8 one-pot Caravan Meals

Here are eight (8) of my favorite recipes for one-pot meals that can easily be prepared on your caravan stovetop without too much washing up.

Sorry I've never taken photos of my caravan cooking, it's always such a crazy time getting the kids eating, a preparing meals in a small space - but I will endeavour to take some photos of these soon!

Firstly some caravanning tips/substitutions for these recipes:

• If a recipe calls for beef, chicken or vegetable stock, you can buy beef, chicken and vegetable stock powder from most supermarkets. It is much easier and lighter to carry in the caravan. Make up according to directions on packaging to the equivalent of stock in recipe.

• If a recipe lists garlic as an ingredient, you can substitute granulated garlic, which is available from most supermarkets and easy to carry in the caravan as a staple pantry item. I use 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic instead of a clove (vary more/less to your own taste). Similarly, ginger can be substituted with ground ginger.

• Tomato paste can be bought in jars, tubs, tubes or bottles, which all need to be refridgerated after opening. For the caravan it can be easier to keep sachets (which are 2 tablespoons per sachet).

Chilli

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1kg beef mince

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

3 green ball chillis & 4 long red chillis (change to choose your own heat level – seeds in or out), sliced

handful of green beans, sliced into 2cm lengths

2 tins crushed tomatoes

1 tin red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

½ green capsicum & ½ red capsicum, diced

300g tomato paste

Mexican chilli powder, amount to taste

Tabasco sauce, amount to taste

Olive oil

1.       Heat small quantity of olive oil in large saucepan then add onion & garlic. Stir until onion is transparent.

2.       Add mince, cook, stirring well until mince has browned.

3.       Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

4.       Simmer for as long as possible (the longer it simmers, the better the flavours develop).

Can be served with bread rolls or rice, or made into burritos/tacos with a dollop each of mashed avocado & sour cream.

Beef Stroganoff

375g rump steak

3 teaspoons plain flour

½ teaspoon paprika

30g butter or margarine

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

125g mushrooms, left whole if small, sliced if large

1 tablespoon dry red wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¾ cup sour cream

1.       Cut steak into thin slices; Place in small plastic bag (e.g. zip lock) with flour and paprika, seal and shake until steak is well coated with flour mixture.

2.       Melt butter in medium saucepan; add onion and garlic; stir constantly over medium heat for about 3 minutes until onion is soft.

3.       Add steak to saucepan; increase heat and stir constantly until steak is browned all over.

4.       Add mushrooms and wine; stir until ingredients combined. Reduce heat, cover & simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes or until steak is tender.

5.       Stir in tomato paste and sour cream; stir over low heat until mixture is heated through.

Serves 2. Serve with crusty bread, boiled pasta, or cooked rice (and some green vegetables).

Beef in Red Wine Casserole

375g round steak, cubed

3 bacon rashers, roughly diced

½ onion, diced

15g butter

2 teaspoons oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 ½ tablespoons plain flour

2 teaspoons tomato paste

¼ cup dry red wine

¾ cup beef stock

1.       Heat butter and oil in deep frying pan or heavy based saucepan. Once sizzling, add steak and stir constantly until well browned all over.

2.       Add bacon and onions to pan, stir constantly over high heat until onions transparent.

3.       Reduce heat and add garlic, stir 30 seconds.

4.       Sprinkle flour into pan, stir until flour coats meat, bacon, onions.

5.       Remove from heat, gradually stir in combined tomato paste and stock; Return to high heat, stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens.

6.       Reduce heat to simmer; Simmer 1 hour (or until steak is tender), stirring occasionally.

Serves 2. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or mashed potatoes (and some green vegetables).

Hearty Beef Soup

This recipe can be kept for up to 2 days in the fridge, then reheated and served. Suitable to freeze.

500g gravy beef, fat trimmed + cut into cubes

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

1 small swede, peeled & cubed

¼ cup pearl barley (can substitute brown or white rice)

1 litre (4 cups) beef stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan; Bring to boil then reduce heat; Cover and simmer for at least 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender.

Serves 4. Serve with crusty bread or toast if desired.

Beef Curry

300g beef steak (topside or round), diced roughly

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly

ginger, grated (amount to taste)

1 orange sweet potato, peeled and chopped roughly

chillis or chilli powder (amount to taste)

1 onion, chopped finely

olive oil

curry powder

cumin

1 tin crushed tomatoes

small squirt lemon juice

coriander (optional)

garam marsala (optional)

1.       Head small amount of olive oil in large heavy-based saucepan. Add onion, chilli and ginger. Cook on low until onion is soft.

2.       Add curry powder and cumin (amounts to taste). Stir then cook for approximately 1 minute to release flavours.

3.       Add meat and lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until meat has browned.

4.       Add tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potato. Stir to combine.

5.       Cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 ½ hours, or until all the sweet potato has softened and broken up. Toward the end of cooking time add small amounts of coriander and garam marsala (to taste).

Serves 4. Serve with crusty bread or cooked rice.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

750g pumpkin

15g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock

¼ cup cream

1.       Remove skin and seeds from pumpkin with a sharp knife; cut into small even pieces.

2.       Melt butter in large saucepan, add onion; stir constantly over low heat until onion is soft.

3.       Add pumpkin to saucepan then stock. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover, simmer for about 30 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.

4.       Turn off heat. Using a stick blender, process mixture until smooth.

Serves 4. Soup can be served with a swirl of cream plus crusty bread or toast.

Fried Rice

There are several methods of making fried rice. This is an easy one because it uses already-cooked rice. Small pieces of any type of cooked meat, poultry or seafood can be added to the rice with chicken, ham, bacon, pork, beef and prawns being most popular. You can also vary the vegetables, for example replace the fresh vegetables with reconstituted dried peas. At home I would use a wok, but in the caravan a large frying pan works.

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional)

3 green shallots, sliced

1 small red capsicum, chopped

100g baby mushrooms, sliced

1 stick celery, sliced

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3 cups cooked rice

1.       Heat half the oils in large frying pan; pour eggs into pan, tilting so that they cover base; continue to cook until eggs are set. Transfer eggs to plate and cool before chopping into pieces.

2.       Heat remaining oils in pan, add garlic, ginger, shallots, and vegetables. Stir over high heat for 1 minute or until vegetables almost tender.

3.       Add soy sauce, rice, chopped eggs. Stir constantly for 2 minutes over high heat or until heated through.

Sweet Chilli Prawn Pasta

40g butter

3 green shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tin crushed or diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

350g dried spaghetti pasta

300g peeled green prawns, deveined, heads & tails removed

Salt

1.       Melt butter in large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened.

2.       Add tomatoes, stock, sweet chilli sauce and water to pan. Season with salt to taste. Add pasta and increate heat to high. Cook, stirring often so that pasta cooks evenly for around 12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

3.       Add prawns and stir to combine. Cover and cook a further 3 minutes or until prawns change colour.

Serves 4. Can serve with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Please, let us know what you think of these recipes in the comments below!

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