Easy First Night Camping Meal ideas for Families

These first night camping meal ideas for kids can make a camping trip in the great outdoors that little bit easier. Whether it’s a weekend camping trip or a family holiday, planning meals for your first night of camping for the whole family can be overwhelming. But with the right ingredients and some creative ideas, you can make delicious meals that will make your camping experience even more enjoyable. Here are some tips for creating quick, easy and tasty first-night camping meals for families and large groups.

After a long day travelling and setting up a tent, the last thing you’ll want to do on a family camping trip is cook a meal! The first night of camping is usually the most intense, so try these easy meals and quick camping recipes to fill you up ready for the best camping trip!

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First Night Camping Meals and top tips for Families

Camping Meals you can make ahead

1. Start with simple, classic, easy recipes that everyone will enjoy. Hot dogs and hamburgers are always a hit, but you can also make more dishes like chilli or spaghetti bolagnese. Cook the meat and sauce ahead of time and freeze in freezer bags. They can defrost on the way to the campsite and then all you need to do is heat it up and cook the spaghetti or rice. Don’t forget the pre-grated cheese! Uncle Ben’s express rice takes 3 mins to cook once the water’s boiling. Fresh pasta also cooks quicker!

2. Stock up on various snacks for the kids. Snack bars and flapjacks are easy to pack, and fruit can keep kids going while you put up the tent!

3. Don’t forget the sides! Salad, baked beans, and roasted vegetables are all easy to make ahead of time or even some slices of bread can turn a meal from a snack to something filling.

5. Finally, have some fun with food! Make your own pizzas on the campfire or roast marshmallows for s’mores as a special treat.

Easy First Night Camping Meal ideas for Families

Sausages and Scrambled Eggs

Pre-cook Sausages and reheat them in a frying pan when you arrive. Make some scrambled eggs and heat up some baked beans and you have an easy breakfast dinner! To transport the eggs easily, you could crack them and put them in a bottle with a tight lid – ready to cook when you arrive.

Eating outdoors is one of the best parts of camping – so try these fun outdoor cooking ideas for kids that will help them to be involved in the cooking.

Make-ahead camping meals

Tagine and Cous Cous

An easy make-ahead camping meal. Follow this camping recipe to make a warming tagline and then heat it up at the campsite. Serve it with hunks of bread or you can easily make couscous by pouring boiling water over the couscous and fluff after 8 minutes.

Vegetable Stew

Make a really hearty vegetable stew the night before you leave, drop in some dumplings (use an easy packet mix for these and make them at the campsite) and heat it up when you arrive and serve it with loads of fresh crusty bread! This makes for a delicious camping dinner!

Chicken Fajitas

Very simple first night camping dish – easy to cook up in a one frying pan with chicken, peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. Delicious!

Tortellinis

The tortellinis that come vacuum packed make quick camping meals! Just boil them for a few minutes and then just add a jar of pasta sauce and grated cheese. This is a camping meal that can be made in 10 minutes!

Jacket Potatoes

Jackets spuds (I part cook at home, tin foil then finish on barbecue) you can prepare the fillings at home to make it swifter at the campsite.

Kebabs

This can be a make-ahead meal by marinating the meat at home and putting onto the skewers. Then cook over the fire for an authentic taste. Serve with salad and crusty bread.

Foil Fish Parcels

Take some fish fillets and place them in a square of tin foil each to make a foil packet and drizzle over olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Wrap the foil around the fish and cook on the griddle over a fire for until the flesh is opaque. Serve with vegetables and/or rice – the best way for a delicious meal. 

No Cook Camping Meals

If you haven’t got a camping stove or you’re arriving to your campsite late at night, you’ll need some no cook camping meals to fill your family up! These are some easy first night camping meal ideas for families:

• Chicken Salads – pre-cook the chicken at home and add together with salad at the campsite and tinned sweetcorn and try some peaches too for sweetness!
• Sandwiches, wraps and tortillas couldn’t be easier to make – put them in the fridge before you leave and then they’ll stay fresh to eat when you arrive at your campsite.
• Pasta or bean salad. Cook the pasta before you leave and add dressing at the campsite. They make perfect no cook camping meals.
• Overnight Oats – who says oats need to be for breakfast? Try making these the night before and eating when you arrive. Anything can be added to oats, we like fruit, sunflower seeds, yoghurt and honey in ours!
• Cheese and crackers – try adding grapes, salad and chutneys to make this more of a dinner!

Easy, Quick Camping Meal Ideas

If you don’t have much time on your camping holiday and are looking for a quick and easy family camping dinner then try pancakes cooked on an open fire. And remember, cooking with kids is one of the best things about camping! And learn here about more things kids can do to help out when camping!

Savoury Camping Pancakes

Serve your pancakes different ways makes for an easy camping dinner for easy prep. Flipping them can be so much fun for kids to watch or take part in! Make your pancake mix ahead of the trip and add to a squirty bottle. Squirt it straight into a pan over the campfire and then serve with cheese, ham, mushrooms, peppers or spinach for a yummy camping meal.

For more family friendly camping ideas – all our camping essentials for a fun filled camping adventure can be found in this post.

Make Ahead Campfire Pizza

Great camping food has to be yummy and quick and is best cooked over an open fire for that real camping taste! Here’s how to make campfire pizza ahead of time. If you want to try some campfire cooking, a campfire pizza is a great dish. Here’s all our outdoor cooking ideas for kids!

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (pre-bought is easiest)
• Jar of pasta
• Grated mozzarella
• Toppings of your choice (e.g. pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms etc.)
• Pinch of salt, garlic powder and oregano

Method:

• Roll out the pizza dough onto some greased tin foil and spread the passata over it.
• Add your toppings and sprinkle mozzarella over it and add the herbs
• Roll the edges inwards to make a crust
• At camp, place the foiled pizza log onto hot coals or logs (smouldering, not a full fire) cooking for about 20 – 30 minutes.

For more top tips for family camping – find our post here.

With a few basic guidelines and a bit of creativity, you can make delicious first-night easy camping meals that will keep your family happy and full throughout the entire camping trip! Enjoy!