Campfire Breakfast Skillet
Bacon, eggs, potatoes, and cheese from one cast iron skillet. Cook potatoes in broth at home, then finish over fire at camp.
- calories
- 650
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 59
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 3, scales
- prep
- 8 min
- cook
- 18 min
- total time
- 26 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Bacon | 8 slices | |
|---|---|---|
| Red potatoes | 1.5 lbs, pre-cooked | boiled at home in chicken broth with sage, thyme, and mustard powder, cooled |
| Red bell pepper | 1 large, chopped | |
| Green bell pepper | 1 large, chopped | |
| Onion | 1 medium, chopped | |
| Eggs | 6 | |
| Cheddar cheese | 2 oz, shredded | |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Set cast iron over the grill-grate and heat with oil until it shimmers.
- Lay bacon flat and cook until crispy, 8-10 minutes. Push to the edge; leave the fat in the pan.
- Add pre-cooked potatoes to the bacon fat. Let them fry until the cut sides brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Push potatoes to the edge. Add peppers and onion to the center. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Crack eggs into the open space. Cover with foil or a metal lid to cook through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Scatter cheese over everything and let it melt. Eat straight from the skillet.
The trick is precooked potatoes braised in broth at home. They arrive at camp already seasoned and tender. Over fire they fry to crispy edges without risk of a raw center. Bacon renders fat to cook everything in; peppers and onion soften around it; eggs arrive last and bind the whole thing; cheese finishes it. One skillet, one fire, one pot to wash.
This is inherently a cooler meal—eggs and fresh peppers need cold storage—so save it for car-camping or a basecamp where you have a working fridge. Do the potato braise the night before so nothing goes to waste.
Packing
Bring pre-cooked, cooled potatoes in your cooler. Pack bacon, peppers, onion, and cheese in separate bags. Keep eggs cold. Carry oil in a small dropper bottle with salt and pepper.
Variations
- Swap one green pepper for poblano for Southwest heat.
- Add sautéed mushrooms or fresh spinach.
- Use smoked paprika in place of mustard powder.
- Skip eggs and serve with hot sauce and tortillas.
https://2nerdsinatruck.com/camping-breakfast-skillet