20 One Pot Camping Meals for Easy Camp Cooking

Some of the best camping meals are also the simplest: throw everything into one pot, let it cook, and dinner is done. No juggling three pans over a small camping stove, no complicated prep, and – perhaps best of all – hardly any washing up afterwards.

That doesn’t mean dinner has to be basic, either. These 20 one pot camping meals include everything from creamy pasta and hearty rice dishes to skillet dinners, warming chilis and Dutch oven favourites. They’re the kind of meals that feel like a proper dinner after a long day outdoors, without turning your campsite into a makeshift kitchen.

Every recipe below is designed to be cooked from start to finish in one pot, skillet or Dutch oven, with quantities, cooking times and a few useful tips to make things easier at camp. For even more ideas – including foil packet meals, no-cook options and make-ahead favourites – have a look at our easy camping meals too.

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What Counts as One Pot, and What Does Not

One pot, pan or Dutch oven from start to finish. Taking cooked food out of the pan and putting it back later is fine, and that trick makes several of these recipes work. What does not count is a second saucepan for boiling water, a colander for draining, or a separate pan for the egg on top. Every recipe here has been checked against that test, which is why a few are sequenced slightly differently from the versions you might make at home.

The other rule worth knowing: pasta and rice are cooked in the sauce or stock rather than in a big pot of water you then throw away. Less water, no draining, and the starch thickens the sauce instead of going down a drain.

What to Prep at Home

Thirty minutes of work before you leave makes a noticeable difference at the campsite. Dice onions and peppers into a tub. Mix dry spice blends into small jars so you carry one container instead of six. Brown ground beef, cool it, and freeze it flat, which saves a step and helps chill the cooler on the drive out. Slice beef for stir frying while it is partly frozen so the pieces come out even.

Anything perishable that you prep ahead should stay properly chilled at 40°F (4.4°C) or below until you are ready to cook. Freezing a browned base or portioned sauce flat also helps it pack neatly and stay cold on the drive out.

One Pot Pasta and Noodle Dinners

Pasta cooked directly in its sauce is the core one pot technique. Start with roughly 2 cups of liquid per 8 oz of dry pasta and add a splash more if it tightens before the pasta is done. Stir more often than you would at home, because camp stove burners have hot spots and pasta starch catches on a thin pot base.

1. One Pot Sausage and Tortellini

Time: 20 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot with lid

You’ll need:

• 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed, or 1 lb sliced smoked sausage
• 1 large onion – diced
• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
• 1 cup water
• 20 oz fresh or refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1 tbsp olive oil

At camp: Brown the onions and sausage in the oil over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, breaking it up. Add the marinara and water, bring to a simmer, then stir in the tortellini and cook covered on a low simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Fold through the spinach until it wilts and finish with parmesan.

Camp tip: Fresh tortellini is the most forgiving pasta for an unpredictable camp burner. It cooks in about a third of the time of dry pasta and absorbs sauce rather than diluting it, so a couple of extra minutes will not ruin it.

2. One Pot Chili Mac

Time: 25 min · Serves: 4 to 6 · Gear: 3-quart pot with lid

You’ll need:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced, 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp salt
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups beef stock
• 8 oz dry macaroni
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

At camp: Brown the beef with the onion over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, then add the garlic and spices for a minute. Add the beans, tomatoes, stock and macaroni, bring to a simmer, and cook covered on low for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Kill the heat, stir in the cheese and let it sit two minutes to thicken.

Camp tip: Stir this more often than feels necessary. Pasta starch sinks and catches on the base of a thin camp pot, and scorched chili mac is one of the least enjoyable things to scrub off at the end of dinner.

3. One Pot Beef Stroganoff Noodles

Time: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced, 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp paprika
• 3 cups beef stock
• 8 oz dry egg noodles
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper

At camp: Brown the beef, mushrooms and onion in the oil over high heat for 8 minutes, until the liquid the mushrooms give off has cooked away. Stir in the tomato paste and paprika, add the stock and noodles, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Take the pot off the heat completely, wait a minute, then stir in the sour cream.

Camp tip: Sour cream splits over direct heat, and a camp burner is much harder to turn down than a home stove. Move the pot off the flame entirely rather than trying to find a low setting.

4. One Pot Bacon Carbonara

Time: 20 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 8 oz bacon or pancetta, diced
• 12 oz spaghetti
• 3 cups water
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper

At camp: Crisp the bacon over medium heat for 6 minutes and leave the fat in the pot. Add the spaghetti and water, simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the pasta is done and only a few tablespoons of starchy liquid remain. Take the pot off the heat, wait a full minute, then beat the eggs with the parmesan and pepper and stir the mixture through fast.

Camp tip: The minute off the heat is the whole recipe. Residual heat cooks the egg into a sauce; a pot still on the burner turns it into scrambled egg on pasta, and there is no way back from that.

5. Cacio e Pepe

Time: 15 min · Serves: 3 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 10 oz spaghetti or bucatini
• 3 cups water, 1 tsp salt
• 5 oz pecorino romano, finely grated
• 2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

At camp: Toast the pepper in the dry pot over medium heat for 30 seconds, then add the oil, water and salt. Simmer the pasta 9 to 11 minutes until done, with only a few tablespoons of cloudy liquid left (remove any excess liquid if required). Off the heat, add the pecorino a handful at a time, stirring hard, until it turns glossy.

Camp tip: With only a handful of ingredients, this is an easy meal to keep in reserve for a night when you want dinner with almost no prep. Grate the pecorino at home so you are not carrying a grater.

Rice and Grain Pots

Rice needs a lid and a burner you can hold at a genuine low simmer, which not every camp stove does well. Precooked rice pouches sidestep that entirely, and where a recipe uses them the rice is heated in the same pan at the end rather than warmed separately.

6. Chicken and Chorizo Rice

Time: 35 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet with lid

You’ll need:

• 1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
• 6 oz cured Spanish chorizo, sliced
• 1 large onion and 1 red pepper, diced
• 1.5 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt

At camp: Brown the chicken and chorizo in the oil over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, until the chorizo has released its orange fat. Add the onion and pepper for 5 minutes, then the paprika, rice and stock. Bring to a boil, cover, drop to the lowest simmer you can hold, and cook 18 to 20 minutes without stirring. Check the thickest piece of chicken reaches 165F.

Camp tip: The chorizo fat does the coloring and flavoring work that saffron does in the dish this borrows from, which is why the browning stage is worth the extra five minutes rather than dumping everything in at once.

7. Coconut Curry Chickpea Rice

Time: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot with lid

You’ll need:

• 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp red or yellow curry paste
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup long grain rice, 1.5 cups water
• 5 oz baby spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 lime, 1 tbsp oil

At camp: Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes, add the curry paste for a minute, then the coconut milk, water, rice and chickpeas. Cover and simmer on low for 15 to 18 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir in the spinach until it wilts and finish with lime.

Camp tip: Most of the ingredients travel easily, which makes this a good option for later in the trip. Frozen spinach works particularly well because it packs neatly into the cooler and can go straight into the pot once the rice is nearly done.

8. Cajun Sausage Jambalaya

Time: 30 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet with lid

You’ll need:

• 12 oz andouille or smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1.5 cups long grain rice
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2.5 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tbsp oil

At camp: Brown the sausage in the oil over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, add the vegetables for 5 more, then the seasoning, rice, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Rest it off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.

Camp tip: Using precooked smoked sausage means no raw meat handling at the campsite, which matters more than it sounds when the nearest sink is four sites away. It also means the only thing you are waiting on is the rice.

9. Kimchi Fried Rice

Time: 15 min · Serves: 3 · Gear: 12-inch skillet

You’ll need:

• 6 oz Spam or bacon, diced
• 1.5 cups kimchi, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp of its juice
• 2 pouches (8.8 oz each) precooked rice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 3 eggs

At camp: Fry the Spam over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until crisp, add the kimchi and juice and cook 3 minutes until the liquid reduces. Stir in the rice, soy and sesame oil, press it flat and leave it 2 minutes to catch, then move it to plates. Crack the eggs straight into the same hot skillet, fry for 2 minutes, and slide one onto each portion with the scallions.

Camp tip: Frying the eggs last in the same pan is what keeps this a one pot meal. There is enough fat left from the Spam that you will not need to add any, and the pan is already at the right temperature.

Skillet Dinners

Anything that needs real browning works especially well in cast iron, which holds heat better than a thin pan when the wind picks up. Keep raw meat properly chilled until you are ready to cook, and bring it out once the pan is hot. Our guide to how to keep food cold when camping covers coolers, dry ice and freezing food before you leave.

10. Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Time: 15 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet

You’ll need:

• 1.5 lb chicken breast or thigh, sliced thin
• 2 bell peppers and 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp fajita seasoning
• 8 small flour tortillas
• 2 tbsp oil, 1 lime
• Sour cream and salsa to serve

At camp: Get the skillet properly hot. Sear the chicken in the oil for 5 to 6 minutes until it reaches 165F, then move it to a plate. Cook the peppers and onion in the same pan for 5 minutes, return the chicken with the seasoning and a splash of water, and toss for a minute. Move it all to a plate, warm the tortillas in the dry pan for 20 seconds a side.

Camp tip: Slice the chicken thin at home while it is partly frozen. Thin, even strips cook quickly and are less likely to dry out, and it also means you can do the messier raw-chicken prep in your kitchen rather than at the campsite.

11. Smoked Sausage, Kale and White Bean Skillet

Time: 20 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet

You’ll need:

• 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, undrained
• 6 oz chopped kale
• 1 tsp chili flakes, 1 tbsp olive oil
• Crusty bread to serve

At camp: Brown the sausage in the oil over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, add the onion for 4 and the garlic for 1. Tip in the beans with their liquid and the chili flakes, simmer 5 minutes, then add the kale a handful at a time and cook until it collapses, about 4 minutes.

Camp tip: Using the bean liquid rather than draining it gives you a thick, glossy sauce with no stock to carry and nothing to pour away at the campsite.

12. Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

Time: 30 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet with lid

You’ll need:

• 1 lb ground lamb or beef
• 1 onion and 2 carrots, diced small
• 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 cups beef stock, plus 2 cups water for the mash
• 4 oz instant mashed potato flakes, 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup frozen peas, 1 tbsp oil

At camp: Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in the skillet, whisk in the potato flakes and butter to make a thick mash, and tip it onto a plate. Wipe the pan, brown the meat with the onion and carrot in the oil for 8 minutes, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire and stock, and simmer 8 minutes until thick. Stir in the peas, spoon the mash back over the top, cover and heat 5 minutes. Ground meat needs 160F.

Camp tip: Making the mash first in the same skillet is what keeps this genuinely one pot. Most versions need a second pan of boiling water, so doing it in this order saves you extra cookware and washing up.

13. Beef and Broccoli with Rice

Time: 15 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 12-inch skillet

You’ll need:

• 1.25 lb flank or sirloin steak, sliced thin
• 12 oz broccoli florets
• 3 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 pouches (8.8 oz each) precooked rice, 2 tbsp oil

At camp: Sear the beef in the oil over high heat for 3 minutes and move it to a plate. Add the broccoli with a splash of water, cover or stir hard for 4 minutes, then the garlic and ginger. Return the beef with the soy, sugar and cornstarch slaked into the water, and bubble 2 minutes until glossy. Move it to plates, tip the rice into the same pan with a splash of water and heat through for 2 minutes.

Camp tip: Slice the beef at home while it is partly frozen. It is far easier to get thin, even pieces that way, and thin pieces are what let this cook in the three minutes before the pan loses its heat.

14. Halloumi and Vegetable Skillet

Time: 20 min · Serves: 3 · Gear: 12-inch skillet

You’ll need:

• 2 blocks (8 oz each) halloumi, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 zucchini, 1 red pepper and 1 red onion, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil, black pepper
• Flatbread to serve

At camp: Char the vegetables in 2 tbsp of the oil over high heat for 8 minutes, until they take color at the edges, then move them to a plate. Add the last of the oil and fry the halloumi for 2 minutes a side until deeply golden. Return the vegetables, add the oregano, and finish with lemon off the heat.

Camp tip: Halloumi works particularly well for camping because it holds its shape over high heat and browns quickly without falling apart. Keep it chilled until you are ready to cook, then give the slices plenty of space in the pan so they colour rather than steam.

Soups, Chilis and Stews

The most forgiving recipes here, because nothing is ruined by five extra minutes of simmering. They are also the ones most affected by altitude, since everything in this section cooks by boiling.

15. Two-Bean Camp Chili

Time: 30 min · Serves: 4 to 6 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 1.5 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans and 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 oz dark chocolate, salt

At camp: Brown the beef and onion over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, add the garlic and spices for a minute, then the beans, tomatoes and stock. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and stir in the chocolate at the end until it melts. Ground beef needs 160F.

Camp tip: A small piece of dark chocolate rounds out the sharpness of the tomato and gives a short-cooked chili a deeper flavour without needing a long simmer.

16. Campfire Minestrone

Time: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 4 oz small pasta such as ditalini
• 2 tbsp olive oil, parmesan to serve

At camp: Soften the onion, carrot and celery in the oil for 8 minutes, add the garlic and oregano, then the tomatoes, beans and stock. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, and simmer 9 to 11 minutes until it is tender. Season well and finish with parmesan.

Camp tip: The beans, tomatoes, pasta and stock are easy staples to pack, so this is a useful fallback meal when the food plan starts running thin. Chop the onion, carrots and celery at home and the campsite prep is minimal.

17. Tortilla Soup

Time: 20 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot

You’ll need:

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, from 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans and 1 cup corn, drained
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 lime
• Tortilla chips and 1 avocado to serve

At camp: Soften the onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and spices, then the tomatoes, beans, corn and stock. Simmer 8 minutes, add the chicken and heat through for 3 more, and finish with lime. Top with crushed chips and avocado at the table.

Camp tip: Buy the rotisserie chicken on the drive in and transfer it to a properly chilled cooler promptly. It turns this into more of an assembly job than a cooking one, and the rest of the bird can easily become another meal.

18. Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Stew

Time: 30 min · Serves: 4 · Gear: 3-quart pot with lid

You’ll need:

• 1.5 lb sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp red curry paste, 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk, 2 cups vegetable stock
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 lime, 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, 1 tbsp oil

At camp: Fry the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the garlic and curry paste for a minute, then the sweet potato, coconut milk and stock. Cover and simmer 15 to 18 minutes until the potato is tender, stir in the peanut butter and spinach, and finish with lime and peanuts.

Camp tip: Cut the sweet potato to half an inch at most, and do it at home. Anything bigger is still firm long after the rest of the pot is done, and that gap widens the higher you are camping.

Dutch Oven One-Pot Bakes

A Dutch oven is heavier than the rest of the cookware on this list, but it gives you a practical way to bake at camp. Both recipes below stay genuinely one pot, including the topping, which helps justify carrying the extra weight. You will need charcoal briquettes and a lid lifter or sturdy pliers.

19. Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings

Time: 50 min · Serves: 6 · Gear: 12-inch camp Dutch oven, briquettes, lid lifter

You’ll need:

• 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, 3 carrots and 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp dried thyme, salt and pepper
• 1 can (16 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough, or 2 cups biscuit mix plus 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp oil

At camp: With coals underneath only, brown the chicken in the oil, add the vegetables, stock and thyme, and simmer 25 minutes until the chicken reaches 165F. Drop spoonfuls of dough over the surface, put the lid on and move most of the coals up onto it. Bake 15 to 18 minutes without lifting the lid.

Camp tip: Do not peek during the dumpling stage. Lifting the lid drops the temperature and the dumplings collapse, and unlike almost everything else here it cannot be rescued by more cooking.

20. Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese

Time: 40 min · Serves: 6 to 8 · Gear: 12-inch camp Dutch oven, briquettes, lid lifter

You’ll need:

• 1 lb dry macaroni
• 4 cups whole milk and 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 lb sharp cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp mustard powder, salt and pepper
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

At camp: With coals underneath, bring the milk, stock and butter to a gentle simmer, add the macaroni and cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until tender and thickened. Stir in the cheese and mustard powder off the heat, scatter the panko over the top, then put the lid on and move most of the coals up top for 10 minutes to brown it.

Camp tip: Cooking the pasta in the milk and stock rather than water is what makes this a genuine one pot recipe instead of a boil-then-bake. Stir often, because dairy catches on cast iron faster than water does.

Cooking Under Fire Restrictions

Fire restrictions are set by whoever manages the land you are on, which might be a national forest, a state park, a county or a private campground, and the rules differ between them. Many agencies use staged systems, and at the stricter stages wood and charcoal fires are commonly prohibited while stoves that burn propane or liquid fuel and have a shut-off valve are often still permitted, sometimes with conditions such as operating on ground cleared of vegetation. That pattern is common but it is not universal, and stages with the same name do not mean the same thing everywhere.

The practical takeaway for this article is that charcoal restrictions may rule out the two Dutch oven recipes, while many of the stove-top meals could still be an option if your equipment is permitted. Always check the current rules for the specific campground or public land before you leave, because restrictions can change quickly.

A Simple One Pot Camp Cooking Kit

Easy Cleanup at Camp

Scrape food scraps into your trash bag while the pot or pan is still warm. When washing facilities are not provided, keep dishwashing well away from streams, lakes and other water sources, use only a small amount of biodegradable soap, and strain food scraps from the dishwater so they can be packed out with your trash. Dispose of the strained water according to the rules for the campground or area where you are staying.

Keep leftovers properly chilled at 40°F (4.4°C) or below within two hours of cooking, or within one hour when the temperature is above 90°F (32°C), and reheat them to 165°F (74°C). With only one pan to deal with, cleanup stays simple and you can get back to the rest of the evening rather than spending it washing cookware.

One Pot Camping Meal FAQs