How many times have you gone camping and wished that you could bake something wonderful for your meal instead of grilling a hot dog or heating a can of soup on your stove? When camping in Colorado we have a lot of cool mornings that beg for a freshly baked biscuit or a yummy casserole large enough to feed a crowd. Much to my surprise, baking at camp is easier than it looks and my sister-in-law, Briggette, showed me just how easy it is on a recent visit to her at her lakeside camper! I’ve baked plenty of times in a Dutch oven, but never on a simple campground grill.
Briggette is a good cook, but when she told me that she made her famous and super easy breakfast casserole at the lake on a grill I was more than surprised. Here’s how to turn a simple camp grill into an outdoor oven. I’ll share the recipe with you at the end so you can try it too!
Briggette prepared her casserole in her kitchen at home before we headed to the camper at the lake. She sprayed the bottom of a disposable 9 x 13 aluminum pan with cooking spray and then layered crescent rolls in the bottom. She cooked the sausage and then spread it evenly over the layer of crescent rolls and covered with foil for transport and baking when we got to camp.
Their lakeside camping spot has a grill on a stand like many campgrounds and state parks offer, and we filled the bottom with charcoal and waited for the coals to turn nice and grey. While the charcoal was heating up, the rest of the casserole was assembled. Eggs were beaten and poured over the sausage, and then a layer of shredded cheddar cheese covered the eggs. Each pan was covered with heavy duty aluminum foil and we were ready to bake!
To keep the casserole from burning on the bottom, we decided to raise the grill rack to the top notch and placed our casseroles carefully on the rack. We then spread the charcoal out into a thin but even layer all across the bottom of the grill so we could avoid a hot spot.
Last but not least, we covered the entire grill with aluminum foil. This created the perfect outdoor oven for baking and we let our casseroles cook for about 20 minutes, checking a couple of times to make sure we weren’t over-cooking.
The end result… a delicious breakfast casserole to enjoy at the campground! I have to admit that I never even considered baking on a simple standing grill like this. I’m so proud of my Girl Camper sister-in-law for trying something new to her. I hope you’ll give it a try too!
Briggette’s Breakfast Casserole
1 Package of Crescent Rolls
Cooking Spray
1 Pound of Breakfast Sausage
10 Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk or Water
Salt & Pepper to Taste
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Spray pan with cooking spray to coat. Layer crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan. Cook sausage and drain. Layer on top of crescent rolls. Beat eggs with the milk or water and salt & pepper. Layer on top of sausage. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and bake. Time will vary according to the heat of your outdoor oven. We found that 20 minutes was perfect! Enjoy your yummy breakfast outside!
