Especially on long travel or adventure days, it helps to have an easy RV dinner planned. You can’t beat the convenience of traveling in an RV when it comes to food preparation. Whether you need a quick pit stop for a snack, or want to throw some food into a slow cooker while you’re off hiking for the day, there are lots of reasons that RVing makes meal prep much easier. Here are five easy dinner ideas for your next RV trip.
1. The classic
When you think about RV meals, these are probably the first thing you think of. And for good reason! Whether you prefer a hamburger, a veggie burger or something a little more creative, grilling up a meat (especially one that’s pre-cooked) on your grill or skillet gets something delicious on the table fast. This meal can be done easily inside or out, and there’s nothing more fun than cooking up sausages or burgers on the grill or even a campfire. We always carry cast-iron around because they transition from RV stovetop to campfire with ease. Watching your calories, or going gluten-free? Consider using lettuce leaves instead of a bun.
Suggested Add-Ons: Blue cheese, pepperjack cheese, grilled onions
Suggested Sides: Sweet potato or regular French fries (homemade or from the freezer section) or a bag of chips; if you’re going sausages, sauté peppers and onions or grill up some other veggies; maybe a simple salad with fruit and balsamic vinegar.
2. Breakfast for dinner
You know the drill. Breakfast foods are always great, but there’s just something fun about cooking up some bacon, pancakes and eggs and eating it for dinner. Need some greens in there? Why not go for omelets? Or just throw some veggies in with those eggs in whatever style you prefer.
Suggested Add-Ons: Real maple syrup, bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips or a mix-in bar for the pancakes. Peppers, goat cheese, or spinach for the eggs
Suggested Sides: This covers it well, but you know your crowd. Feel free to grab English muffins if some people would prefer to skip the pancakes, and a fruit salad would be delicious too.
3. Stir-fry simplicity
Stir-fries are such a delicious and healthy meal idea. Start by picking your protein, your veggies and your sauce. (If you need some inspiration, consider your favorite pairings in Asian or Mexican cuisine, for instance.) Chop up the veggies, of course. Then cook up the protein, throw in the veggies and then the sauce and you’ll have a healthy dinner ready to go. If you don’t find that filling enough, add a squash or other starch, like rice or yucca, into the mix.
Suggested Add-Ons: Rice, tortillas, soy sauce, sour cream (depending on the cuisine of course).
Suggested Sides: Not needed. This is a great, all-in-one dish!
4. Love me tenders
Why not try some chicken tenders? Grab raw chicken tenders from the local butcher (or supermarket) and grill them, either on a pan in the RV or on the grill. Pick up some of your favorite dipping sauce (or sauces) and you’re good to go!
Suggested Add-Ons: Honey mustard, barbeque or sweet and sour sauce.
Suggested Sides: Grilled corn on the cob, a Caesar salad, raw carrots and celery.
5. All that romaines
A big salad is an easy and healthy meal. And if you throw some great protein on there, it’s filling! I highly recommend finely chopping the ingredients. Not only does it look cool, but it means all the goodness gets evenly distributed throughout the salad. Consider chicken, tofu, hard-boiled egg, sweet potato chunks, a favorite cheese, tomato, avocado, olives, peppers (or whatever you like) and your favorite greens. Oil and vinegar and the like are easy to make, but purchasing a salad dressing works well too.
Suggested Add-Ons: Get creative by adding cheeses, dressings, fruits, avocado, nut and of course lots of veggies of all types.
Suggested Sides: A big loaf of fresh bread from a local bakery is always a delicious addition to a salad, but a salad also works great as a self-contained meal. (I love to check the day-old section at the supermarket, if they have it, for a cheap side!)
I hope you enjoyed this easy RV dinner ideas! If you need fun dessert ideas, my top recommendation is always to find the local homemade ice cream place, but if you’d rather stay in, try grilling a banana in its skin, maybe with chocolate, or pre-soaked in brandy, or both. And of course, you can’t go wrong with everyone’s favorite campground food, s’mores!
Ready to rent an RV? Head over here to get started. And if you’ve already got your RV, why not check out these suggestions for creating an epic roadtrip playlist, or these suggestions for travel games?
