One Pan Camping Sloppy Joes
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Sloppy Joes take me right back to my childhood. We ate them a lot in my house growing up. I think they were a very trendy and affordable meal in the ’90s, and I’m here to bring them back! Sloppy Joes make the perfect cheap, quick, and easy camping dinner idea. Serve them with a salad kit that’s also quick to assemble and you have a crowd-pleasing meal in minutes.
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
You don’t need much to make this camping dinner.
- Ground beef – Ground beef is my favorite in this meal, but you can also use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Onion – a white or yellow onion works for this recipe
- Sloppy Joe spice packet – Part of what makes this meal so easy is utilizing a sloppy joe spice packet. That way you don’t need to pack a bunch of spices on your camping trip.
- Oil – You’ll need a little bit of oil to coat the pan. I carry these to-go tubes when camping and prefer to pack avocado oil, but olive oil works too.
- Tomato Sauce – Don’t forget to pack a can opener if needed. I usually use the one on my Leatherman.
- Buns – Lastly, we need buns to soak up all the sloppy joes mix. Hamburger buns work great for this.
Camp Kitchen Gear Highlight
- Camp Stove and Fuel – This entire meal is cooked on a propane camp stove. I use the classic Coleman camp stove and I love it. There’s nothing fancy about it, but it’s a great price and it works great.
- Spatula – I use a spatula to mix and serve the sloppy joes.
- Cast Iron Pan – I always cook in my antique cast iron pan. Cast iron is durable, holds on to heat well, and can be used over a stove or over a campfire. If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, you can buy a pre-seasoned one from Lodge and it will last a lifetime and beyond!
- Cutting board and knife – You’ll need this to dice the onion. Optionally, you can dice the onion at home and store it in the cooler and skip this step at camp.
How to Make Camping Sloppy Joes
Start by dicing the onion and heating a cast iron pan over medium heat.
Once the pan is heated, add the oil followed by the onions.
Saute the onions for a couple of minutes and then add in the ground beef. Use the spatula to break it apart. Cook for a few minutes mixing frequently.
Next, add in the sloppy joe spices and mix.
Lastly pour in the can of tomato sauce and mix well.
Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer. Use a piece of aluminum foil or a lid to cover the mix. If you don’t have either of these things, just add a tablespoon or two of water if the mixture dries out.
Let the sloppy joes simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
Give the sloppy joes mix one last stir and then serve on top of hamburger buns with a side salad if desired.
One Pot Camper Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 white or yellow onion
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 sloppy joes spice packet
- 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Dice the onion and heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat.
- Once the pan is heated, add the oil followed by the onions.
- Saute the onions for a couple of minutes and then add in the ground beef. Use the spatula to break it apart. Cook for a few minutes mixing frequently.
- Next, add in the sloppy joe spices and mix.
- Lastly pour in the can of tomato sauce and mix well.
- Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer. Use a piece of aluminum foil or a lid to cover the mix. If you don’t have either of those things, just add a tablespoon or two of water if the mixture dries out. Let the sloppy joes simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
- Give the sloppy joes mix one last stir and then serve on top of hamburger buns with a side salad if desired.
Have you tried this recipe?
If so, come back and leave a review in the comments below!
Make sure to check out some of the other easy camping recipes on the blog for even more ideas.
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Camp Cooking Starter Kit
Printable camping recipes, a gear checklist, and a camping meal planner so you can go camping with confidence and good food!
