How to Cook an Easy Thanksgiving Camping Dinner (Stove Only)
Many families like to go camping for the Thanksgiving holiday! This blog post contains everything you need to pull off a simple Thanksgiving dinner while camping… using only your propane camp stove. Let’s get started!
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For our first Thanksgiving together in 2017, my husband and I went camping. I was working in a lab at the time, and we drove down to the desert after my shift for a long weekend. It’s such a fun memory for us.
If you want to avoid the travel crowds or elaborate Thanksgiving feasts, you can still enjoy a festive meal, even while camping. This blog post will show you how!
My goal with this year’s Campsgiving menu is to prepare this meal using only the camp stove.
If you want something easy, or you have local fire restrictions, this is a great camping Thanksgiving meal plan to follow.
With a little prep at home, this camping Thanksgiving dinner comes together quickly at camp. It’s filling, delicious, and great for a large family.
In this guide, you’ll find Thanksgiving camping food ideas, recipes, my tips for cooking at camp, and packing lists for gear and food. Here we go…
Thanksgiving Camping Menu (stove-only)
Here’s what we’ll be having this year:
- Jalapeño Cranberry Turkey Meatballs (make-ahead)
- Classic Mashed Potatoes with Chives
- Cranberry Sauce (make-ahead)
- Gravy
- Green Beans with Shallots and Butter
- Pumpkin Pie
See below for recipes and more details on each part of this camping meal plan.
Camp Cooking Gear You’ll Need:
- 2-burner propane camp stove
- 1 cast iron skillet for meatballs and green beans
- 1 small saucepan for gravy
- 1 medium to large pot for mashed potatoes
Want to watch me cook this entire meal at camp? Check out the video below to see how I do it!
Thanksgiving Dinner for Camping
This year I really wanted to make this a camping meal plan that only uses a propane camp stove for cooking.
A few years ago, I cooked an entire Thanksgiving feast over the campfire using several dutch ovens. It was a lot of fun (because I love cooking over a campfire), but it also took a lot of time and planning. You can see how it went in this video here!
This year, I have a newborn baby and we have fire restrictions in the area, so I’m keeping it a lot simpler. But don’t worry, this meal still looks and tastes very festive!
Main Protein: Turkey Meatballs
I put a poll on my YouTube channel asking people how important the turkey is on Thanksgiving. I’m not someone who needs a turkey on Thanksgiving; I’m fine with another protein source.
My husband is the opposite. He really wants turkey on Thanksgiving. The poll showed that about 30% of people wanted turkey, while 70% were okay with other options.
Nonetheless, I wanted to serve turkey and decided on a make-ahead turkey meatball. I’m not cooking a turkey on my camp stove, so this was the only way I could think of to still have turkey.
The best part is, we make these meatballs ahead of time at home so you don’t need to handle raw meat at camp. All you need to do is heat and serve.
Easier Option >> For these meatballs, I was inspired by jalapeño cranberry chicken meatballs I saw at Costco. If you don’t want to make meatballs ahead at home, you can look for a store-bought option instead. Make sure the meatballs are fully cooked so all you have to do at camp is heat them up in a skillet.
Below is my recipe for make-ahead turkey meatballs:
Cranberry Jalapeño Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 jalapeño, seeded
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
At Home:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Finely dice the jalapeño and cranberries.
- In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried sage, pepper, and salt.
- Add the milk and egg. Mix until combined.
- Add the jalapeño, cranberries, and turkey. Mix just until combined. Form balls about the size of a golf ball, or smaller.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and drizzle a little olive oil. Place about half the meatballs in the skillet. Don’t overcrowd the pan or it will be hard to turn the meatballs. I do this in two batches. Rotate the meatballs as they cook to get a little browning on all sides. Turn the heat down as needed if they start to burn. You’re going for a golden brown color.
- Once all the meatballs are browned and partially cooked, finish cooking them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they’re fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to test a few meatballs just to make sure they hit 165°F. Then set them aside to cool before storing in your fridge or cooler. Cooked meatballs typically last 2-3 days in the fridge.
At Camp:
- Reheat these meatball at camp in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. It's important that you heat them low and slow so the inside has time to warm up but the outside doesn't burn. I cover my skillet with foil to help them along. Turn the heat on and off as needed!
Store your cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge or cooler. Cooked meatballs will typically last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
I have a few of these collapsible silicone containers that I love for camping. That’s what I used for these meatballs.
Side: Cranberry Sauce
For sides, I made mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and green beans.
The cranberry sauce is made ahead of time at home. I use a very standard recipe of fresh cranberries, water, sugar, orange zest, and orange juice.
Store the cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge or cooler. I took mine out of the camper fridge about 1 hour before serving so it could be closer to room temperature. If you prefer it cold, then skip that step.
Easier option >> Skip the homemade sauce and buy a pre-made jar or can instead. I prefer the taste of homemade cranberry sauce, so if you have the time, I recommend making it.
Side: Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a MUST for me on Thanksgiving. They are so easy to make, so I prefer to cook them fresh at camp.
I use Yukon Gold potatoes because they’re super creamy and the skins are also soft. I like a little texture in my mashed potatoes, so I don’t peel them.
I usually don’t measure when I’m making mashed potatoes. I just mix in butter, a splash of milk, salt, pepper, and chopped chives. Exact amounts don’t matter too much. Taste and adjust to your preferences!
Easier option >> Pack instant mashed potatoes if you prefer!
Side: Green Beans with Shallots
Green beans are a go-to Thanksgiving vegetable. Once I reheat the meatballs, I set them aside and use the same skillet to cook the green beans.
How To: Chop the shallots and add them to the skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Add the green beans next. Mix frequently. I like to add a splash of water to the pan once to help steam them. Let all the liquid cook off before adding butter, salt, and pepper.
Other Vegetable Option >> Try my Apple, Cranberry, and Pumpkin Seed Fall Salad instead of green beans. You can make the dressing ahead of time at home.
Side: Gravy
For the gravy, I used a package of instant gravy. I like the brown gravy by Simply Organics. Both my husband and I tried also the turkey-flavored gravy, but we liked the brown gravy better.
All you have to do is mix the packet with water and bring it to a simmer.
Camping Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas
No Thanksgiving feast is complete without dessert! Since I love to bake, I really wanted to cook something with my dutch oven.
In the past, I’ve cooked pumpkin oatmeal cookies in the dutch oven and a rustic apple galette in the dutch oven.
But since I needed to stick to a stove-only camping Thanksgiving menu, I chose a store-bought pumpkin pie.
I stored it in my camper fridge and then sliced it up after dinner! I packed some whipped cream to add on top, and it was the perfect easy dessert.
Other Dessert Ideas >> You can also pack homemade or store-bought cookies or pies for dessert.
To-Do List at Camp:
- Take cranberry sauce out of the fridge.
- Start cooking mashed potatoes.
- While cooking potatoes, start heating meatballs low and slow.
- Finish the potatoes, cover them, and set aside.
- Set the meatballs aside and cover to keep warm.
- Start cooking the green beans with shallots.
- While green beans are cooking, make the gravy.
- Serve everything up!
Thanksgiving Camping Meal Packing List:
- Turkey Meatballs (make-ahead at home)
- Cranberry Sauce (make-ahead at home)
- Gravy Packets (1 or 2 depending on how many people you’re serving)
- Green beans
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Shallots
- Salt and pepper
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Milk
- Chives
- Pumpkin pie (or other dessert)
- Whipped cream
What do you think of these camping thanksgiving recipes? I hope you get a chance to enjoy some delicious food outdoors with your family this year. Happy Thanksgiving!
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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!)
We made these turkey meatballs (they were amazing!) with instant stuffing and the green beans. We camped for the long Thanksgiving weekend, so I doubled the meatball recipe, made them in advance, and we were able to have Thanksgiving dinner for multiple nights! It was so yummy! Thanks again for the recipes!