My family has been on a lot of hikes- and while peanut butter sandwiches are an easy option for when you’re out and about, they get old really fast! We recently bought a small little propane stove so that we can actually have a warm dinner when we get back to the car. With access to only a stove, that certainly seems to limit what you’re able to make. But there’s actually a ton of meals you can make with just a stove! This is a great list to keep on hand for camping, traveling, or any night where you want a simple, minimal dish meal!

• Pancakes. So simple to throw together! You can use Kodiak mix for a more filling, protein-packed option.


• Tacos and Fajitas. Heat up meat, throw it on a tortilla and add your favorite taco fixings.


• Quesadillas. So easy to make! You can keep it simple with just cheese, but you can also add chicken, bacon, beans, peppers, onions, herbs, etc to make them different and unique each time!


• Scrambled eggs. You can beef these up with chicken sausage, ham, or a variety of veggies. These could stand on their own or you could serve with biscuits or bagels.


• Stir fry. An easy meal to throw together if you’ve already chopped everything! You can tweak this dish in several ways as well to shake things up.


• Pastas. These can be a super tasty meal to put together, and there’s so much variety! Mac n’ cheese (plain or with chili!), stroganoff, alfredo, ravioli, etc.


• Nachos (if you have a lid). You can layer chips, cheese, beans, tomatoes, avocado, corn, or whatever else you love. You’re basically just melting cheese, so as long as you have a lid to help trap heat you can have delicious, filling nachos for dinner!


• Kebabs. A tasty, utensil-less meal. ‘Nuff said.


• Soups and stews. This would be especially easy if you made the soup beforehand and then just heated it up on the stove!


• Hot dogs. Fry them up on the skillet and you’re good to go!


• Biscuits and gravy. Breakfast gravy is one of the easiest things to make. You can make it beforehand or just reheat it and serve on top of cooled biscuits.


• Frittata. So easy to make and filled with protein!


• Sloppy joes. You can make these homemade and just have everything cut up in containers, but you can also easily use canned sauce and add to ground beef or turkey for an easy meal!


• Breakfast sandwiches. Heat up sausage patties, eggs and cheese for a protein-packed and simple sandwich!


• Breakfast burritos. If you assemble beforehand, you can heat them up in the skillet. Try adding a little cream cheese to the filling for a creamy texture!


• Chicken pot pie filling. Chicken pot pie is delicious, and you can enjoy it even if it’s not in pie form! Just heat up the filling in a pot and serve on top of biscuits, rolls, or with crackers.

What other meals are easy to cook or reheat on the stove? Share your ideas in the comments below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com