Whether you’re camping in a tent, staying in a trailer or RV, or enjoying the comforts of one of our cozy cabins, nothing makes you feel more outdoorsy than cooking over an open fire. With springtime just around the corner, the cool temperatures and crisp days make it the perfect time to get the Dutch oven out and cook up a tasty camp creation for your family and friends. If you’re new to Dutch oven cooking, never fear. You can make almost anything over a campfire that you can cook on a stove or in a crock-pot. For starters, make sure your Dutch oven is of good quality and well-seasoned. And, when you’re ready to cook, get the campfire good and hot, letting it burn down until there are hot coals remaining. Here are a handful of our campground favorites to get you started:

Hungry Man Breakfast

Dutch Oven RecipesPhoto Credit: Pixabay

The great thing about this breakfast is that it’s nearly impossible to mess up.

  1. Start by browning approximately one pound of your favorite breakfast meat over the campfire. For the purposes of this dish, it can be bacon or sausage if you prefer.
  2. Add vegetables such as one chopped onion and one chopped red or green pepper, as well as one clove of garlic, finely minced. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Scramble one dozen eggs and add this to the vegetable and meat mixture.
  4. Grate one 16 oz. package of cheddar cheese to add to the mixture and cook the dish until the eggs have set.

This can be served with fried potatoes or toast, or you can offer to make breakfast burritos using soft tortillas!

Campfire Nachos

Dutch Oven RecipesPhoto Credit: Pixabay

A little prep work in advance of your camping trip will make these nachos one of the easiest campground dinners you’ll ever make.

  1. In your Dutch oven, layer the following ingredients: one 15-oz. bag of tortilla chips, 12 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese, one 15-oz. can of black beans, one 2-oz. can of black olives (optional)
  2. Place the Dutch oven directly on the hot coals and close the lid. Carefully place four to five coals on top of the lid for more even cooking.
  3. After approximately 12 minutes, open the lid to ensure the cheese is melted. If so, remove the Dutch oven from the coals and top your campfire nachos with a mixture of any of the following: chopped tomatoes, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, salsa, and sour cream.

Dutch Oven Monkey Bread

Dutch Oven RecipesPhoto Credit: Pixabay

This recipe is a family favourite at Chiefswood Park!

  1. Line your Dutch oven with tin foil. In a large Ziploc bag, mix together a half-cup of sugar, a half-cup of brown sugar, and three tablespoons of cinnamon.
  2. Open two cans of refrigerator biscuits (i.e. Pillsbury,) and tear each biscuit into quarters. Drop each piece into the cinnamon sugar mixture and shake well to coat. Place the biscuit pieces into your Dutch oven.
  3. Melt one stick of butter and drizzle this overtop the biscuit pieces. Then top the mixture with chopped walnuts (optional.)
  4. Place the Dutch oven over the hot coals, place the lid, and cover that with coals to ensure even cooking. Let this dish cook for approximately a half-hour to 40 minutes, rotating the Dutch oven every once in a while, and refreshing the coals approximately halfway through your cooking time. The Monkey Bread is done cooking when the dough is slightly browned and puffy.

Dutch Oven RecipesPhoto Credit: Pixabay

If you’re nervous about cooking meals over an open campfire, give one of these Dutch oven recipes a try and pretty soon you’ll be cooking up some camping culinary masterpieces!