Campground Meals Rule!

 Copyright Janet Groene 2026.

Cooking and eating at your campsite is part of the total camping experience. It saves money, teaches outdoor skills, makes memories, bonds the family. Let's Eat!

Camping & RV Recipe of the Week

Rags ‘n Riches

This  recipe uses up broken pieces of lasagna and cooks quickly in a skillet.  Make it meatless or stir in diced, cooked chicken, beef or pork ad lib.

About 2 cups broken lasagna 

Medium onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

8-ounce can or jar sliced mushrooms, drained

10-ounce package spinach

1 cup milk

1 level tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

4-ounce package (1 cup) grated Cheddar cheese

Salt, pepper to taste

Thaw, drain and squeeze spinach dry. Set aside. Boil the lasagna “rags” in salted water with onion and garlic until just tender. Drain, saving liquid. Stir ½ cup liquid with the olive oil, mushrooms and spinach into pasta. Cover and simmer over low heat while you whisk together the milk, cornstarch, nutmeg and thyme. Stir into pasta mixture and cook, stirring over low heat, until creamy. 

Thin with more of the pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in cheese to melt it or save it to scatter on top. Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6  portions. 

PANTRY RECIPE OF THE WEEK

When you’re out of fresh food, or the fridge fails, or the ice machine breaks down, or you’re short of money, delve into your reserves to make a meal from cans and packages. This recipe requires no fresh ingredients. 

For tips on prepping with limited storage space such as your RV, boat or tiny home, see Survival Food Handbook below. 

Creamy Salmon and Rice

1 cup long grain white rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups water

1 chicken vegetable or fish flavor bouillon cube

Small can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)

1 ½ tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons mixed Italian seasoning

7-ounce can chunk salmon, drained and broken up

14.5-ounce can short cut green beans, drained

2-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained 

Optional: 1 cup dry bread crumbs + 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sizzle rice in hot oil. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil Cover and reduce heat. Add water to canned milk to make 1 ½ cups liquid. Whisk with flour and seasoning. 

When rice is tender, stir in milk mixture until rice is thick and creamy. Stir in salmon, green beans and pimentos.  Heat through. If it’s too thick, thin with water or white wine. Adjust seasonings. 

Optional: Stir olive oil and bread crumbs in a small skillet until toasty and sprinkle over each serving. Makes 4 portions.  

WHEN FOOD EMERGENCIES 

TRIP UP YOUR CAMPING TRIP

   Stuff happens when you're away from home too. Be prepared for delays, sudden evacuation,  refrigerator failure, supply chain interruptions, civil disturbances.    http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe How much food will you need for a week in the woods for two adults and two kids?  A month in a remote fish camp? A two-week power outage camp? Survival Food Handbook for tips on buying, stowing, and make meals from ordinary supermarket supplies that need no fresh ingredients. 

Campers have limited storage space for emergency food.  Survival Food Handbook  is just for campers, truckers, RV travelers and boaters. Make the most of every ounce, inch and dollar. Have a stash of staples you will use and replenish.  http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

MAKE AHEAD DISH OF THE WEEK

Pork Pot Pies

Make one pie to serve six, or freeze individual pies to bake one or two as needed.  Bake a freeze or freeze now to bake later in camp.

For each 9/10-inch pie you will need:

2 pastry pie crusts

2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 pound bulk Italian sausage (mild or medium)

2 Roma tomatoes, diced and drained

2 cups diced yellow squash, zucchini or mixture

1 cup diced red, green or mixture sweet peppers

Medium onion, diced

8 ounce package shredded cheese such as provolone or Cheddar

Put the bottom crust in a pie pan and sprinkle with a tablespoon of the seasoned bread crumbs. Set aside.

Stir-fry sausage over high heat, breaking it up. Gradually stir in vegetables until they are crisp tender. Drain and cool. When it’s cool, fold in cheese and remaining bread crumbs. 

Place this filling in the cust. Add the top crust, crimp edges and bake now or wrap for the freezer.  In camp, thaw (unkaed)  pie(s) and bake 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 F. until pie is golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes and cut in wedges. 

JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY 

(AND FOR FATHER'S DAY NEXT MONTH)

COOKING ABOARD YOUR RV

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NO BAKE DESSERT OF THE WEEK

Shortcut Banana Pudding

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cups water

1 package instant French vanilla pudding mix

1 tub whipped topping

3 bananas, cut up

32 vanilla wafers

Optional: Butterscotch ice cream syrup

Set out 8 dessert dishes. (I use clear disposable  cups) and place a vanilla wafer in each, flat side down. 

Whisk water and condensed milk, then whisk in the pudding mix. When it begins to thicken, fold in whipped topping. 

Set aside 8 wafers and break up the rest coarsely. Layer bananas, broken wafers and pudding mix in cups. End with a whole vanilla wafer on top. 

Optional: Drizzle a little butterscotch syrup on top. Serve at once or chill. 

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Good-as-Gold Peach Pie

They’ll think you slaved for hours to make this easy-as-pie dessert. Keep your secret. Note that one can of peaches is used with juice. The other is drained. The surplus juice goes great in fruit punch. If peaches were canned in heavy syrup you may want to reduce the amount of brown sugar. 

2 large 26 to (28-ounce) cans peach slices 

2 sleeves buttery round crackers, such as Ritz 

2 sticks butter

16-ounce box brown sugar

1. Using your hands, crumble one sleeve of crackers into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan.  Drizzle with one stick butter, melted, and let set a few minutes. Press down with a flat spatula to make an even layer.   Empty one can of peaches and juice on the cracker layer. Arrange peaches in an even layer. 

2. Drain the other can of peaches and arrange them with the others to make a complete layer,  filling the pan. 

3.  Crumble the second stackof crackers and toss with the brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly over peaces and dot with bits of the remaining stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more or until the top is crusty and brown. 

Cut in 12 to 16 bars and provide a pancake turner for serving. It’s good warm, cold or at “room” temperature. Serve it plain or with whipped topping. Bonus points: top each serving with a scoop of peace ice cream.  

WHAT IS FULL-TIME RV TRAVEL REALLY LIKE? 

We spill our whole story, start to end, warts and all.....
We traveled full-time for 10 great years. 

 Do you dream of living and traveling in a complete home on wheels? Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition by Janet Groene & Gordon Groene is a total guide to the full-time life on wheels. Should you sell the house or rent it out? Downsize possessions or put them in storage? Too young to retire? See our chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when it's time to settle down. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you.   https://amzn.to/29XFEkq 

Bean soup is ready after winter  hikes in the Hocking Hills of Ohio

BONUS RECIPE; SUPERSIZE POTLUCK DISH 

Does your camping club get together for great feast of a traditional food cooked in a large pot, vat or cauldron?  

It may be a Wisconsin fish boil, a Brunswick stew or the huge batches of bean soup served after a winter hike in Ohio’s Hocking Hills.

Start your club’s own tradition with this Italian classic. This recipe makes 50 servings to serve with rafts of  Italian bread or Texas Toast. 

Minestrone/MAXestrone

Minestrone is a vegetarian soup,  so you may want to substitute three cartons, 32 ounces each, of vegetable broth for the chicken and beef flavors. 

3 pounds onions, diced

½ cup Italian olive oil

Large head garlic, chopped

2 cups chopped celery

2 cartons, 32 ounces each,  beef broth

1 carton, 32 ounces, chicken broth

4 cans, 28 ounces each, diced tomatoes

6-ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup salt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup mixed Italian seasoning

6 cans, 15 ounces each, light red kidney beans

6 cans, 15 ounces each, dark red kidney beans

4 to 6  cups diced zucchini

3 packages, 8 ounces each, dilatini pasta

A wheel of Parmesan cheese, shaved to make thin, three-inch pieces.

Optional: a bag of baby spinach, cut chiffonade style

Melt butter and stir in onions until they soften, adding garlic and celery as you go. Add broth and seasonings. Reduce heat to simmer and tend the pot ad lib.  It’s part of the show if you want to keep it simmering for a long while.  Add water as needed to keep it soupy. 

About an hour before serving, stir in the rinsed beans and zucchini and simmer. Finally, raise heat until the soup is at an active simmer and stir in the pasta until it’s tender.

Just before serving, stir in spinach with a flourish. Place a slab of the cheese in each bowl and add a ladle of soup. 

FOIL MEAL OF THE WEEK

Make a meal for one or meals for the entire troop. 

WAFFLE TOWERS

For each meal will need

1 large square aluminum oil

Butter, shortening or nonstick spray

Thin slice from a whole, large onion

1 or 2 frozen waffles, thawed

2 slices Canadian bacon

1 thick slice from a whole, large tomato

1 or 2 slices smoked provolone cheese

1/4 cup cooked rice mixed with 

1 heaping tablespoon grated Cheddar cheese

Soy sauce

Grease a circle in the middle of the foil and place the slice of onion on it. Top with a waffle, one slice, of Canadian bacon, the tomato slice, the provolone and the rice. Drizzle with soy sauce and end with the second slice of Canadian bacon and a second waffle and slice of cheese if using. 

Seal foil and grill the packet over medium coals,  onion side down,  until it’s heated through. Eat from the foil. 

Cook’s note: Canadian bacon cuts easier with a sawtooth type blade. 

COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? JANETGROENE@YAHOO.COM