For the campers that are tired of the same old hamburgers and hotdogs, how about some easy, yet flavorful meals made in a dutch oven? A Dutch oven is a thick-walled (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Below are some great ideas to take with you on your next camping trip.

Banana Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

dutch oven
pie tin
mixing bowl

1 box yellow butter cake mix
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon melted butter

Preparation:

Put pie tin in dutch oven, resting on 3 or 4 stones or wads of aluminum foil. Prepare cake mix according to the box and pour into pie tin. Mash the 2 bananas and pour into pie tin. Melt the butter and add the cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar and mix together. Sprinkle cinnamon-flour mixture on the mashed bananas. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Insert a butter knife through the center and if it comes back clean it is ready.

Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3 lb rump roast or pot roast
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 potatoes, peeled and halved
3 carrots, cut into 2′ pieces
2 onions, halved
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water

Preparation:

Brown roast in oven on all sides in oil. Remove meat. Place half of vegetables in bottom of oven. Return meat to oven and season with salt and pepper. Add remaining vegetables and water. Cover and cook at 300 degrees for 3-5 hours depending on how well done you like it.

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1/4 cube butter
8 slices of bread
2 lb pre-cooked pork sausage
1 lb cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 qt milk
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt

Preparation:

Line a 12″ dutch oven with heavy duty aluminum foil. (optional) Spread butter all over the foil. Tear bread into pieces. Break sausage into pieces. Grate cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, dry mustard, and salt. Layer the bread, sausage, cheese, eggs into the D.O. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Check and cook another 10-15 minutes until cheese forms a light-brown crust on top of cooked eggs.

Dutch Oven Doughnuts

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 bottle vegetable oil
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

For an easier camping experience, you can pre-mix all of the ingredients, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate, before hand. Mix all ingredients, except last two, into a smooth dough.
Roll (or press with hands) to 1/2 inch thick. Use an empty tomato paste can to cut out the doughnut hole. Use an empty tomato sauce can (or water bottle lid) to cut out the doughnut.
Preheat about 2 inches deep of vegetable oil in a 375-400 degree dutch oven. The smaller diameter the better to cut down on oil needed and heating time.
Carefully drop doughnuts and holes into hot oil. They will sink and then float back up as they cook. Fry until golden brown, flipping once.
Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Keep the oil hot or the doughnuts may get greasy.

Chili Mac

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 29oz can of diced tomatoes with chili-seasoning, undrained
1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other fun shapes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation:

When dutch oven is pre-heated to 350 degrees, put in hamburger and onion. Cook uncovered until hamburger is well browned, stirring often. Stir in tomatoes, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to about 250 degrees, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle cheese on each bowl when it is served.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can enchilada sauce
6-8 tortillas (9-inch size)

Preparation:

Heat Dutch Oven over coals. Brown hamburger. Add onion, taco seasoning, and water.
Simmer five minutes, or until water is absorbed. Pour hamburger into separate container.
Spread 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on tortilla. Spoon 1/6 of hamburger onto tortilla.
Sprinkle cheese on hamburger. Roll up tortilla and place in D.O. Repeat for all tortillas.
Pour remaining sauce over tortillas in D.O. Sprinkle remaining cheese over tortillas.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 10 coals under and 16 on top.

Tips:

Try to pack the enchiladas close together. Cut one or two in half to fill in the edges. This helps keep the sauce spread over all the enchiladas. It’s very easy to double the recipe and make a second layer of enchiladas in the D.O. - lay them crossways to the first layer.