You’re ready to go camping. But what about those meals?
Don’t stress over making your camping meals healthy! Cooking simply is a great way to include lots of produce that you normally wouldn’t, while planning your menu at home. Merely aim to include a rainbow of colors with the produce you bring along!
Still trying to figure out where to begin? Try our simple and delicious Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas on your next camping trip!
Eat Your Rainbow!
It’s natural for you to have a favorite fruit or vegetable that you prefer to eat. However, consuming a rainbow of produce can improve your overall health with just a little planning to include fruits and vegetables you might not normally consume.
Red fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins A and C, lycopene, and fiber. The orange-hued produce often has potassium, alpha and beta carotenes, vitamin C, and lutein. Yellow-colored produce tends to have higher levels of vitamin C, fiber, lycopene, and other antioxidant properties.
Stock up on those green vegetables to boost vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as fiber, magnesium, iron, potassium, and calcium! And don’t forget blue-colored produce which contains cancer-preventing anti-oxidants, copper, iron, fiber, and vitamins C, K, B-6, and B-12.
Finally, include purple fruits and vegetables in your diet to reap the benefits of increased fiber, B vitamins, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K!
Gather Your Ingredients
As you gather your ingredients, you’ll need to decide if making the creamy dipping sauce that pairs with these veggie quesadillas is doable for your camping trip. Making this dip will mean preparing it ahead of time and storing it at a cool temperature until you’re ready to use it while camping.
The main ingredients you’ll need to grab at the store are sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime, and an avocado. If you choose not to prepare the dipping sauce, you can leave those off your list!
Other items you need to gather are 8″ flour tortillas, 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 summer squash, 2 colored bell peppers, an onion, and 3 Roma tomatoes.
Other pantry or refrigerator items you’ll need to have at home are butter, salt, and pepper.
Time to Make Your Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas
Now it’s time to get cookin’!
Again, the creamy dipping sauce will need to be prepared at home before your camping trip.
Combine ½ an avocado, the juice of a lime, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup sour cream, and ⅓ cup fresh cilantro in a blender. Pulse for 2-3 minutes until a smooth creamy sauce is formed.
Store in an air-tight container until you’re ready to leave for the camping trip. Store the sauce in a cooler so it doesn’t go bad during the trip.
At your campsite, begin by making a fire in the fire pit and place a grilling gate over top to heat up. If using a portable grill, set the heat to 375 degrees.
As the fire builds, slice and quarter your summer squash, and dice the bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
When ready to cook, place a cast iron skillet on the grilling grate and melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add the squash, peppers, and onion to the skillet and mix well. Salt and pepper and mix again.
Use a lid if you have one for the skillet, as it will help the veggies cook faster, usually in about 15 minutes.
Allow this mixture to cook until the onions are see-through and slightly caramelized.
Remove the skillet from the grill and set aside. Cover the grill gate with aluminum foil. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the center and place 1 8” tortilla in the middle.
Sprinkle a handful of mozzarella cheese along one side of the tortilla. Top with 1-2 spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture. Add a handful of diced tomatoes.
Fold over the other side of the tortilla so it’s folded in half.
Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until the tortilla is brown and the cheese is melted.
Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas.
Cut the veggie quesadillas into triangle wedges for easier eating. Serve with the creamy dipping sauce for a yummy, healthy meal!
Colorful Variations for Your Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas!
Interested in adding more color to your veggie quesadillas? Consider adding different vegetables!
Add some diced sweet potatoes, fresh or canned corn, a handful of fresh spinach, or sliced baby bella mushrooms to flavor your quesadillas! Better yet, add a little protein by mixing in some canned black beans or pinto beans.
Eat Healthy While You Camp
Enjoy your delicious and healthy Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas on your next camping trip!
Looking for more camping recipes for your next trip? Visit our page on Camping Food!
Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas
You'll have fun making these tasty vegetable quesadillas over the campfire -- you can even make these using your backyard firepit! This is a delicious and creative way to eat healthy during your next camping trip.
Ingredients
- For the Creamy Dipping Sauce:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 avocado, cored and peeled
- juice of 1 lime
- For the Quesadillas:
- 8 8" flour tortillas
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 summer squash, sliced and quartered
- 2 bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, 1/4" slices
- 2 TB+ butter
Instructions
To make the creamy dipping sauce:
(This will need to be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until the camping trip.)
- Add all ingredients to a blender.
- Pulse for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To make the quesadillas:
- Start the fire in the fire pit and preheat the grill grate to 375 degrees.
- Slice and quarter the squash.
- Dice the peppers, onion, and tomatoes.
- Place the cast iron skillet on the grill grate and preheat.
- Add 2 TB of butter to the skillet and melt.
- Add the squash, peppers, and onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Cover and cook for 15 min or until the onions are see-through and caramelized. Remove from the grill.
- Place aluminum foil on the grill and heat. Add a pat of butter to the foil and melt. Top with a flour tortilla.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on half the tortilla. Scoop 1-2 spoonfuls of cooked vegetables on the tortilla. Top with diced tomatoes.
- Fold the top half of the tortilla over and cook for 3-5 minutes until brown on one side.
- Flip over to brown the other side until the cheese is melted.
Cut into triangle wedges and serve with the creamy dipping sauce.
- About the Author
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Laura L. Zimmerman is an author of both indie and traditionally published books. She lives in a tiny rural town in south-central Pennsylvania with her husband, daughters, four adorable kitties, and one energetic puppy!
After earning a BMUS with a Certification in Music Therapy, she decided to homeschool her children. Here she discovered a passion for learning and teaching, which led her to make writing a priority. She currently enjoys reading and writing YA sci-fi and fantasy, as well as middle-grade mysteries.
Her hobbies include spending time with her family, hiking, playing outdoors with her dog, and doing yoga. You can find her drinking coffee, singing loudly, or consuming another Jane Austen novel.
Laura can be reached at lauralzimmauthor@gmail.com