4 Fun Backyard Fire Pit Recipes

Whether you are an avid camper or simply enjoy relaxing around a fire pit in own back yard, something about cooking your meals outdoors is more fun. We love spending time together as a family in nature. Keeping my kids’ tummies happy is actually surprisingly easy when we are cooking over a campfire. Read on for fun meals, sides and desserts that can be prepared over a campfire or backyard fire pit.

Breakfast

Everyone in my family loves breakfast burritos. You can easily make these over a fire pit or while camping. One option is to make them ahead at home (we use eggs, sausage, bacon and cheese all wrapped in tortilla), store in a cooler and then reheat them over the fire. If you want to cook your eggs over the fire, a great option is to crack and whisk the eggs at home and store in a plastic re-sealable bottle. The next morning you will heat your skillet and pour the eggs in. No worries about cracked eggs making a mess!

Breakfast Burritos

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup frozen hash browns
• 8 oz cooked ham, diced (sausage or turkey if you prefer)
• 12 eggs
• 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
• 1 (4.5 oz) can Green Chiles
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 8 (12-inch) flour tortillas

Heat your olive oil in the skillet, add hash browns and cook for about a minute. Add your meat and cook until the hash browns and meat are browned (about 10 minutes). Whisk your eggs and taco seasoning in a separate bowl. Pour egg mixture into the skillet with the hash browns and meat. After the eggs have set, stir in your green chiles, cheese and cilantro. Pour the egg mixture into a tortilla and wrap like a burrito, then wrap in foil. Store in the refrigerator or cooler in a ziplock bag until ready to reheat. You can also freeze them!

Lunch or Dinner

When I asked friends what camping recipes they most enjoyed, many responded with foil wrapped dinners. The thing about these is you can get really creative and there is no one single way to make them. Add a meat like chopped up hamburger patties or cubed chicken, sliced potatoes, a few baby carrots, sliced onion and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and butter. Place onto a sheet of aluminum foil and fold over, making sure to seal the ends. Cook your pouches for about 20-30 minutes. Or you could use pre-cooked sausage and add zucchini, onions and peppers. So many possibilities! If you have picky little eaters at your house like I do, mac & cheese is always a safe bet. Here is a recipe we enjoy and it’s simple to prepare:

Camping Mac & Cheese

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 8 oz prepared Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4-1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mini Aluminum Pie Tins

Cook and drain your macaroni first. Place into the mini aluminum pie tins sprayed with non-stick spray. I did not have the mini tins so I made everything in one large pie tin. Add your cheeses, sauce and milk to the cooked macaroni noodles and add salt and pepper to your liking. If you like a little more kick, add some green chiles to your mixture. Cover with aluminum foil before cooking over the fire. Don’t forget to spray your foil with non-stick spray prior to baking so your macaroni doesn’t stick to the foil.

Side Dishes

I love this recipe for Mexican Street Corn. It’s quick and easy with just the right amount of tanginess. If you prefer potatoes for a side, try slicing 6 potatoes, place them onto foil sprayed with non-stick spray, cover with diced onions, cheese, salt, pepper and butter. Seal your foil and cook over the coals for about a half an hour.

Mexican Street Corn

• 6 Ears of Corn
• 3/4 cup Mayo
• 2 cups Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 fresh Limes juiced
• Chili Powder to taste

Mix your mayo and sour cream ahead of time in a small bowl. Wrap your corn in aluminum foil to cook. After removing from the fire, slather the corn with the mayo and sour cream mix. Then sprinkle the parmesan cheese, chili powder, Cilantro and lime juice over the corn.

Dessert

Banana Split

• Banana
• Chocolate chips
• Mini marshmallows
• Graham crackers

We call these banana splits, but really they are a combination of s’mores stuffed into a banana (sometimes called banana boats). Slice your banana length-wise but do not slice through the bottom peel. Stuff your banana with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, teddy grahams or other candies. Wrap your banana in foil, being sure to seal the ends. Heat the banana over the fire pit or camp fire coals. Eat with a fork and enjoy! Other tasty dessert ideas: cake mix cobbler, grilled strawberry shortcake skewers or cinnamon roll-ups.

Lauren Davis
Lauren and her husband Dan live in El Dorado with their two boys (born 2011 and 2014). They have added a goldendoodle, a hedgehog and two cats to their family in recent years and are expecting a daughter to join their crew at the end of 2020! She is an elementary school secretary, a member of the Junior League of Wichita and the Tri-County CASA Board of Directors. Lauren spent much of her childhood in Lawrence, Kansas and moved to El Dorado about ten years ago after her husband graduated from pharmacy school. She gets by on a lot of coffee and loves all the messy, fun, wild and wonderful parts of being a mom.