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Stacy
Trip Date 03/03/2020 Posted On 04/30/2020 14:30:00 |
Camping | RVing | Cooking | Entrees | Recipes | Quick and Easy | Helpful Hints | Instant Pot | Oven | Slow Cooker | Panini Press | Side Dish Suggestions
Calling all RVers!
Are you an RVer in search of entrees for an upcoming road trip? You've come to the right place ... maybe! If you avoid using your oven, you can turn away now. Or, if cooking only means grilling or using your Blackstone, this list is not for you!
With the "not's" out of the way, here's what you will find. Ten recipes for entrees that are prepared in a slow cooker, instant pot, panini press or your oven. To make cooking dinner as easy as possible while RVing, we've included lots of helpful hints and even some side dish suggestions.
Selection Process
After being on the road for six weeks, Scott and I took a look at our weekly menus. From the menu list, we each selected our favorite entrees. To be included in this list of our Top Ten, there were two requirements. Scott and I both had to like the entree enough to prepare it again. Secondly, the entree had to be relatively quick and easy to prepare.Once we narrowed the list down to our top ten, we each rated and ranked our individual lists. I then averaged the ratings, and came up with this final top ten ranking to share with our readers, followers and subscribers.
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10. Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
Slow Cooker Pepper SteakI love preparing slow cooker meals when we are on the road as I can throw everything together and leave. When we return, dinner is almost ready!
We left on our journey with some frozen top sirloin, so I was hopeful that this Slow Cooker Pepper Steak would be perfect for an easy meal. To save time, I also threw the dry ingredients (ground ginger, garlic powder, black pepper, brown sugar and cornstarch) into a ziplock bag at home. All I had to do to get dinner going was:
- line the slow cooker;
- dissolve the bouillon cubes in water;
- add both the soy sauce and dry ingredients and whisk everything together;
- slice and add the beef, peppers and onion.
Here's the funny thing: I forgot that I had already premixed the dry ingredients! I started following the recipe and once I got to corn starch, I thought "oh no, I don't have corn starch in the RV". That's when I remembered that I was trying to make this easier on myself. Oh well, we had double the spices ... but it still made our top 10 list!
Once we returned after our day of exploring, I boiled some egg noodles and stirred them into the slow cooker.
We paired the pepper steak with a side salad. I tend to include a wide variety of ingredients in our salads - basically using whatever we have on hand!
For the salad in the photo above, I tossed bagged spring mix with diced avocado, chopped red apple, dried blueberries, crumbled feta cheese and chopped praline pecans. After we each added our preferred dressing, everything was ready to eat!
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9. Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ultimate Grilled CheeseMy original plan was to just make regular grilled cheese sandwiches. After deciding to add bacon, I stumbled upon the recipe for Ultimate Grilled Cheese and changed it up a bit based on ingredients that we had on hand. For starters, I was only making two sandwiches, so I divided the amount of each ingredient by three - as best I could.
I used precooked bacon which I nuked in the microwave until crisp. I combined mayo, mustard and parmesan together (no salt or pepper) and spread the mixture on honey wheat bread. (I didn't butter the bread - that's just our personal preference.)
For cheese, we had slices of cheddar, Swiss and Monterrey jack, so that's what went on the sandwiches! I basically followed the recipe with these changes ... ok, that was a lot of changes - but you get the point! The sandwiches were tasty, and probably would have been better on sour dough.
I emptied a can of soup into two paper bowls. While the sandwiches were in the panini press, the soup was heating in the microwave and everything was ready at just about the same time.
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8. Club Sandwiches
What started as standard club sandwiches (bacon, lettuce, tomato and turkey with mayo on toast) got changed up just a little. I wanted to add some mashed avocado on my sandwich. Scott decided to have some ham and a little mustard instead of the avocado!Again, adding a bowl of soup was just perfect for a filling meal.
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7. Frito Pie
No recipe for this dinner either - just duplicating a meal similar to one that my mom made when I was young.I start by making two foil "bowls". I fill each bowl by layering Fritos, canned chili, shredded cheese, green onions, more Fritos and cheese. I put the two foil bowls directly in the oven and heat for 15 minutes or so at about 350 degrees. Once the Frito Pie is cooked, we just place the foil bowls right on paper plates and eat.
This is a regular camping entree for us, and I serve it with a variety of different side dishes. One of our favorites is corn bread, but on this trip we just had a side salad. I tossed spring mix, a diced Roma tomato, chopped red apple and praline pecans with some crumbled feta cheese. We both topped our salads with spicy ranch dressing and started eating.
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6. Parmesan Broiled Tilapia
Parmesan Broiled TilapiaOther than using dried dill, eliminating the salt (and sometimes using bottled lemon juice), I follow the Parmesan Broiled Tilapia recipe just as written - and it is always good!
To make a filling meal, I made some garlic croissants by topping the tubed croissant dough with melted butter, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. I baked the bread in between the two broiling steps for the tilapia. I also heated up a can of corn and tossed a quick side salad with iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, halved grape tomatoes and chopped praline pecans.
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5. Oven Tacos
Oven TacosWe use the meat mixture from the Oven Tacos recipe at least two or three times a month - no matter if we are at home or in our RV. Other than using store bought taco seasoning, I follow the recipe as written. (I usually use ground turkey, but have used ground beef as well.)
Since it is just the two of us, once prepared, I divide the meat mixture into four equal portions. I have found that the recipe makes enough meat for 16 servings - so that is four meals for the two of us. I put the prepared meat into four ziplock bags, remove all of the air and flatten to make them freezer ready.
Once the meat is thawed, it's so easy to prepare dinner. I fill six taco shells with the meat and shredded cheese. While the tacos are cooking, I prepare condiments - shred lettuce, dice tomatoes, chop avocado and green onions, and gather salsa, sour cream, sliced black olives, ... and anything else we have / want!
We've also used the oven taco meat in soft flour tortillas and even on top of nachos. Once the meat and tortillas are cooked, we each are responsible for adding the toppings of our choice.
4. Cheesy BBQ Chicken Calzone
Cheesy BBQ Chicken CalzoneI always bring along several ziplock bags filled with about 2 cups of frozen shredded roasted chicken. I found this Cheesy BBQ Chicken Calzone recipe and decided to make some slight modifications for RV living.
To prepare the dough, I lightly dusted a silicon baking mat with flour. I shaped the store-bought dough into a circle (as best I could with no rolling pin). For the filling, the only modifications that I made were to reduce the amount of red onion and eliminate the salt.
I cooked the calzone on a foil-covered baking sheet as that's what I had in our RV!
The calzone was quite filling, so we actually made two meals out of it. Our first was accompanied by a side of pasta salad. (We had macaroni and cheese and baked beans with our leftovers.)
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3. Meatball Stromboli
Years ago I found a recipe similar to this one online. Since I was unable to find it again, I made up my own! It's just as easy as I remember, and most importantly the meatball strombolis taste great. The recipe serves four and leftovers can be stored in a refrigerator and heated in a microwave for a second meal. This was my first attempt to make this in our RV, and it was actually just as easy as at home.- 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
- 3 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- 16-20 small frozen pre-cooked meatballs, thawed
- 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 tsp. dried basil leaves
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Coat cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Separate dough into 4 rectangles and place each on sprayed cookie sheet. Press perforations to seal.
- Leaving at least a 1" border on all 4 sides of the dough, top with cheese slices and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Place 4-5 meatballs sliced in half along the center of each cheese slice. (You'll have 8-10 meatball halves on each rectangle.)
- Top each sandwich with 2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce and 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese.
- This is where it gets tricky to explain ... and to be honest, I do it different each time! With a sharp knife, make cuts about 1 inch apart on the long sides of each rectangle. Cross the dough strips over the meatballs, sauce and cheese so the dough looks kind of braided.
- Brush each sandwich with some beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and dried basil leaves.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
The stromboli can be served with whatever sides you want ... we had some leftover pasta salad made with rotini, sliced black olives, halved grape tomatoes and Italian dressing, so that was our side!
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2. Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
Instant Pot Bang Bang PastaFor the first time ever, I brought our InstaPot along on our RV journey. We've now made this Instant Pot Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta both at home and on the road. We loved it both times - it's easy and oh so tasty! (I made two minor modifications - reduced the amount of sriracha sauce and used dried parsley.)
I made our side salads by tossing iceberg lettuce, chopped hard boiled eggs, dried blueberries, crumbled feta and chopped praline pecans.
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1. Crockpot Ribs
Crockpot RibsCrockpot Ribs have consistently been one of our favorites - both at home and on the road. I almost always leave home with a prepared double recipe of our favorite dry rub. (Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder, 1 tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. cayenne, 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well and store in a ziplock or air tight container.)
On the morning that you want to enjoy these ribs for dinner, start by slicing a rack of ribs into sections that will easily fit into your lined slow cooker. Cover both sides of each section with dry rub (your favorite, the one in the recipe or our favorite). Place the ribs in the pot and cover the top with your favorite barbecue sauce. After repeating until all ribs are in the slow cooker, cook on low for about eight hours. The sauce can be caramelized by either placing the ribs under the broiler or on a grill.
I often make two racks of pork ribs in a large slow cooker - enough for at least 4 meals. The ribs freeze well in ziplock bags and reheat just fine in the microwave. We had macaroni & cheese and baked beans as sides - but your side choices are endless!
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Favorite Desserts
If you enjoy something sweet in the evening, don't miss our favorite desserts from this six week excursion. 10 Super Simple Desserts for RVers with a Sweet Tooth features quick and easy to prepare yummy dishes to end the day!To make sure that you don't miss out on future recipes that are great for RVers, create a User Account and opt in for an e-mail subscription now. You'll receive no more than one e-mail each week with links to all articles posted to our site during the prior week - including campground reviews and much more (all travel related).
Your Favorite Entrees
Which of these entrees would you like to try on one of your upcoming RV adventures?
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