Campfire Bell Pepper Ring Eggs with Black Beans
Set a grate over medium coals and warm seasoned black beans in a small pot. Soften thick bell pepper rings in an oiled cast-iron skillet for 2 minutes, crack an egg into each ring, cover, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until the whites are fully set. Top with cheese, work in two batches, and serve in warm tortillas. Total time is about 35 minutes.
Bell pepper rings work as built-in egg molds. The egg sets inside the ring, the pepper sweetens and softens in the skillet, and everything stays neat on the grate. You get a real hot breakfast with very little to chop.
It cooks well over coals, where you can control the heat. Black beans add some heft, and warm tortillas turn it into a handheld meal. Eggs are the only item that needs careful cooler handling.
Campfire Bell Pepper Ring Eggs with Black Beans
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals
- Pack weight
- 5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- No stove
- Low water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
Gear you'll need
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet with lid (or heavy foil)
- small camp pot
- campfire grate
- long-handled tongs
- thin spatula
- heat-proof gloves
- cutting board and knife
- can opener
- aluminum foil
Steps
-
Build medium coals
Burn the fire down until the flames are low and the coals glow evenly. Set a grate 4 to 6 inches above them. You should be able to hold your hand over the grate for about 5 seconds.
-
Cut the rings
Slice the peppers into ½-inch rings from the middle of each pepper and remove the seeds and white ribs. Chop the leftover pepper ends and save them for the beans.
-
Warm the beans
Put the beans, chopped pepper ends, cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Set it on the cooler edge of the grate and stir now and then for 5 to 8 minutes until hot. Move it to the side to keep warm.
-
Soften the rings
Heat a 12-inch skillet on the grate for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp oil and lay in 4 pepper rings. Cook for 2 minutes.
-
Crack in eggs
Crack one egg into each ring and season with salt and pepper. If white leaks under a ring, nudge the ring down with a spatula. Cover with a lid or foil.
-
Cook until set
Cook 6 to 8 minutes, rotating the skillet once if one side runs hot. The whites must be fully opaque and firm with no clear jelly. Scatter on half the cheese for the last minute, then move the rings to a plate and tent with foil.
-
Repeat and serve
Wipe the skillet, add the remaining oil, and cook the second batch the same way. Warm the tortillas on the grate for 20 seconds per side. Fill them with beans and pepper-ring eggs, then top with salsa and green onions.
Trail Notes
Slice the pepper rings, shred the cheese, and mix the cumin and paprika at home. Pack each in its own zip bag. This saves about 10 minutes of camp prep.
Keep eggs in a cooler at 40°F or below and put them in the fire-side prep area only when you are ready to cook. Wash hands and the spatula after handling raw eggs. Cook until whites are fully set and yolks thicken, and cook yolks firm for kids, older adults, or anyone pregnant.
Use corn tortillas if you want to skip the flour ones. You can also trade the black beans for pinto beans or a few spoonfuls of cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage that has been kept cold and reheated to 165°F.
Cook in an existing fire ring and let the coals burn down fully before you leave. Pack out eggshells, pepper seeds, and the bean can. Strain dishwater through a bandana and scatter it well away from water sources.
Campers ask
How do you keep the egg from leaking out of the pepper ring?
Use rings cut from the straight middle of the pepper and press each one flat into the oiled skillet. A little leak is normal, so nudge the ring down with a spatula after cracking the egg.
Can you cook eggs directly over a campfire without a skillet?
Yes, but a skillet works far better because it gives steady heat and keeps the eggs from sticking. Without one, cook eggs in foil-lined pepper halves on the grate.
How do you know campfire eggs are done?
The whites should be completely opaque and firm, with no clear or runny parts. For a fully safe egg, cook until the yolk is thickened or firm.
Cooked it? Rate it.
Your rating helps the next camper pick dinner.