No one wants to spend a bunch of time slaving over a hot meal—even if you are outside on the BBQ. But, of course, one of the great perks of going on a camping holiday is saving money on making some meals at the campsite.
So, instead of always looking for something hot, why not make a big, hearty salad for lunch or dinner? Salads are an excellent way to get your 5+ a day vegetable servings!
We gathered 17 recipes for great salads—and by salads, we don’t just mean the lettuce kind, we’re roping in the pasta salad kind, too—that should feed everyone on your camping holiday.
1. Southwest Camping Salad
Image source: Camping Foodie
This recipe can be doubled if you have more than two to three people in your party, and you can add some grilled chicken breast if you’d like!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 100g feta cheese, crumbled (Note: If you make this ahead and bring along for the first day of your holiday, then store the cheese separately and toss just before serving.)
- Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Dressing:
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Combine salad ingredients and then toss with dressing.
Recipe source: Camping for Foodies
2. Creamy Pesto Summer Pasta Salad
Image source: The Rustic Foodie
Ingredients:
- 400g fusilli or rotini pasta
- small jar of mayo
- small jar of basil pesto
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- 100g walnuts
- 100 g Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil
- generous pinch salt
- generous pinch pepper
Method:
- Boil pasta until al dente. Drain and run under cold water until pasta has completely cooled. Set aside.
- For the dressing: Combine a heaped spoon mayo, pesto, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Place in fridge until needed.
- Chop 1 cup walnuts. Place walnuts in a small pan for 5-7 minutes on medium-low. Stir the walnuts often to prevent burning.
- Chop 2 packages of cherry tomatoes into quarters.
- Place cooled pasta in large bowl and add the dressing along with the chopped tomatoes, toasted walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined.
- Chop 1 cup of fresh basil. Serve pasta salad with freshly chopped basil and additional Parmesan cheese.
Recipe source: The Rustic Foodie
3. Smoked Corn, Red Quinoa, and Black Bean Salad
Image source: My Impossibly Tiny Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 x 400g cans black beans, drained
- 1 1/2 cups corn (~ 2 ears fresh corn) or frozen then thawed
- 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced (~ 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup coriander, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lime
- sea salt
- black pepper
Method:
- Cook quinoa according to package directions, replacing water with vegetable broth. (If it’s easier, you might consider making this ahead of time.)
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. For the corn, either use frozen or plan to grill on the BBQ when you’re here.
- Once quinoa has cooked, combine with all remaining ingredients.
- Season with salt, pepper or additional lime juice if desired.
- Toss well and serve warm, room temperature or cold.
Recipe source: My Impossibly Tiny Kitchen
4. Chopped Salad in a Cup
Image source: 24/7 Low Carb Diner
This doesn’t have a set recipe, just make a combination of chopped veggies that you and your mates like.
Ingredients:
Here are some ideas:
- celery
- radishes
- onion
- cherry tomatoes
- chopped broccoli
- mushrooms
- carrots
- hard boiled eggs
- snow peas
red and green capsicums - cheese, crumbled or shredded
- cauliflower
- cucumbers
- sunflower seeds
- bacon bits
- bean sprouts
- pickles
- jarred peppers
- ham cubes
It is easy to put any number together at once, assembly line fashion. Pack the dressing separately. Chopped veggie salads hold up to the summer heat better than lettuce based salads. Vinaigrette dressings work really well too. Because they are thinner, the dressing is easier to get to the bottom of the cup.
Recipe source: 24/7 Low Carb Diner
5. Greek Chicken Salad
Image source: Eureka!
The recipe suggests making the chicken or even all of it ahead of time to save on campsite dishes and work. Plus, like many salads, it tastes better if the sauce is allowed to soak in over time.
Ingredients:
- 2kg package of frozen chicken breasts
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 frozen lemon shredded with a micro plane or fine cheese grater
- 1 large sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method:
- Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl and whisk together.
- Put the frozen chicken breasts into a sealable container or bag, pour this mixture in, and place the bag in your in ice chest. As the chicken defrosts, it will marinate in the sauce.
- Cook the chicken via your preferred method: grill it, skewer it for shish-kebabs, cook it in a cast-iron skillet, or bake it in a Dutch oven.
- If the chicken is being cooked in the marinade itself, such as in a skillet, allow the marinade to simmer for 20 minutes after the chicken is cooked through. If you’re not cooking the chicken in the marinade, discard any of the sauce left in the bag.
Salad portion:
- 5-7 Roma tomatoes sliced in wedges
- 2 cucumbers, sliced
- 1 oz. crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toss all ingredients together in a sealable container or bag.
Recipe source: Eureka!
6. Crab Salad
Image source: Let’s Camp S’more
Ingredients
- 1 bag of coleslaw
- 1 package of crab meat
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 6 mozzarella cheese sticks
- 1/2 bag of frozen peas or 1 can of peas
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2 – 1 cup mayonnaise
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2-4 spring onions
Method:
- Precook the bacon and set aside.
- If using frozen peas, you can heat and let them cool before adding to the salad or just use the peas frozen.
- Place the coleslaw mix into a large bowl.
- Chop up the crab and place it ion the bowl.
- Crumble the cold bacon and add it to the bowl.
- Cut the cheese sticks into small round pieces and add to the bowl.
- Add in the peas.
- Chop the tomatoes in half and add.
- Dice the cucumber and add to the bowl.
- Chop and add the green onion.
- Stir the contents of the bowl together.
- Add in the desired amount of mayonnaise.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe source: Let’s Camp S’more
7. Yellow Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper, Feta, and Mint
Image source: Serious Eats
Ingredients:
- 4 to 5 large yellow tomatoes (or any vine-ripened tomato)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Method:
- Chop red peppers and place in small bowl.
- Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, stir into peppers and let them marinate while you prep other ingredients.
- Wash tomatoes, wipe dry, cut out stem end, then cut into bite-sized pieces. (If the tomatoes are extra juicy, you may want to drain them in a colander for a minute, although this juice is the most flavourful part of the tomato, so if you don’t mind having a juicy salad, skip this step.)
- Wash mint and chop, and crumble feta.
- Put tomatoes, peppers with dressing, and mint into a bowl and gently combine.
- Arrange salad on individual plates, crumble feta over, and serve at room temperature.
Recipe source: Serious Eats
8. Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
Image source: Serious Eats
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons juice from one orange
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Add rice, salt and 3 1/2 cups water to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down low, cover and simmer until rice is done, about 50 minutes.
- Transfer rice to strainer to drain any excess water, then set aside to cool.
- Combine rice with cranberries, pecans, scallions, olive oil, vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, and honey.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.
Recipe source: Serious Eats
9. Bacon Pecan and Apple Salad
Image source: 50 Campfires
Ingredients:
- 6 cups red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
- 1 sweet apple, diced
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 tbsp pecans, toasted
- 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut in strips
For the dressing:
- ½ tsp diced garlic
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing and set aside. Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Toss dressing with salad and serve.
Recipe source: 50 Campfires
10. Dessert Salad: All Fruit Salad
Here are some options for fruit to combine:
- watermelon
- cantaloupe
- green or red grapes
- apples
- pineapple
- strawberries
- blueberries
- raspberries
- oranges
- grapefruit
Mix all fruit together – sweeten with sugar if you want and then top fruit with bananas around the edge and in the centre. Serve in bowls, and top with whipped cream and a cherry.
Recipe source: KOA
11. Tabouleh
Tabouleh is super delicious but not so common to most people. Tabouleh is originally an Arabic salad. It is a great salad for your next camping holiday and it’s easy to make.
This salad is rich in carbohydrates from the couscous to give you plenty of energy and lots of vitamins.
Image source: campstar.com
Ingredients:
- 150 g couscous
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- Spring onions
- 1 onion
- Parsley
- Lemon juice
- Mint
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Add the couscous into a bowl and pour hot boiling water. Leave it to soak for about 10 minutes.
2. Chop vegetables
3. After 10 minutes, drain the water in the couscous and allow it to cool well.
4. It’s best to start preparation for this salad a day earlier.
5. Then, mix all the ingredients
6. Season with salt, oil and pepper.
Recipe source: campstar.com
12. Chickpea, Shaved Brussels, Pear & Honey Crisp Apple Salad
You are going to love the taste and the texture of this salad. It has a rich sweet taste and lots of crunchiness from the shaved Brussels, pear and apple bits. You will surely love this one!
Image source: @thedishonhealthy
Ingredients:
- 2 x 425g cans of chickpeas
- 2 cups of chopped and unpeeled apples
- 1 cup of chopped and unpeeled pears
- 1 cup of shaved Brussels Sprouts
- 1 cup of cannelloni beans (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped or pickled red onions
- 2 tablespoons well chopped chives
- 3/4 cup walnuts or candied pecans
- 3 tbsp. of crumbled goat feta (optional)
- A handful of fresh parsley chopped
Toppings and seasonings:
- 4 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tablespoons of honey
- Sea salt
- Oregano
- Fresh black pepper
- Sumac to taste
Method:
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Then, mix all the toppings and seasonings and pour over the salad ingredients. Toss and mix well. Eat the salad immediately or you can opt to refrigerate it and eat it when cold. Keep it refrigerated for about 3 to 4 days.
Recipe source: @thedishonhealthy
13. Lemon, Spinach, and Chick Pea Salad
This is an incredibly easy-to-make salad for your camping holiday. All the ingredients and seasoning are easy to access. It is sweet, nourishing, and filling. Enjoy!
Image source: zestmylemon
Ingredients:
- Spinach
- Crispy chickpeas
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Tomatoes
- Olives
- Red onion
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Paprika
- Sea salt
- Garlic Powder
Method:
1. Pre-cook the chickpeas. Drain and rinse the chickpeas to make them crispy.
2. Chop the vegetables and cut the eggs into smaller pieces.
3. Mix all the ingredients and season them.
4. Enjoy.
Recipe source: zestmylemon
14. Strawberry Avocado Salsa
The strawberry avocado salsa is one of the best salads for a summer camping holiday. You can serve it with other savory dishes or enjoy it with some tortilla chips. It is easy to prepare.
Image source: plantd.co
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of diced strawberries
- 1 heaped cup of diced mango
- ¼ cup of chopped red onion
- ¼ cup of chopped coriander
- ¼ cup of lime juice
- ¼ tsp of chipotle chilli powder
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 1 diced avocado
Method:
1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them well.
2. Taste and add the seasonings accordingly.
3. Best eaten fresh.
4. Enjoy alongside tacos, chips, or burritos.
Recipe source: plantd.co
15. One-Pan Mediterranean Dinner
A simple-to-make to make salad yet, deeply nourishing.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup half-cut cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 large cubed sweet potato
- 1 cup diced bell pepper
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 1.5 cups mushrooms
- 1 package firm tofu
Marinades and seasonings:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Method:
- Chop the veggies and tofu and pour them into a large bowl
- Add all the marinades into another bowl and whisk
- Pour the marinade mixture into the vegetable bowl and mix
- You can eat it raw as is or cook it for about 25 minutes.
- You can serve it with rice or enjoy it as is
Recipe source: plantd.co
16. Summer Squash with Scallions, Chili, and Parsley
This an extremely easy-to-make salad, especially for your camping holiday. With just a few ingredients you are good to go.
Ingredients:
- Unpeeled courgettes, thinly and round-sliced
- 1 cup of fresh finely chopped parsley
- 4 spring onions, sliced
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 seeded chili, thinly cut
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ cup of roasted and chopped almonds
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
Method:
1. Mix the courgettes, spring onions, parsley, chile, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Then, stir together almonds, black pepper, oil, and a pinch of salt in another bowl. Add the mixture to the vegetable bowl and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe source: realsimple.com
17. Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
Easy and fast to make, yet delicious and filling.
Image source: southernliving.com
Ingredients:
- 3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 of cup thinly sliced or diced cucumber
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 medium spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 chili, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Method:
- Place the tomatoes and cucumber slices on the platter.
- Mix the soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and whisk. Add two tablespoons of this dressing over the tomatoes and cucumber slices. Top up with scallions, sesame seeds, and chile. Also, sprinkle salt and pepper.
Recipe source: southernliving.com
Bring your salads and plan to stay at Broken Head
With our excellent camp facilities here at Broken Head Holiday Park, you easily can make these recipes and serve up delicious meals for your family or friends while you’re on your camping holiday. By saving money on both the accommodation and not going out to eat every meal, you’ll be able to check off more of the to-do list in Byron Bay. Plan your stay soon!