How to Cook the Best Camping Meals Using Trader Joe’s Products

After a recent weekender camping at Manresa State Beach, I got home and realized I’d eaten better on my various forays into the great outdoors than I do most nights at home. Cast iron pizza with prosciutto and burrata. Shawarma chicken stuffed into naan. Marinated tri tip seared and finished with zhoug. None of these campfire meals required elaborate prep or fancy gear either. Just an Oyster cooler, my trusty Lodge cast iron, a cast iron dutch oven, and a strategic run through Trader Joe’s.

The name of the game with camp cooking is prep work, not just because it makes packing and executing meals easier. When you go on a camping trip, especially here on Labor Day Weekend, you want to actually relax. So while camp cooking is something you should take pride in, you don’t need to spend days making it happen—or hours at your home base chopping and cleaning for that matter. The trick to keeping it low-stress is letting a grocery store do half the work for you. Sadly there’s no way to get around the dishes, but after these amazing meals, someone is bound to volunteer. Here’s what worked for me, broken down by meal.

DINNER

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Santa Maria Inspired Tri Tip 

Having grown up visiting family on the Central Coast, legit Santa Maria-style BBQ is a thing of pride, and I was shocked to find that TJ’s marinated option is not only flavorful, but perfect for cast iron searing over live fire. Sear it hard on both sides, then tent it with foil to cook for about 20 minutes for proper medium rare. Then, finish with a generous drizzle of TJ’s spicy Yemeni zhoug sauce in lieu of chimichurri. We had ours with a side of roasted veggies from the farmers market cooked over the fire, but bring along some pinquito beans as a side for authenticity points.

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Tandoori Naan

Charred over coals, these frozen naan come alive when you stretch them directly over the fire. They’re the ideal vessel for your shawarma chicken and pre-made tikka masala simmer sauce, which may not be your auntie’s recipe, but sure does come in handy as a simple cookout meal that’s more elevated than the classic hot dog and chili combo.

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Shawarma Chicken Thighs

Pre-marinated and ready to cook, these thighs pair perfectly with naan and curry sauce for a complete Middle Eastern-inspired camp meal. Cook them in a pan over the fire or on a grate for maximum flavor.

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Tikka Masala Curry Sauce

Heat this sauce over the fire in a small pot while your naan cooks, and you’ve got the perfect dip for shawarma-stuffed naan. It’s a packaged curry sauce that tastes anything but—rich, warming, and built for campfire cooking.

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Plain Refrigerated Pizza Dough

Stretch this fresh dough and sear it in cast iron over your fire for a pizza that’s actually cooked at camp, not prepped at home. The real magic happens when you make it from scratch on-site with fresh components—my personal favorite being sliced prosciutto, arugula, and burrata with a drizzle of balsamic and dusting of good salt. (I always bring a couple heaping tablespoons of Maldon in a Ziploc on my trips). You can go classic with red sauce combos, too, and even make breakfast pizzas using prosciutto, eggs, and garlic toum, another staple I keep on hand for dipping from Trader Joe’s. 

BREAKFAST

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Cage Free Eggs 

Wrap a rubber band tightly around the carton before packing them in your ice chest to keep them from cracking in transit. Place them at the very top of your ice chest so they’re protected from all the weight of your other supplies.

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Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon

Applewood smoked and uncured, these thick-cut slices crisp up beautifully over a campfire grate. Cook them first thing in the morning and save the grease for your hash browns. There truly is no better smell than bacon over a campfire.

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Hash Browns

Cook your applewood smoked bacon first, then do your hash browns in the leftover oil in a cast iron pan for crispy, golden results. The rendered fat makes them exponentially better than oven baking back at home.

LUNCH

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Prepared Wraps and Salads

For lunch, I generally keep things light and easy, which is where the prepared foods area comes in handy. Grab any of the wraps, like the grab-and-go Buffalo Style Chicken Wrap, Grilled Pesto Chicken Wrap, perfect for midday when you want something filling that doesn’t require fire or prep and can easily tuck into a backpack for a day hike or walk down to the beach from the camp site. I also love the Curried Chicken Salad, which you can enjoy straight from the container or spoon it into lettuce cups for a no-cook lunch option that’s sweet, savory, and complex all at once.

SNACKS & DESSERT

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Rainbow’s End Trail Mix Bars

Peanuts, almonds, raisins, and candy-coated chocolate held together with dark chocolate coating, these are all the good parts of trail mix that get picked out first. They’re perfect for grabbing between meals or as a quick hiking snack.

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Teeny Tiny Strawberry Rhubarb Pies

These hand-sized pies are bright, tangy, and sweet all at once, with a flaky crust that holds up to travel. Warm them gently over the fire or eat them straight from your cooler. They’re good either way.

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Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Loaded with cinnamon sugar topping, these sturdy crackers are built for s’mores. They’re a major upgrade from standard graham crackers and pair perfectly with milk chocolate. TJ’s marshmallows and small, 3-pack milk chocolate bars make for a perfect substitute for the generic versions, too, so as to avoid another trip to another store.