Camping Food Ideas

Honestly, how healthy eating relates to camping food ideas? Generally we seem to forget about a good diet when camping unless we jump into a local restaurant, but this is usually an expensive pleasure. I am convinced that camping when motorcycle touring doesn't necessary mean that you're condemned for unhealthy and greasy snacks to keep you going. You just need to get the right stuff of the supermarkets which you visit anyway.

Skip that chocolate bars, crisps and chips. Not only for the sake of your waist (and leathers – as they're not going to stretch forever) but those snacks won't do your energy levels good. You'll feel an energy kick followed by the inevitable energy crash as the blood sugar levels drop dramatically.

There are some really quick, simple and cheap camping food ideas. Say porridge for breakfast (opt for that instant one- just add some hot water), veggie pasta for lunch or salad. Use fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Be smart - put some fresh vegetables in tortilla wraps, cook some couscous. If you can't live without meet - fry some chicken breast and serve with wraps or pasta and vegetables. If you starving, cook some rice or pasta and serve with pesto and loads of cheese- it only takes 10 minutes- that's how quick pasta is cooked. If you're struggling with excessive pounds- opt for vegetables (peppers, celery sticks, carrots, cucumber) with humus.

Sounds like a challenge during a day of riding? It doesn't have to be. On short breaks I would normally consume one pepper or a cucumber with a dried piece of meat like for example the Spanish sausage Chorizo.

Other time I would eat some fruit with a hand full of almonds. Believe me it will keep you going for a good time. Especially almonds, they one the best sources for good calories. 

Don't:

  • Exceed energy drinks and coffee
  • Exceed chocolate
  • Eat too much white bread

Do:

  • Drink plenty of water
  • Eat local fruit and veg
  • Eat nuts and avocado for the good fat

Camping food ideas - Lunch or dinner

Grilled Fish with Salad of Your Choice 

You will need a small disposable barbecue and a fish from the local supermarket. Simply grill fish, add some squeezed lemon and some salt and enjoy with or without salad.

This was my favourite camping food idea in Portugal and every day we tried different kind of fish. They were all lovely for the price near to nothing.

Spaghetti Bolognese

  • 1 pack of minced meet, approx. 500 per 2 person with really hearty appetite
  • 1 jar of Bolognese sauce
  • 1 onion
  • 1 pack of pasta
  • Some olive oil

Couldn't be simpler! Chop an onion, fry till golden in colour. Then add mince, fry till brown in colour, then add jar of Bolognese sauce. Cook for approx. 5 minutes stirring occasionally. You may add some parmesan if you've got some! Enjoy!

Vegetables with Couscous 

  • 1 pack of couscous
  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Dried mushrooms
  • Onions
  • White cabbage
  • A little bit of butter
  • Salt, pepper
  • Single cream (optionally)

Prepare the pan- put some butter (be careful not to burn it!), add chopped onion, wait till it turns gold in colour. Then add other vegetables from the list. Add salt and pepper, you may add some cream if you wish. Serve with couscous.

Tuna Pasta

  • 1 tin of tuna in water
  • 1 tin of sweet corn
  • Pasta
  • cheese
  • Salt, pepper

Cook pasta, add tuna, sweet corn, salt, pepper. Serve with loads of cheese.

Veggie Pasta

  • Pasta
  • Onion
  • Courgettes
  • Peppers (red, yellow)
  • Mushrooms
  • Sweet corn
  • Tinned Tomatoes
  • Herbs the Provence
  • Cheese
  • Some oil

Fry the onion till gold. Then add some herbs of the Provence. Then fry courgettes, peppers and mushrooms in a little oil. Add tinned tomatoes and sweet corn. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with cooked pasta. Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese.

Extra Quick Spaghetti Carbonaraa

  • Spaghetti
  • Bacon (how much depends of how much you like it)
  • 1 pack of Philadelphia
  • Pepper
  • Parsley leaf

Cut bacon into squares and fry it. Mix Philadelphia with cooked pasta. Add bacon, add pepper and sprinkle with parsley leaf.

Camping food ideas - Soups:

You may think it's too much hassle to prepare soup when camping, but I can assure you that nothing taste like self-made soup and you can't beat the satisfaction. Try one of these receipts but if you're still not convinced you can always buy canned soup and just heat it up!

Broccoli Soup

  • 1 broccoli
  • 6 glasses of water
  • 1 stock cube
  • 2 cheese triangles for example The Laughing Cow to add some texture
  • Salt, pepper

Dissolve stock cube in approx. 6 glasses of hot water. Add broccoli and cook till soft. Then add some cheese, salt and pepper. Serve when cheese is fully dissolved and soup is creamy. Enjoy!

White Beans Soup

  • 3 table spoons of tomato pure
  • 6 glasses of water
  • 1 stock cube
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • Some parsley leafs
  • Salt, pepper
  • A little bit of butter
  • Cooked noodles

Dissolve 1 stock cube in 6 glasses of hot water. Add tomato puree, finely chopped garlic. Add cooked noodles (in some supermarkets you can buy already cooked noodles) and 1 can of white beans with water. Stir well and add some butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a lot of parsley leafs for extra vitamins.

Courgette Soup

Make in the same way as broccoli soup but instead use 4-5 small courgettes.

Other Quick Camping Food Ideas (couldn't be simpler!) 


  • Tortilla wraps with vegetables
  • Baked beans
  • Couscous with vegetables
  • Rice with yogurt, or with fruit e.g. berries, some sugar and yogurt
  • Pasta with pesto
  • porridge

Don't forget to take:

  • Stock cube (take vegetable stock cube if you’re vegetarian)
  • Salt, pepper 

And remember, good camping food ideas will allow you to recharge your batteries faster. You'll soon cannot wait any longer for the next stage of your journey. Then, off you go!

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With many thanks to my wife who took care of the camping food on number of occasions during our trips and without whom this section would not exist!