The goal is maximum flavor and satisfaction with minimum fuss and, most importantly, minimum cleanup. Forget trying to be a gourmet chef out there in the wilderness; we’re aiming for hearty, filling, and easy. That’s the ticket.

First things first, you need the pot itself. I’ve tried a few over the years. For a while, I was all about the heavy cast iron Dutch oven. Great for even heat, sure, but man, it was heavy as heck to lug around. These days, I usually go for a decent-sized, fairly lightweight non-stick pot with a good, solid lid. Something light enough to carry without breaking my back but sturdy enough to handle a campfire or a little camp stove. A 4 to 6-quart pot usually does the trick for me and my small crew. Works like a charm.

The Real Work Happens BEFORE You Even Leave Your House

Listen, this is where the magic truly lies. If you think you’re just going to show up at the campsite and whip up a brilliant one-pot meal from scratch with zero prep, you’re probably kidding yourself. Or you’re a much, much better camp chef than I am, and I’ve been doing this a while.

Here’s what I always do at home before I even think about packing the car:

• Chop absolutely everything. Onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, potatoes – whatever the recipe calls for. I chop it all, and then I put it in ziplock bags or those reusable silicone containers. Sometimes I’ll even mix veggies that cook at roughly the same rate into one bag to save a step later.
• Measure out all my spices. I make little spice blend packets for each meal. Saves me from fumbling with a dozen little bottles at the campsite, especially when it’s getting dark or the bugs are out.
• Pre-cook or marinate meats. If it’s chicken, I might dice it up and get it marinating in a bag. Ground beef? I often brown it at home, drain off all the fat, and then freeze it. It thaws on the way to the campsite or in the cooler and just needs to be heated through. This cuts down on cooking time and the greasy mess you have to deal with at the site.
• Portion out grains or pasta. I measure out rice, pasta, quinoa, or whatever starch I’m using into separate bags.

Basically, I try to do anything that would be messy or time-consuming at the campsite, right there in my kitchen where I have all my tools and a proper sink. Makes a world of difference, trust me.

Cooking at the Campsite: The Actual “One Pot” Part

Alright, so we’ve made it to the campsite. Got my trusty pot, my bags of prepped ingredients. Now what? Time to get cooking.

It usually goes something like this for, say, a hearty stew or a good chili:

1. First, I get the camp stove or the campfire going to a nice medium heat. You don’t want it too raging hot, or you’ll scorch things right away.
2. A little bit of oil in the pot. Then in go the aromatics – usually my pre-chopped onions, maybe some garlic if I brought it. Sauté those until they’re soft and smelling good.
3. If I haven’t pre-cooked my meat, this is when it goes in. Brown it off properly. If it’s already pre-cooked, I’ll add it a bit later on.
4. Then the heartier veggies – carrots, potatoes, stuff that takes a bit longer to cook. Give them a good stir.
5. Next, I add the liquids – could be broth, canned tomatoes, just plain water. Whatever the base of the meal is. I make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot because that’s where a lot of the flavor is.
6. Toss in those spice blends I so cleverly pre-mixed at home.
7. Bring the whole thing to a simmer, then reduce the heat, pop the lid on, and just let it do its thing. How long it needs depends on the ingredients, of course. This is where you get to relax a bit, enjoy the scenery, maybe have a drink.
8. About 15-20 minutes before I reckon it’s done, I’ll add quicker-cooking things – like pre-cooked pasta that just needs to heat through, or rice (if it’s the quick-cooking kind or I’m making a sort of pilaf), or softer veggies like zucchini or peas. If I’m adding beans from a can (rinsed, of course!), they go in around here too, just to heat through.
9. Finally, and this is crucial: taste and adjust the seasoning. Camp cooking can sometimes dull flavors, so you might need a bit more salt or spice than you think.

The real beauty of it is that it’s all happening right there in that one single pot. Less to watch, less to stir (though you do need to give it a stir occasionally to prevent sticking, especially if you’re cooking over an open campfire).

What I’ve Learned Along the Way (Sometimes the Hard Way, Too)

• Don’t overcrowd the pot. Seriously. It’s tempting to just throw everything in at once, but it lowers the temperature too much, and things will steam instead of sautéing properly. Better to just plan your quantities from the start.
• Layer your flavors. Sautéing those aromatics first, browning the meat – these steps build a good base. Don’t just dump everything in at once and hope for the best. It won’t be as good.
• A good, tight-fitting lid is your best friend. It helps keep the heat in, so things cook faster, and it prevents too much ash or random forest debris from getting into your dinner if you’re over a fire.
• Cleanup is an absolute breeze. Seriously. One pot to wash. Maybe some bowls and spoons, but that’s it. I usually heat a little water in the same pot after we’re done eating; makes cleaning even easier.

So yeah, that’s my spiel on one-pot camping dinners. It’s not revolutionary, I know, but it’s made my camping trips so much more enjoyable. Less time stressing over food prep and cleanup means more time kicking back by the fire and actually enjoying being outdoors. Give it a try if you haven’t. Your future, less-stressed camping self will definitely thank you for it.