If you are ready for a hearty meal on your fall camping trip then look no further than this meatball skillet stew. The recipe is very fast to make when out at the campsite on your camp stove and is sure to warm you up. If you have an RV and access to a cooktop then this is especially a meal for your fall camping trip. With a mix of hearty vegetables like carrots and potatoes and seasonings like thyme and bay leaves you will want to go back for seconds! The great thing is you don’t have to tend to a campfire all day to get the same delicious stew flavor. Plus you can pair the leftover wine with your meal. So after a long hike in the chilly fall air give our meatball skillet stew a try on your next trip!

The tools

The great thing about this recipe is that in general, it is going to use tools that you have available in your camping gear already. A camp stove is the biggest piece of equipment you will need. If you are just starting your camping career or need advice on upgrading your camp stove check out our camp stove as essential gear guide. This will help you learn all you need while also providing some insight into potential camp stoves you may want to purchase.

Additionally, you will need standard kitchen tools like a deep-sided skillet, knives, cutting boards, melon ballers, mason jar, and a mixing spoon. The fantastic thing about this recipe is that you can do all of your prep at home using you kitchen for a controlled environment. Placing the meatballs into one zip-top bag and the veggies/spices in another will allow you to save space in your cooler. Then you also only need to pack your pan and a spoon saving space in your pack.

Meatball Skillet Stew

This delicious stew will keep you warm on those cool camping evenings. It is only a twenty-minute recipe which means that you will be warming by the campfire both inside and out in no time. While this recipe does have some prep involved, more than a can of soup, it is fantastically delicious. With fall just around the corner start planning your camping menu with this recipe.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 375 kcal

Equipment

• Skillet with deep sides
• Spoon
• Camp Stove
• Melon baller
• Mason Jar

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 lb Ground Beef
• 1 lg Onion Thinly sliced
• 4 Carrots Thinly sliced
• 2 Potatoes Peeled and sliced thinly
• 3 sticks Celery Thinly Sliced
• 1 cup Beef Stock
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 cup Red Wine or Tomato Juice
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
• Salt To taste
• Pepper To taste

Instructions

 

• Use Melon Baller to shape the meat into tiny meatballs
  1/4 lb Ground Beef
• Place Skillet on the camp stove and set around medium heat
• Brown meatballs in skillet
• Stir onion into skillet and cook till translucent
  1 lg Onion
• Add beef broth into skillet and bring to a boil
  1 cup Beef Stock
• Add the remaining veggies to the skillet as well as the seasonings
  4 Carrots, 2 Potatoes, 3 sticks Celery, 2 Bay Leaves, 1/4 tsp Dried Thyme, 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• Cover the skillet and cook on low heat, 15 mins or until the veggies are tender.
• Combine wine (or tomato juice) and flower in a covered jar and shake until combined
  1/4 cup Red Wine or Tomato Juice, 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
• Pour the thickened wine into the skillet and stir until the sauce is thick, about four minutes

Notes

Camp Hero Tip – Complete all of your prep work at home for this recipe. Melon ball the hamburger, cut all the veggies, and prep your wine and flour. Use individual gallon zip-top bags to keep the meat separate from the veggies. This will save you time and space in your cooler.

This recipe goes great with some dutch oven biscuits!

Keyword comfort food, Hamburger, Hearty, Homestyle, Stew