A Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Cooked by Campfire

Everyone know thats Thanksgiving is about two things: One, giving thanks and appreciating good times spent with friends and family. Two, of course, FOOD. Everyone also knows that food always tastes better while camping, which is also, coincidentally, a great way to connect with friends and family. This year, combine forces and spend some quality turkey time around the campfire.

What you’ll need

• Campfire, camp stove or portable grill
• Chopping board(s) – preferably more than one so everyone can get up in there
• 1-2 chopping knives
• 1 large skillet (we love our cast irons!)
• 2 pots
• Mixing spoon
• Can opener
• Tin foil
• Personal cups, plates and sporks

Prep tips

• Chop what you can before you get to your campsite. This will save you loads of time!
• Start with the hot toddies and the soup. No one likes to cook while cold.
• As everyone’s eating the soup and enjoying their drinks, two people can take charge of the stuffing and the instant tatters.
• As that group finishes up, have one more person get on the monkey bread—this will take around ~30 minutes to cook.
• Everyone helps clean. That’s a camp rule!

Starter: Souped-up carrot ginger soup

There are lots of ways you can take your average boxed or canned soup and make it 10 times tastier. Here’s one way we know how…

Ingredients:

• Carrot ginger boxed soup
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1/2 yellow squash
• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• Olive olive
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 can of corn
• Sriracha

Directions:

1. Cook onion, squash, zucchini, celery with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper until the onion is slightly translucent
2. Add in the soup!
3. Add in the corn!
4. Add sriracha or whatever hot sauce you love and enjoy

Main: Apple fennel stuffing with turkey sausage

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of bread (preferably a baguette)
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 1 white or yellow onion
• 1 green apple
• Precooked turkey or veggie sausage
• 1/2 cup of vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cube the loaf of bread
2. Core and chop the fennel
3. Chop the onion
4. Chop the apple
5. Add all of the vegetables (and fruit) to the fire
6. Add precooked turkey sausage (or veggie sausage!)
7. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock
8. Salt and peper to taste
9. Cook for 5 minutes

Side: Instant taters done right

Instant mashed potatoes are a camping staple. Throw on some of your favorite spices, maybe a can of cranberry sauce, and have at it! The sky is the limit for instant taters.

Dessert: Pumpkin pie monkey bread

Video by Lizzie Philip

Ingredients:

• Biscuit dough
• 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
• 9 tbsp sugar (6 white, 3 brown)
• Pumpkin puree, canned

Directions:

1. Cube the biscuit dough into fours and put in a plastic bag
2. Add 1 tbsp of pumpkin spice
3. Add 4 tbsp of sugar
4. Put in a large skillet lined with tin foil
5. Mix together
6. In a separate container, mix half a can of pumpkin puree with the remaining sugar
7. Mix the puree and sugar in with the skillet
8. Cook on the fire for 30 minutes, serve warm

Drink: Spiced hot toddies

Ingredients:

• Honey
• Lemon juice
• Bourbon of choice
• Spiced orange tea
• Cinnamon stick
• Lemon slices

Directions:

• Heat up hot water on your campfire
• Steep the tea
• Add desired amount of lemon juice, honey and bourbon
• Finish off with a cinnamon stick and a lemon slice

Happy Campsgiving!

For more Campsgiving tips and menu ideas, read on here. Otherwise, we’ll see you out there!