Beyond s’mores: 6 great campfire recipes

Camping with your family is a wonderful time to make lifelong memories, many of which revolve around the campfire. Try some new recipes this year and impress your family with something exciting and flavorful. Most of these recipes either use a cast iron pan or a foil packet for cooking, so make sure you’ve stocked up on those supplies before you hit the road! Here are six of the best recipes to try this summer when you’re out in nature and need some delicious fuel.

Blueberry-Cinnamon Campfire Bread

Crisp mornings around the campfire call for some serious breakfast. This take on blueberry French toast is easy to make and leaves plenty of time to sip a cup of coffee as you watch it cook. You’ll prepare large foil packets to hold your bread (use cinnamon-raisin for extra flavor!), then top with eggs, cream, syrup, nuts, and blueberries. Close up the foil packet, place on a grill grate, and let them cook for about 30-40 minutes. After 10 minutes off the grill, open the packet, add extra blueberries, and enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi Foil Packets

For a delicious dinner that’s easy to prepare before you leave home, try these shrimp scampi foil packets—camp food never seemed so upscale! Make your shrimp mixture ahead of time by mixing raw shrimp with white wine, butter, lemon, garlic, herbs, and some red pepper flakes. Divide the shrimp mixture into foil packets about 12 inches long each. When you’re ready to grill, close up the foil packets and cook over the heat for 10-12 minutes. Serve this with some bread or biscuits for a restaurant-quality meal in the middle of nowhere!

Campfire Breakfast Burgers

A hearty breakfast around the campfire can be the perfect way to start a day of hiking and exploring with your family. These breakfast burgers are easy and filling, so don’t be surprised if they become one of your camping staples. Start by mixing up some black pepper biscuits—you can combine the dry ingredients at home (including dry milk to add some flavor), and then add water and cheddar cheese when you’re ready to bake. As the biscuits are cooking in a cast iron pan or on greased sheets of foil, fry up sausage slices. Once those are done, cook your eggs to a desired consistency (over-easy is a crowd favorite!) and assemble your burgers! Make some extras, because everyone will ask for seconds.

Campfire Nachos

For a quick meal that’s easy to adapt to any crowd around the campfire, try these nachos. Perfect for lunch or dinner, everything goes into one pan and can be eaten straight from the skillet if everyone is eager to dig in! Place a greased cast iron skillet over the campfire, brown your meat (or heat beans for a vegetarian dish), add desired veggies (try green chile for the adults!), and cook for several more minutes until everything is golden brown. Transfer the meat and veggies to a bowl, then line your hot skillet with chips. Pour the meat mixture back on top and garnish with plenty of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. To help the cheese melt faster, cover the skillet with some aluminum foil for 5 minutes!

Pound Cake and Berry Campfire Skillet Dessert

Looking for a campfire dessert that isn’t s’mores? Try this pound cake and berry recipe for something fresh and simple. Use whatever berries you’d like and let them sit with sugar in a bowl for 10-15 minutes until the juices start to break down. While they’re macerating, heat your cast iron skillet over the campfire and melt some butter on the bottom. Add cubes of pound cake to the hot skillet and allow them to toast on all sides in the butter, then remove from the heat and add the berries/juice on top. For a special treat, add Rolo candies (or any chocolate) and let those get soft and gooey. Cover with foil for about 5 minutes to really let everything heat up, then enjoy!

Tin Foil Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

For an easy lunch or dinner that you know everyone will love, whip up several batches of these foil-pack ham and cheese sandwiches. The prep is simple, and cooking time is short, so you don’t need to plan your whole day around this meal. Use packaged Hawaiian rolls for a sweet and simple bread option and divide the ham and sliced cheese among them. Place two sandwiches on each length of foil, then pour a mustard-onion-brown sugar-butter mixture over the top (this will help crisp everything up as it cooks!). Seal up the foil packets and cook in the coals for about 10-15 minutes, turning frequently. Open up the packets and enjoy some cheesy goodness!

These delicious recipes will help keep your family fueled for summer adventures during your next camping trip!