Creating delicious dishes with only 1 pot while camping: that was our challenge! These 2 camping recipes spiced up our camping trip and broughta touch of gourmet cuisine to the campsite.
- Theme: Camping Recipes
- Camping Recipe Day 1: Chili con carne con anarcardos y abacados
- Camping recipe 2nd day: Insalata di Tortellini con pomodori marinati
The last weekend in August was certainly not only for us the unexpected meteorological highlight this summer. Bright sunshine throughout and temperatures up to 33° C – anyone who didn’t relax in the green and refresh themselves in the water was clearly missing out! We took advantage of the fantastic summer weather for a camping trip for three and enjoyed paradisiacal nature, swimming fun and holiday feelings at the beautiful Templiner See lake near Potsdam.
Most people probably associate camping in culinary terms with food in the style of lukewarm canned ravioli. We also only had a small camping cooker with us, a fairly small pot and a camping pan. Practicality and simplicity are the principles of camping cooking: no wonder that classic camping recipes are simple and unpretentious.
We love culinary challenges – cooking together is one of our favourite leisure activities. So it was clear: this week, instead of cooking with a theme, we would do a joint cooking challenge: with non-perishable ingredients, lots of fresh vegetables, 1 pot and 1 camping cooker, we would conjure up 2 dishes that we couldn’t do better in our well-equipped kitchens.
Long preparations, as we sometimes do with our weekly Motto cooking, were of course out of the question for our camping recipes. The weather was much too nice for that and an improvised camping kitchen at the campsite does not offer the same cooking conditions as your own kitchen at home.
The consequence was simple – we cooked two classic camping recipes and gave them pizzazz with a few additional ingredients: Chili con Carne and Tomato Tortellini with a culinary crown.
Two Camping Recipes Whose Aroma Will Make the Entire Campground Envious
Chili Con Carne Special
We brought a basic stock of spices and ingredients from home that didn’t need to be refrigerated. We then bought most of the ingredients near our campsite. As a meat ingredient for our chilli con carne, we chose cabanossi, tasty meat sausages that were easier for us to transport and also less perishable than minced meat. In addition, we bought a few special extras to the basic ingredients of a classic chilli: because our goal was to refine classic camping recipes with special pep.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can sweet corn
- 2 red peppers
- 2 carrots
- 1 red onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 250 g cabanossi (alternatively smoked sausage)
- 500 g pizza tomatoes (2 cans)
- Tomato paste
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 limes
- 1 cup yoghurt
- 1 tin of cashew nuts
- Oil for frying
- Salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika powder (sweet) and 2 bay leaves
Preparation
Chop the cabanossi, onion and garlic and fry briefly in oil in a pot. Next, add the pizza tomatoes, drain the kidney beans and pour them into the pot. Now you can add the spices, because a chilli is best when it simmers for a long time and is well done.
Don’t drain the corn, but pour it into the pot with the corn juice, because its sweetness perfectly balances the hot and salty flavours in the chilli. Stir well and add tomato paste as needed. Meanwhile, skin the avocado and cut into strips, and eighth the limes.
Top up the chilli and decorate each plate with avocado strips, lime slices, a handful of cashews and a blob of yoghurt. You’ll be surprised how well the lime, avocado and yoghurt round off the taste!
Mediterranean Tortellini Salad
When it’s very hot at the campsite, we usually don’t feel like eating hot food. A fresh salad is just the thing, but it doesn’t fill you up that much. Unless you mix tortellini and roasted vegetables into it and create a tasty and nutritious camping dish par excellence.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 500 g tortellini (tomato / mozarella)
- 1 large courgette
- 1 jar of dried, pickled tomatoes
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 large leaf lettuce
- ½ bunch spring onions
- 1 clove garlic
- Pumpkin seed oil
- Balsamic cream
- Salt, pepper, oregano
Preparation
First cut the courgettes into small cubes so that they are cooked through quickly and fry them in the pan, then set aside to cool. Now cook the Tortellini according to the packet instructions, drain and leave to cool on a plate to clear the pan. Wash and pick the lettuce, halve the cherry tomatoes, cut the spring onions into fine rings and finely chop the garlic. Also chop the pickled tomatoes. Mix the dressing in the pot, add the tortellini and the vegetables and season to taste.
Distribute the salad on the plates and layer the tortellini in the middle. Sprinkle with herbs and enjoy lukewarm!
Tip: Instead of pumpkin seed oil, you can also simply use the oil or marinade of the pickled tomatoes, which also tastes delicious!
If you enjoy cooking together, we recommend you try our Cooking Challenge!
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