We have been cooking in our pie irons since we started camping. You might know them as camp cookers, or pudgy pies, or even mountain pies. Whatever you call them, just know that these trusty tools make extremely delicious food cooked over the campfire. And we depend on them for easy pie iron dinners.
We love how it takes simple ingredients and elevates them into something absolutely divine. Or maybe that’s the hunger talking? Because you know hunger is the best seasoning. Anyway, we love our pie irons for dinner, for breakfast, for dessert, for sides, for pretty much everything!
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There are so many recipes out there for tasty pie iron meals. Here are five of our favorite pie iron dinners for inspiration. They are all able to be made in a square or rectangle pie iron. Click on the recipe title for more detailed instructions. Note that cooking times are approximate as temperatures do vary while cooking over fire.
Chicken Chimichangas
These tasty pockets are made in advance at home with shredded (salsa) chicken, cheese, and flour tortillas. Once formed, they are wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in the freezer until it is time to head out. Thaw completely on the way to the campground. Remove from foil and insert into a square pie iron which has been buttered on both sides. Cook over campfire, flipping every four minutes or so, until golden brown and crispy. Enjoy with toppings such as salsa and sour cream.
Philly Cheesesteak
You can either cook up the steak, peppers, and onions at home ahead of time or at the campsite. We like to oil up our rectangle irons and cook the steak, thinly sliced, in one and the sliced peppers and onions in the other. Once they are ready, we butter up our square irons. Then we insert a slice of bread into the cavity, layer some steak, peppers, & onions, then add a slice or two of cheese, and top it off with another slice of bread. Close the cooker and place over the campfire. Cook for 3-5 minutes to allow the cheese to get melty and the bread to get toasty. Let cool briefly and enjoy.
Pizza Pockets
The first recipe we ever made in our pie irons, this is still one of my go-to recipes on every camping trip. We use the ready-made crust in a tube, along with jarred pizza sauce, and plenty of pizza cheese. Along with that would be any toppings you prefer. I love pepperoni and black olive while camping even though at home I’m usually the one asking for the veggie supreme pie. Spray your irons and place a square of pizza dough inside one cavity. Spread some pizza sauce on one side, add your cheese, and your toppings. Place another square of dough on top and pinch the edges to seal. Close the pie iron carefully. Cook over the campfire, flipping after about five minutes. Continue cooking until crisp and warm. Allow to cool before eating unless you like to burn the roof of your mouth.
Steak
My husband loves to cook a steak in the pie iron at the campsite. Sometimes he even splurges with bacon wrapped filets. This makes all of our neighbors jealous. We oil the insides of our iron and sprinkle our preferred seasonings. Then we place the steak inside the iron and lock it closed. Next, place it over the campfire and cook, flipping every six minutes or so, until it reaches your preferred doneness.
Tasty Tacos
This is a great way to use up some leftover taco meat from your Taco Tuesday earlier in the week. We pack that, some cheese, the tortillas, butter (to make the tortillas crispy), and our favorite toppings such as salsa, guacamole, etc. After buttering the inside of our irons, we place a tortilla inside one cavity. Then we mound up some meat and cheese and fold the tortilla over. After carefully closing the cooker, we place it over the campfire. We like to flip every four minutes until the insides look golden and crispy. Again, the hardest part is letting it cool enough to eat without burning the roof of our mouths.
Suggested Side Dish
Every single one of these meals goes great with a fresh green salad or some raw veggies if you have the means to keep them crisp. Other suggestions include fresh fruit, chips, or (with the steak or philly cheesesteak) we recommend our cheesy tots or fries.
Suggested Dessert
If you are sticking with the pie iron theme, we love Campfire Turtles, S’mores Sandwiches, and Chocolate Cherry Pudgy Pies. However, that means you will need to either clean your irons or own enough for multiple dishes. Our favorite dessert will probably always be the Campfire Cones. We love how they can be customized to everyone’s tastes.
Notes about cooking with pie irons
We prefer to use our cast iron pie irons for cooking most of our food. We do have two Teflon ones, and try to only use those for items that don’t cook as long. We do have multiple squares and rectangles. We also have a circle and a waffle (which sells out all the time!) pie iron. These are fun for some recipes, but our squares and rectangles get used the most!
We also invested in a pair of heat resistant gloves for camping. It is very easy to grab something without thinking and pie irons stay hot a lot longer than one would think. Having these gloves on helps protect our fingers!
Delicious. Easy. Tasty. These easy pie iron dinners are the perfect way to enjoy our camping trip. And seriously. Who doesn’t love food cooked over a campfire? Cooking in a pie iron is easy to do, easy to customize, and easy to cleanup. Which is a triple win for those quick weekend getaway trips. Check out our food category for more deliciously easy camping recipes. Then tag us on Instagram @campinganswer and tell us your favorites!