Campfire Casserole

The first time my husband and I went camping together he insisted we have campfire casserole for dinner. He went on to list all the ingredients we would need for it. "Really??" I said, "that does not sound very appetizing." He insisted it was amazing however and convinced me to give it a try. I have to admit, it's surprisingly delicious, and I've been hooked ever since! On the September long weekend we went camping with some friends of ours and we of course had our traditional campfire casserole. I would recommend saving this recipe only for camping because I don't actually know how it would translate in the kitchen. There is something about a campfire that can make the most simple foods taste delicious!

What you'll need

Some ground beef (1lb was good for the 4 of us)

A can of corn

A couple carrots, chopped

3-4 Potatoes, thinly sliced

1 Onion, chopped

1 Zucchini, thinly sliced

Lot's of ketchup

Salt and Pepper

Butter or extra-virgin olive oil

Tin foil

A campfire

How to

1. Spread some oil or butter on a large piece of tin foil (large enough to put enough food on it for one person, these are individual casseroles).

2. Place on a layer of potatoes.

Photo by Christie Peters

3. Break apart some small pieces of the raw ground beef and layer on top of the potatoes.

4. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

5. Add some onion, corn, zucchini and carrots...as much or as little as you like. These are individual casseroles so make yours up how you like it!

6. Squeeze on some ketchup...again, as much or as little as you like. I would say less is better, as I always like to add some more after it's all done.

7. Place another piece of greased tin foil over top of your lovely pile of food. Together with the bottom layer of tin foil, roll the edges up on all sides to make a good seal.

8. Place your individual casserole pockets over the campfire. The fire should be hot, but you don't want the flames too high.

Photo by Christie Peters

9. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, then flip. After another 5-10 minutes, poke a whole in the top of the tin foil to see if it's done. The meat should no longer be pink and the vegetables should be soft.

10. Put onto plates and either eat right out of the tin foil, or scrape onto the plate. Serve with ketchup.