Fall is here and so are the cooler temps. It’s now in the 50’s at night where I live which is the perfect campfire weather. A fun activity to do with the kids or even a group of adults, is to cook over a campfire. And you don’t even have to go camping to do it. You can make a fire in a firepit or fire ring and do it right in your own backyard. These meals are also great in emergency situations, like power outages or blackouts.
Foil Packet Nachos
I love these because they are super easy to make and they are highly customizable. I have one kid who is a super picky eater and another one who is willing to try most things. These nachos allow my picky eater to keep it simple while my other child can experiment with various flavors. Another bonus is that you can prepare and freeze to make later or you can prepare and make right away. I have broken down the recipe for you below.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ tsp of minced garlic
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 15-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained well
- 1 cup corn kernels frozen
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 1.5 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Cooking spray
- Heavy duty or non-stick aluminum foil
- Additional topping ideas include diced tomatoes, sliced olives, jalapenos, sour cream, diced onion, diced fresh avocado, and cilantro leaves.
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef and garlic, breaking up with a spoon, for 4 to 5 minutes, until beef is browned. Remove from heat, stir in taco seasoning, and stir to combine well. Drain excess fat. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes then transfer back into skillet. Add black beans and corn and stir to combine.
Make it Now
- Cut out (4) sheets of non-stick or heavy duty aluminum foil 18 inches long on a flat surface.
- Spray each foil sheet with a little bit of cooking spray.
- Place a big handful of tortilla chips in the center of the foil, it’s okay if they are overlapping.
- Top tortilla chips with ground beef mixture, and sprinkle generously with Mexican Cheese.
- Fold your foil packets closed. Place foil packets on a grill or in a cast iron pan over the campfire.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Carefully open your foil packets up and top with diced tomatoes, olives, avocados, sour cream, cilantro and any other toppings you desire. Serve.
Make Ahead & Freeze
- Allow beef mixture to cool completely. Then transfer to a labeled gallon sized freezer safe bag, seal bag removing air and freeze.
- Place cheese into quart sized freezer safe bag and place both bags into another gallon size bag to freeze together.
Thaw & Cook
Place beef mixture bag in refrigerator for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours to thaw. Then cook your nachos as directed in the make it now instructions above.
Baking this in the oven? If you would like to instead bake this in the oven, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chips, topping and cheese in a baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with other ingredients and serve.
Campfire Cowboy Stew
This one-pot recipe is so simple, even the kids can help toss it together. It’s full of flavor and super hearty. Dutch ovens can be suspended over a campfire using a tripod, placed on a campfire cooking grate over a fire, or placed directly on top of embers. I prefer to use a cooking grate myself.
Ingredients
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- 1 can of tomatoes
- 1 can of corn
- 2 cans of green beans
- 1 can of kidney beans
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Saute the onions in the Dutch oven until soft.
- Brown the ground beef and drain grease.
- Add all other ingredients to the Dutch oven.
- Simmer for around two hours. (I have found the longer it cooks the more the flavors come out)
- Serve and enjoy!
A deep oven-proof skillet can work if you don’t have a Dutch oven, as can an oven-proof soup pot.
Campfire Pizza
Are you as surprised as I am at the fact that you can make pizza over a fire? It’s just not something that I ever thought to do before. I have not tried this one yet but it is on my list for this fall. Apparently it is super simple. However, you will need a cast iron pan, cookie sheet, pizza stone etc. And this is another highly customizable recipe which is perfect when you are cooking for a family.
Ingredients
- 1 tube of refrigerated pizza dough or frozen pizza dough
- 1 jar of pizza sauce
- 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
- your choice of pepperoni mushrooms, vegetables, whatever toppings you want!
Instructions
- Oil a cast iron pan ( or baking sheet, pizza stone etc.)
- Take the refrigerated dough and spread in the pan.
- Place on the fire or the BBQ. Cook until the bottom has browned.
- Remove from the fire and flip the crust in the pan.
- Brush with pizza sauce, place your toppings on and then cover in cheese.
- Return to the heat and cook until the crust is done underneath and the toppings are warm
- Remove and enjoy!
I wish I could give you approximate times on how long it takes to brown the crust. This part will probably take some trial and error based on how hot your fire is.
Campfire Taco in a Bag
This is one of the easiest meals you can throw together when camping or hanging out by the fire in your backyard. You can prep the meat at home ahead of time or you can do it all on the fire. Some people like to use various flavors of Doritos and others prefer Fritos. You can use whatever chip base you like, you just need the individual small chip bags.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground hamburger
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 individual serving size chip bag (Nacho Cheese flavor is great!) for each person
Instructions
Preheat the campfire for cooking.
In a medium foil pan, place the thawed hamburger and place over the fire. Brown the meat using a metal spatula. Once the meat is browned, add the taco seasoning and ¾ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes longer or until the seasoning has thickened and the water has nearly evaporated.
Gently crush the “taco chips” in each of the bags and use a pair of scissors to cut off the top or the side of the bags.
Scoop a generous amount of hamburger over the crushed taco chips and top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa or your other favorite ingredients. Enjoy!
Easy clean-up!
TIPS: Precook the taco meat. It can be heated on the campfire or served cold. If you have small kids, they can probably share 1 bag. Adults might want two.
Campfire French Toast
When cooking french toast over a campfire, regular sandwich bread just won’t do. I recommend buying a loaf of bread at the bakery and cutting it into generous 3/4″-1” thick slices. You will be able to soak up more of the egg-milk mixture, giving you more time to crisp the outsides without overcooking the insides. Grab a cast iron pan and treat yourself to this delicious french toast.
Ingredients
- ½ lb loaf bread
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- 4 tablespoons butter for pan
- Your favorite syrup to top
Instructions
- Cut the bread into 3/4″ – 1” thick slices.
- Beat the eggs first in a bowl large enough to accommodate a slice of the bread. Then add milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and sugar together, until thoroughly mixed.
- Heat 4 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Dip a slice of bread in the egg and milk mixture and let it soak for about 10 seconds on each side. Let the excess drip off, sprinkle each side with additional sugar, and then fry it in the skillet until golden and crispy on each side, about 3 minutes per side. (depends on heat from fire)
- Repeat with the rest of the bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed.
- Serve with syrup, fresh fruit, and a cup of hot chocolate. Enjoy!
Mountain Pies
One of my absolute favorite campfire meals are mountain pies. You can make them in so many different ways from grilled cheese to meat and cheese to pizza to PB&J to dessert pies. The possibilities are endless! You will need a special tool for mountain pies but other than that, they are easy to throw together.
TIPS(1)
- Don’t use raw meat. The campfire may be hot, but the sandwich maker isn’t on the heat long enough to cook meat.
- Don’t overstuff. Everybody loves lots of chocolate oozing out of their pie, but if you put too much filling in, the bread won’t seal properly.
- Skip the mayonnaise. Mayo and heat don’t mix well and mayonnaise can go bad quickly. Instead, if you really want some, why not dip it on afterwards.
- Cook the eggs. Don’t use raw eggs. The bread gets too soft and the egg may not get adequately cooked.
- Don’t use lettuce. Lettuce is one of those vegetables that does not heat well. It wilts and gets slimy. Of course you may not mind that. A good substitute is spinach, but even that wilts with the heat.
- Avoid raw vegetables. They can be a bit tricky because some produce a lot of liquid when cooking. Try sautéed ones instead, but make sure to drain off any liquid.
- Go light on sauces. Go easy on the sauces as a filling. The bread can get mushy. Consider using it as a dipping sauce instead.
- Expand your bread repertoire. Don’t limit yourself to white bread. Try different types. Brioche bread for some of the dessert mountain pies is out of this world.
Campfire Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- Sliced Bread
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Optional: turkey or ham
Instructions
- Generously butter the outside of two pieces of bread.
- Place 1-3 slices of cheese in between the pieces of bread, with the butter side out.
- Pie Iron Method: Place the sandwich in the pie iron between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
- Campfire Method: Place a piece of heavy-duty foil on the grate OR heat a cast-iron griddle over the campfire.
- Grill each side of the sandwich for 4-5 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted
Mountain Pizza Pie
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 2 slices white bread
- 1 tablespoon pizza sauce
- 4 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 4 slices pepperoni
- Other toppings optional (but don’t load it up too much!)
Directions
- Spread butter over bread slices. Place one slice in a sandwich iron, buttered side down. Spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, pepperoni and, if desired, additional toppings. Top with the remaining cheese and bread slice, buttered side up. Close iron.
- Cook over a hot campfire until golden brown and cheese is melted, 3-6 minutes, turning occasionally.
Apple Turnover Mountain Pie
Ingredients
- 1 can Pillsbury country biscuits
- A jar of apple pie filling (I used homemade apple pie filling)
- 1 bag marshmallows
- Non-stick spray (optional)
Instructions
- Spray the interior of the pie iron with non-stick spray.
- Layer 1 biscuit, 1/4 cup apple pie filling, 1 marshmallow and 1 biscuit.
- Close and latch the pie iron.
- Cook over the fire, opening the iron to check progress periodically.
- Cook for approximately 5 mins per side depending on how hot the fire is.
Additional Yummy Mountain Pie options:
- fluffernutters
- peanut butter and bananas
- cream cheese and jam
Remember, you don’t have to actually go camping to have fun with camp food. I have friends who cook several of these recipes in their living room fireplace. I have a gas fireplace, so I have never done that. But in addition to a campfire or fire ring, you can absolutely use your fireplace.
