It’s getting close to camping season! El Rancho will open in just a few months and we’re excited. We’re already looking forward to all the fun of camping season. Cooking isn’t necessarily one of those things, although eating and spending time with friends and family certainly is.
Do you hate doing dishes while camping? Cooking can add to that chore, with pots and pans and spatulas. It’s much easier to make a meal that just uses one pot and one utensil.
Another benefit of one pot meals, along with having less mess, is timing. When you cook a one-pot meal, you don’t have to worry about your side dishes being done at the same time as your main meal. That leaves you with more time to sit around the campfire and relax.
One-pot meals are also simpler. The recipes are simple and require fewer ingredients. As well, the only thing you’ll need is a camp stove, or a campfire if you’re cooking with a cast iron dutch oven. Actually, this style of pot is recommended for one-pot meals either way but it’s not necessary.
According to the website takethetruck.com, these are the proper steps for cooking a one-pot meal:
Generally, meat should go in first
Rice, pasta, and root vegetables (like carrots and onion) should go in early
Greens like spinach or kale should be added at the end
Herbs and spices can be added throughout and adjusted at the end
You can find one-pot recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Your meal can be as simple as oatmeal or as creative as a stir fry you design. Read on to learn more and get recipes for your next camping adventure.
Breakfast:
Chorizo and Eggs (takethetruck.com)
Ingredients: chorizo, eggs, green onion optional, shredded cheese optional, corn tortillas optional
Steps: Choose either Mexican chorizo (uncooked and found near other raw meats) or Spanish chorizo (cured and ready-to-eat sausage found near other cured meats like salami). Brown the Mexican chorizo, or slice up and brown your Spanish chorizo. Add your eggs and scramble all together. Top it off with green onion if you’d like, and shredded cheese if you want to bring down the spice. Serve with corn tortillas if you want a little filler.
Camper’s Breakfast Hash (tasteofhome.com)
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 packages (20 ounces each) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1 package (7 ounces) frozen fully cooked breakfast sausage links, thawed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
In a deep 12-in. cast-iron or other heavy skillet, melt butter. Add the potatoes, sausage, onion and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until potatoes are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes, turning once.
Push potato mixture toward the edge of pan. Pour eggs into center of pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until eggs are completely set. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat; stir eggs into potato mixture. Top with cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes.
Lunch
Burrito Bowl (takethetruck.com)
Ingredients: Spanish rice, can of black beans, precooked protein of choice (chicken, pulled pork), tomato, black olives, red onion or green onion, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips
Steps: Cook the Spanish rice according to package directions. If you like sauteed onion, push the rice to the edge of the pan and saute some onion in the center of the pan. Drain the black beans before stirring them in, add your pre-cooked protein, mix all, and heat. Top with chopped tomato, black olives, red onion or green onion, avocado, Mexican cheese, or sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.
Pasta salad (takethetruck.com)
Ingredients: 16 oz rotini pasta, 1 bottle Italian salad dressing, 6 chopped tomatoes, 4-6 chopped green onions, 1 can sliced black olives, 1-1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning. Optional protein - pre cooked cubed chicken, pepperoni
Steps: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain off any liquid before tossing with Italian dressing. Add veggies, cheese, seasoning, and optional protein. Mix well, cover, and keep cool until serving.
Dinner
One-Pot Chili (alyonascooking.com)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 (28 ounce can) diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 (4.5oz) can green chilies
3 cups chicken broth (or water and 2 teaspoons of chicken bullion powder)
SPICES:
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp sugar
Note: can Substitute 1 (10 oz) can of diced tomatoes with chopped green chilies along with 1 other can of plain diced tomatoes for the 28-ounce can and green chilies.
Directions;
1. In a large pot fry beef and drain excess fat. Add in the onion & garlic and sauté until soft.
2. Add in all the spices, beans, chilies, tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
3. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese & sour cream. Serve with cornbread.
Easy Skillet Lasagna (houseofyumm.com)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground Italian sausage
2 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomato
½ yellow onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¾ pound lasagna noodles broken
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
TOPPINGS
Mozzarella cheese
Ricotta cheese
fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the ground sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat while stirring. Once the sausage is mostly cooked add the diced onion to cook.
When the onion is translucent and soft and sausage is cooked through add the minced garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Add the tomato sauce and diced tomato to the skillet. Stir to combine.
Add seasonings and stir. Break the lasagna noodles over the skillet and add to the sauce. Press the noodles down as much as possible into the sauce. Cover the pan and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Once the noodles are softened add in a cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
Serve and top with additional mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and fresh parsley.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp & Rice (www.asaucykitchen.com)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1-2 Serrano pepper deseeded, depending on how much you enjoy spice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup cilantro, about a small handful, chopped + more for garnishing
1 1/2 pound shrimp peeled and deveined, 680 grams
2 tablespoons lime juice, about 2 limes
2 cups long grain rice, 370 grams
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 960 ml
salt to taste
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, pepper and garlic cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onions start to soften. Make sure to stir so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Add the shrimp and chopped cilantro to the skillet and sauté until the shrimp is pink and no longer translucent - about 2 minutes on each side. Add one tablespoon of lime juice to the skillet as the shrimp cooks. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside in a bowl as you cook the rice.
Reduce the heat to low and add the rice. Cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to coat the rice in the sautéed mixture.
Add the broth and remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done. Add more liquid as needed.
Before serving, add the shrimp back to the skillet, mix into the rice and add any additional cilantro or lime juice you may want.
So before you drag out all your pots and pans and utensils, consider making a one-pot meal next time you’re camping. There are many more recipes on the internet, easily searched by typing “one pot camping meals.” Try one out! And hopefully you’ll tell us about it next time you’re at El Rancho!