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 camping 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
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!
Our Favorite Grilling Recipes:
1) Grilled Salmon
2) Honey Lime Grilled Chicken Skewars
3) Cast Iron Burgers
5) Marinated Grilled Chicken
Our Favorite Grilled Veggies
Just a little salt pepper, and olive oil can be used to make so many great veggie dishes. Here are a few of our favorites.
6) Easy Grilled Garlic Potatoes In Foil
7) Grilled Corn
8) Grilled Parmesan Asparagus
9) Grilled Zucchini
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 camping 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
11) Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
Cooking ribs is such an easy RV dinner idea because you can throw the ribs into the slow cooker with sauce 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.
12) Slow Cooker Taco Pasta
13) Slow Cooker Chicken Marinara
14) Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
15) Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Noodles
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
17) Instant Pot Sweet and Tangy Kielbasa Bites
18) Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
19) Instant Pot Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
I love ingredients that can turn into 3 meals like this one. Serve the chicken over rice, in a wrap, or over a bun! Serve with baked beans and coleslaw. 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 camping 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
21) Egg Muffins
22) Lasagna
23) Breakfast Wraps
24) Hot Dogs On a Stick
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
26) Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken
27) Sheet Pan Nachos
28) Sheet Pan Cajun Shrimp
29) Maple Glazed Salmon
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
31) Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie
32) Dutch Oven Cornbread Chili
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COOK WITH A DUTCH OVEN
Best Easy 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
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!
34) Campfire Cinnamon Rolls
34) Campfire Apple Crisp Foil Packets
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 easy 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!
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.
35 Quick and Easy RV Meals To Try On Your Next Road Trip
Grainne Foley
Grainne Foley grew up in Ireland and spent summers caravanning around Europe with her family. Now, as a wife and mother of 2, she spent 5 years traveling the USA as a full time RVing family. She is passionate about travel, and helping others who are considering the RV lifestyle. She has created dozens of helpful RVing checklists which are available throughout the website, and has curated hundreds of simple, flavorful meals for families on the go.
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/