Easy RV Meals Anyone Can Make
It can be really hard to figure out what to feed a family when you are traveling in an RV. Many people fall into a rut and sandwiches can get tiresome.
After all, there is limited space and storage in the RV kitchen for ingredients! You have to consider that your kids may not want the same things they usually do. And of course, it’s important for everyone on board to eat meals with plenty of protein and fresh fruits & vegetables.
There are several easy recipes that will work for this situation! In fact, we’ve collected some of our favorites here just for you. Let’s take a look at them now…
The best RV camping recipes include items that use few ingredients, don’t involve a lot of meal prep, and can be cooked inside or outside your RV. Easy dinners for camping trips include such dishes as:
- Crockpot BBQ Ribs
- BBQ Chicken with Pineapple
- Instapot Sweet and Tangy Kielbasa Bites
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Sausage With Veggies
The fun part is that when you live in an RV you have so many different ways to cook. If it’s too hot inside, change things up and cook up some RV meals on the grill, or I’ll turn to my stash of RV crockpot recipes and let it do the work, while I hang outside and chillax.
My biggest tip when trying to come up with easy and quick rv cooking ideas is to keep it simple. I steer clear of meals that require 10+ ingredients (who needs that kind of stress), my slow cooker is my best friend and we cook outside anytime we possibly can!
RV Meal Planning
When we first started full-time in an RV, I was so overwhelmed at homeschooling the kids, working on our business and getting dinner on the table. I was exhausted by the end of the day. Quite frankly this was not what I imagined my life to be when we sold everything and went on the road!
I thought it would be all fun and laughter and relaxing times. Guess what? The kids still needed to be fed and I was not relaxed AT ALL.
The first thing I did to change this was to create a meal plan. The difference between cooking in a house as opposed to an RV is HUGE. We don’t have a walk-in pantry, or cupboards full of umpteen cooking utensils (thank goodness), or 40 different jars of seasonings.
There is also limited space for kitchen gadgets and tools. So we had to cut the kitchen gadgets down to our essential RV kitchen accessories. Cooking great meals for RVing requires a bit more planning and efficiency.
I am telling you now that RV meal planning changed my life! If the kids got up early, they knew to check the fridge to see what they could eat for breakfast. If it was my day off, hubby knew what to cook for dinner. I no longer had to wake up first thing in the morning and figure out what was for breakfast!
I then created my own rv meals menu planner and shopping list to coincide with the meal plan. That way shopping becomes as easy as following the list. You can download both the meal planner and grocery list below.
What Food Should I Pack For An RV Trip?
When it comes to thinking about healthy RV trip meals, you want to come up with things that are easy to make. You don’t want to make dishes that take 60 minutes to put together or need 15 ingredients. Who has time for that? Road trip camping meals are all about speed and efficiency.
As a mom, I am looking for quick and easy road trip meals. I have no interest being stuck inside all day cooking. I want to be outside having fun, breathing that fresh air, and enjoying my kids. I’m guessing you feel the same way!
Best RV Camping Recipes On The Grill
I am a huge fan of anything cooked on the grill. You know why? Because then I don’t have to cook! I have never once cooked anything on the grill since getting married and I like it that way. He is an awesome griller and really good at putting delicious marinades and sauces together. That’s what I call easy camper food!
Of course, there is the added bonus that food tastes so much better when it is cooked outside on a grill. But the real reason I love cooking in an RV is because of the flexibility to cook whatever you want.
For example, if you are grilling burgers and chicken you can also make shrimp skewers at the same time. I love that when traveling in an RV I don’t have to worry about whether or not what I am cooking will all fit into one pan.
Our Favorite Grilling Recipes:
My daughter is a picky eater but salmon is one of her favorites, so needless to say this is a family favorite.
2) Honey Lime Grilled Chicken Skewars
Marinate some chicken, stick it in the fridge for a few hours, cut up some veggies and start grilling. I’m in! Leftovers get turned into a yummy chicken salad.
My son wants to make these all the time, not only are they yummy but they are so much fun to make. We love to use either ground beef, or ground turkey to mix it up. Also throw in some ground sausage to spice things up. Great use for the cast iron skillet.
Pair anything with BBQ and pineapple and my daughter, the picky eater, will eat it. This is no exception.
You should have most if not all these ingredients in your RV. I’ll either serve this with flavored rice or a salad.
Our Favorite Grilled Veggies
6) Easy Grilled Garlic Potatoes In Foil
Potatoes go great with anything, add some garlic and I’m all in. Try spicing things up by adding some onions and bell peppers!
7) Grilled Corn
Remove the husk and silk and get those corn on the grill. Remove when done and add salt and pepper, and lots of butter.
Again you don’t need much for this awesome side dish, but it makes your RV dinners seem extraordinary.
This is another favorite of ours and it only has a few ingredients – perfect easy dinners for camping trips. FYI – I use minced garlic here, instead of fresh garlic.
Easy RV Cooking Recipes For The Crockpot
I use my crockpot on a regular basis. If you have never cooked in an RV before or are nervous about trying it out, I suggest starting off with a crockpot. It is basically foolproof and easy to clean up afterwards!
Crockpots are great for cooking everything from chili to chicken noodle soup. You could even make awesome Bar B Que Ribs! It is so easy to toss your ingredients in, and set the timer. SO many delicious meals that take so little time.
I love that you can be out exploring all day and then come back to your campsite/RV and still have a yummy meal ready to eat.
Our Favorite RV Dinner Ideas For The Crockpot!
10) Slow Cooker Chicken With Lemon & Butter
Although this recipe has more ingredients than most of my dishes, I use all these seasonings all the time so it’s not a big deal.
Cooking ribs is such an easy RV dinner idea because you can throw the ribs into the slow cooker and walk away. When they are ready, just toss them on the grill for a minute, and enjoy them with a nice glass of red wine – yum!
Add mac and cheese and my picky daughter has her favorite meal.
I like this meal because you can throw anything you need used up into the crockpot and the meal will taste great. It is one of those easy RV cooking recipes that ends up looking like you spent a lot of time making it. Shhh! I won’t tell.
13) Slow Cooker Chicken Marinara
This needs to be added to your list of best RV recipes for the road.
14) Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
You are going to love these and so is your family. They are awesome and you only need 3 ingredients!
15) Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Noodles
This is one of our best RV kitchen recipes and it’s so EASY! I pick up a chunk of roast and fire this baby up in the crockpot, it works great for leftovers too.
Best RV Food Recipes For The Instant Pot
I still haven’t gotten into using an instant pot. Sad but true. I remember my mom using the pressure cooker and think- “nope not me.” Of course I know that instant pots are worlds advanced from my moms PC, but you know…
I plan to sit down and go through all the instructions and figure it out one of these days but until then I am borrowing awesome RV recipes from others.
If you’re looking to purchase an instapot, this is the one recommended by other RVers.
Quick and Easy RV Dinners In The Instant Pot
16) Instant Pot BBQ Pork Chops
They take less than 10 minutes to take, check them out.
17) Instant Pot Sweet and Tangy Kielbasa Bites
These look delicious and best of all you only need 3 ingredients and one of them is water! The best RV dinners are the simplest RV dinners!
18) Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
I love ingredients that can turn into 3 meals like this one. Serve the chicken over rice, in a wrap, or over a bun! Yum! Make extra so you can use it for lunch the next day.
One of my favorite dishes is chicken curry, I could honestly eat this 5 days a week if allowed. This recipe has a few more ingredients than others I have shared, but I’m guessing they are already in your pantry if you love curry as much as me!
Delicious Make Ahead RV Meals
Another really good tip for cooking in an RV is to choose a few recipes and pre-prep the food. For example, you can chop your vegetables up ahead of time and even cook some meat so that all you have to do is heat everything up after you get to your destination.
This works especially well if you are going on a long trip. You can even cook extra and freeze it for later use. (You don’t want to end up eating the same meal a hundred times!!)
If you plan your meals ahead of time you can also make a shopping list. That way you don’t forget anything at the grocery store. If you choose easy recipes that are freezer friendly, this works well too too!
I freeze food quite often for quick use on travel day (you just never know when you will be delayed and end up getting in late.)
Check out some of our other favorite easy RV cooking ideas.
Our Favorite Make Ahead RV Meals
20) Banana Bread
Banana bread is another favorite of ours, it uses up those bananas going off and gives you a yummy start to your day.
21) Egg Muffins
I love making these because you can use up any leftovers and they can be made BEFORE you leave on your camping trip. Scrambled eggs in a cup! Yummy!
22) Lasagna
I totally cheat on this one! Anytime we have a big shopping day, or I know we have a travel day coming up, I will get a large box of Stouffers Lasagna – the meat lovers kind. It is easy to drop in the oven as soon as we get parked and the kids love it.
23) Breakfast Wraps
We love wraps for breakfast, especially because they can be made in advance! My son loves wraps and it’s a great way to get some protein in him to start the day off the right way.
What kid doesn’t go nuts about a dog on a stick! It’s simple and a bit of fun for the kiddos.
Think about ways you can make your life easier when you get to the campground – sweet potato fries already cooked and ready for breakfast with some eggs. Bacon pre-cooked, cheese pre-chopped, spaghetti bolognaise ready to be heated up. Anything that you can make up, go ahead and do that, get some more ideas here.
Simple Sheet Pan Dinners For The RV
I am a huge fan of anything that can be cooked in one pot or pan. Easy travel trailer cooking and clean up!
Sheet pan meals are some of our favorite easy RV food recipes. They take no time and turn out delicious. You can also easily make these RV recipes for 2, or for a whole gang.
25) Sheet Pan Chicken and Sausage
I honestly think I could serve this dinner every single day and my family would not whine a bit!
Pesto chicken is a huge hit in my family, if I’m being honest I’m buying the jar of pesto, rather than making it!
27) Sheet Pan Nachos
This is another great way to get rid of leftovers in the fridge. Cut everything up and spread them over some nachos. Voila you have dinner! We make these a lot during football game.
Is there anything better than Shrimp? Yes shrimp with an attitude! This is one to add to your rv cooking recipes.
My daughter does not enjoy a lot of meat and potatoes, so I always make sure to have fish on the menu. This is one of our favorite healthy rv trip meals.
Best RV Recipes For The Dutch Oven
Dutch oven cooking is also a very popular way to cook while RVing. Basically, you can just place the pot directly on your campfire and cook from there. Cast iron is my favorite outdoor cooking material!
It’s great because then you don’t have to set up an additional surface like an outdoor stove or campfire grill. Most Dutch Oven recipes are “dump and run” which means you throw everything in and let it cook.
It is very simple and straightforward if you want quick and hassle free cooking, not to mention much more fun than cooking on the stove. Dutch Oven cooking tends to become more of an event around the fire that the whole family can enjoy.
Here are my favorites:
30) Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler – this is another simple rv meal that must be on your list.
31) Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie – Who doesn’t love to eat pumpkin pie.
32) Dutch Oven Cornbread Chili – This is another favorite of ours, even the picky eater loves this one.
Best RV Meals - Desserts
The best part of any rving or camping trip is the desserts! It may seem strange to bake a dessert while on vacation, but really it is very easy and a wonderful way to help everyone feel at home.
These desserts can include pies, cobblers in the Dutch Oven, and of course, S’mores! Really anything you would typically make in your kitchen oven can also be made over a campfire. Here are a few of our favorites:
33) Campfire S’mores
We love sitting down at the end of a fun day, enjoying some s’mores over the campfire. Check out our Ultimate Guide to S’mores!
Get out those marshmallow forks and start toasting up some yummy cinnamom rolls on the campfire.
34) Campfire Apple Crisp Foil Packets
Apple crisp brings back memories of the insanely good apple tarts my mum used to make, pair this with ice cream and it’s so good.
36) Camping Eclairs
BONUS EXTRA! (Just for those who made it all the way through)
Eclairs was one of my favorite desserts to have when I was growing up in Ireland. You can make your own with this simple yet delicious recipe.
My hope is that these 35 easy RV meals will help make your next RV camping trip an enjoyable one where you can have some fun and not spend all your time indoors cooking. These simple rv meal ideas require little work and few ingredients, and will make your camping meals memorable.
These recipes are amazing! I’ll definitely try these someday. Thanks for sharing!
When many people think about RVing they think of parking next to the lake for a weekend of ?shing or heading to the mountains for hiking, but RVing is also the perfect way to get out and explore North America’s rich history.
Absolutely true, Bela. We have stayed near so many wonderful historical places. They have been our focus for homeschooling as well during those times. Yorktown/ Jamestown, Pensacola, Washington DC, Hatteras, Silver City, Dauphin Island to name a few. Our history is absolutely everywhere!
Can you offer any vegetarian meal plans? I would so appreciate it!!!!!!!
Thanks!!
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Are you asking about vegetarian meal plans or recipes?
I have some breakfast vegan ideas here https://therovingfoleys.com/vegan-camping-breakfast-ideas/
Pingback: 51 Awesome Ideas for Camping Food When You Don’t Have a Fridge - The Roving Foley's