Quick Recipes for the Camper

  • Post author:
  • Post last modified:November 28, 2022
  • Reading time:24 mins read

Quick Recipes for the Camper

As an absolute Thermomix lover and not such a talented cook, I was already thinking about quick recipes for the camper weeks in advance. I was really wondering what I can cook on our Slow Travel through New Zealand.  

It was a challenge. Not only should the recipes fit into our budget, but I would also need to cook in a confined space, with only a small pot and a small pan.

Cooking in a Camper Van
Cooking in a Camper Van

We often had granola for breakfast, burritos in many different variations, pasta with olive oil and cherry tomatoes, salads or rice with vegetables for lunch and dinner. On cold days I made vegetable soups and on warm days sandwiches.

Fast, inexpensive, and tasty. The typical camper dishes.

Camper Burritos
Camper Burritos

Nevertheless, it would be good to try something different. That’s why I asked other travelers what they cook in their camper.

Below are some recipes and suggestions from our dear camper friends. And if you have a few more recipes, pass them along! Feel free to leave your favorite camper recipe in the comments below.

Breakfast burrito with a view
Breakfast burrito with a view

Quick camper recipes à la Puttering around the World:

Chickpeas with Rice

Cook 1 cup of rice in approx. 2,5 cups of water

Fry an onion at the same time

The non-vegetarians among you can add minced meat (approx. 250 gr)  

Add 1 can of chickpeas and vegetable broth

Add pepper, and paprika powder to taste

Finished!

Chickpeas with Rice
Chickpeas with Rice

Tip:  I love to top this dish off with creamy natural yogurt. This gives it the extra touch and tastes fresh and rounds off the recipe.

Remark: I do everything according to feeling and mood, but I tried for you to add the quantities. The recipe is for 2 people. Since our pot was very small, we couldn’t cook larger amounts.

Delicious chickpeas - even better with a yoghurt topping
Delicious chickpeas – even better with a yogurt topping

Leeks with Rice

Ultimately, it is exactly the same recipe as above, except that I use leeks instead of chickpeas.

Boil one leek cut into rings, in vegetable broth, and add one cup of rice into the same pot.

Serve it with yogurt and add pepper to taste (salt isn’t needed as it is in the broth).

Leek with Rice
One of our quick recipes for the camper
Leek with Rice – One of our quick recipes for the camper

Recipes from our Camper friends

Lentil dahl à la Simone and Dominic from Jump on my Shoulders

Simone and Dominic
Simone and Dominic

We have been fans of Simone and Dominic since the start of our world trip. We found each other on Instagram and since then have followed each other’s travels. Simone and Dominique started their world trip pretty much at the same time as we did. Their goal is to travel to all 197 countries. As of December 2019, they have made it to 23 so far!

We finally met Simone and Dominic in Melbourne after a year of travel, and are sad that we only had so little time to spend with them.

Thank you, Simone and Dominic, for this delicious recipe!

Recipe

Fry onions and garlic in a pan.

Add one cup of lentils with three cups of water and cook it.

Pour 1 can of coconut milk in and add your favorite spices to it.

Tastes delicious with bread, wraps, or rice and a crispy salad!

Lental dahl from Jump on my Shoulders
Lentil dahl from Jump on my Shoulders

One-Pot Recipes from Selina and Simon from abel_nativa

Selina und Simon
Selina and Simon

We met Selina and Simon in Napier at a campground. They are on the road in New Zealand with a work and travel visa. Selina loves yoga, Ayurveda, and a healthy lifestyle. Simon was so helpful to us, patiently answering all our questions about camper vans.

It might be a friendship that we made in a parking lot, but it is a friendship that will always stick in our memories. We still have contact with Selina and Simon and know that we will meet each other again somewhere someday in the world.

Thank you, Selina and Simon, for the great recipes!

Fried Rice with carrot-spinach vegetables and Feta

Ingredients

(for 2 persons)

125 gr rice (1 cup, I use Jasmin or Basmati because it cooks the fastest)

1 onion

1 package fresh baby spinach (300 gr)

2 carrots

500 ml water (2 cups)

200 gr Feta

Your favorite spices (e.g. curry, kurkuma, salt, pepper)

Dice the onions and carrots and fry them together. Add rice and deglaze with water. Boil it slowly for 15 minutes.

Add spices and top with spinach. Cover the pot and let it slowly boil for about 3 minutes.

Dice the Feta, add it to the pot, and mix everything.

Lemon juice as a topping is just wonderful.

Fried Rice with carrot-spinach vegetables and Feta
Fried Rice with carrot-spinach vegetables and Feta

Pancakes with Pumpkin-Carrot Vegetables

Ingredients for the pancakes

(makes about 5-6 pancakes, depending on size)

125 gr flour (1 cup)

3 eggs

250 ml water (1 cup), or you can use milk or a mixture of milk and water

1 pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients in a bowl (if possible, one with a lid).

Shake completely, or stir.

Let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat a bit of oil in a pan, pour the dough into the pan and fry each side for about 2 minutes.

The pancakes also taste good when they are lukewarm or cold with vegetables.

Ingredients for the vegetables

Half of a small pumpkin (ca. 400 gr)

1 onion

2 carrots

Spices (pepper, salt, thyme, rosemary)

Dice onions, carrots, and pumpkin; fry them all together in a lightly oiled pan, add some water and boil until vegetables are cooked. Add spices.

If you like a sauce with it, you can add a can of diced tomatoes to the vegetables, and either Crème Fraiche or sour cream tastes delicious as a topping.

Pancakes with Pumpkin-Carrot Vegetables
Pancakes with Pumpkin-Carrot Vegetables

Sweet fried potatoes with coconut creme

Ingredients

(for 2 persons)

500 gr sweet potatoes (2 big ones)

2 tomatoes

1 little piece of ginger (5 cm)

1 little broccoli

1/2 can of coconut creme

1 onion

Spices: Chili flakes, paprika, salt, pepper

Dice the sweet potatoes, ginger, and tomatoes, and then fry them in a lightly oiled pan.

Add a little bit of water and let it boil at low heat. Meanwhile, wash and clean the broccoli, cut it into little pieces, and then add it to the pan.

Steam everything for 2 minutes, add spices, and deglaze everything with coconut crème.

Ready to enjoy!

Sweet fried potatoes with coconut crème
Sweet fried potatoes with coconut crème

Chickpea Salad with Avocado and Fried Eggs

(2 persons)

Ingredients for the salad

2 cans of chickpeas

2 avocado

1 tsp oil

2 tbs Balsamico

1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

Dried salad herbs

Put everything in a bowl and mix.

Ingredients for fried eggs

4 eggs

Salt and pepper

Heat the pan with oil, add the eggs and fry them until they reach your wished consistency.

Avocado-Chickpea-Salad
We tried this quick camper recipe and liked it a lot. We only didn't have eggs :-)
Avocado-Chickpea-Salad
We tried this quick camper recipe and liked it a lot. We only didn’t have eggs 🙂

Recipes from Sabrina and Marc of gepackt-getan

Sabrina and Marc Quick Recipes for the Camper
Sabrina and Marc Quick Recipes for the Camper

Sabrina and Marc have always supported us with feedback on what we’re doing on Instagram.

They have been traveling in Australia for an eternity. They have experienced many different jobs while traveling throughout the country in the best way there is: their Nissan Pathfinder named Bumblebee. Independent, flexible, and happy.

Thank you, Sabrina and Marc, for the hearty recipes!

Bandit’s Pan

Ingredients

1 package roast beef

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

500 gr pasta

1 package Halloumi cheese (Chili)

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Chop onions and garlic into small pieces and fry them with butter, salt, and pepper in the gas cooker.

Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta in a second gas cooker.

Dice the steak and halloumi cheese. Add the steak to the onions and garlic and fry it until the steak is done.

Meanwhile, the pasta should be done. We usually cook it for about 11 minutes.

After straining the water from the pasta, add the pasta into the pan with the steak.

If needed, add a little more butter and fry until the pasta is golden brown. Add the halloumi at the end and wait until it melts.

Then your dinner is ready. Enjoy!

Sabrina’s Gold Treasure

Ingredients

1 kg premium minced meat

2 onions

5 garlic cloves

Salt, pepper, paprika spice

2 cans of corn

1 can of champignons

1 package of cream

Jalapeños

Dice the onions and garlic and fry them in a pan. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and continue frying until everything is roasted. Add the minced meat and continue roasting until the meat is also done.

Now put in the corn and champignons as well as the cream while stirring.

Last but not least, add a few Jalapeños, and the quick meat recipe is ready to enjoy.

You don’t necessarily need any side dishes for this recipe.

Fast Mediterranean Pasta by Nici and Marcus from einmalmitalles

Nici and Markus
Nici and Markus

Nici and Marcus have been on a culinary world trip since December of 2018 and are eating all types of local delicacies.

While we were in Borneo, we received a whole ton of great eating tips from them and went on a foodie scavenger hunt. If you are searching for some eating recommendations, you should definitely have a look at their awesome website. Thank you very much for this quick recipe for the camper!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

500 gr Farfalle, Penne or Fussili pasta

1 large eggplant

1 large zucchini

5 large tomatoes

10 green olives

2-3 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for roasting

Optional: 100 gr feta cheese

Clean the vegetables and dice them into 2×2 cm cubes.

Boil salt water and cook the pasta until it’s al dente.

Heat oil in a pan, stew first one of the garlic cloves lightly, and add the rest of the vegetables. Stew them gently for about 5 minutes.

Then add the rest of the garlic cloves and the olives, and salt and pepper to taste.

Let it simmer at low heat. Stir in the pasta with a little bit of cooking water. And ready it is!

This is the vegan version, but you can put feta cheese on top if you want.

Tip: the advantage of this quick recipe is that if you are two people, you can also enjoy this dish the next day as a salad. Just add some vinegar or lemon juice to it. If you don’t have big enough pans, simply half the ingredients.

If you have any quick recipes for the Camper send us a message with your favorite camper recipe and we will include it here.

Happy cookings, cheers and bon appétit!

Menekse & James

We love our Camper Life
We love our Camper Life

Leave a Reply