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    two slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches with buttery buns on parchment paper
    Home » Recipes » Family Dinner Ideas » Easy Vacation Meals

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    Easy Vacation Meals

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    If you’re planning a vacation, plan on making my Easy Vacation Meals while you’re away! These simple recipes are fun meals to make on a vacation, perfect for spending more time enjoying your trip with your family and less in lines at restaurants.

    two slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches with buttery buns on parchment paper
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    Easy Meals for Large Groups on Vacation

    My family and I love to go on trips together, just to relax or to visit extended family out of state. One thing we love about taking a vacation is that we can still enjoy family meals while we’re away!

    There is no need to wait in line at a restaurant or spend more on food while you’re on vacation when you can prepare delicious home-cooked meals that will last you the week.

    These are my favorite easy meals for large groups on vacation – the same easy vacation meals I make whenever my family and I go on a trip. I guarantee you will love how simple and fun they are, and how easy it is to make the leftovers into entirely new dishes!

    Slow cooker chuck roast in the slow cooker after cooking

    Easy Vacation Dinners FAQs

    How do you cook while traveling?

    My advice for cooking while traveling is to first make sure you are staying somewhere with access to a kitchen or, if you’re driving to where you’ll be staying, bring a portable induction cooktop or electric skillet. Plan your meals ahead and cook in large batches, making meals that will last the week to be repurposed in leftovers. For example, pasta sauces are a great choice for vacation meals as pasta is easily available and easy to make on the fly!

    How do you store food on a long road trip?

    If you’re driving and plan on bringing food with you to cook while you’re away, make sure to store it properly in a cooler. Any perishable products should be stored directly on top of ice. Bag everything and ensure it will stay cold for the duration of your drive. You can even use frozen water bottles to fill gaps in the ice and keep everything as cold as it needs to be.

    Easy Vacation Meals

    Breakfast Vacation Recipes

    Slow Cooker Steal Cut Oats

    Slow cooker steal cut oats make a great choice for vacation breakfast. It's ready for you in the morning, so you can eat, then enjoy your day without any hassle!
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    a bowl of cinnamon roll slow cooker steel cut oats with cream cheese icing drizzled on top There's a cup of coffee next to the bowl and a portion of a second bowl of oats is in part of the shot. There's an antique spoon in the main bowl of cinnamon roll slow cooker oats and a linen towel sitting next to it on the left hand side.

    Sausage Breakfast Casserole

    I love making sausage breakfast casserole while on vacation. It's super simple to make on the fly during the evening so you can enjoy it the next morning!
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    Sausage Breakfast Casserole with Crescent Rolls

    Amazingly Easy French Toast Casserole

    My overnight French Toast Casserole recipe is a game-changer for holidays and weekday meals! Ready in 40 minutes using simple ingredients.
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    french toast casserole in a white mug with syrup and fruit

    Lunch or Dinner Vacation Recipes

    Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

    Easy slow cooker pulled pork makes an amazing choice for a vacation dinner. It lasts all week and can be repurposed into so many different dishes!
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    Pulled pork piled on a sandwich with coleslaw

    Teriyaki Bowl with Pulled Pork Rice

    Meet your new favorite rice bowl! Teriyaki Bowl with Pulled Pork Rice is perfect if you want to try something new with a delicious balance of flavors. Pulled pork and rice go together so well, this is sure to become one of your favorite pulled pork recipes!
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    Teriyaki bowl with pulled pork in a white bowl on a blue and white plate

    The Best Pulled Pork Nachos Recipe

    Make this pulled pork nachos recipe for your next game day party or family night, and it’s a guaranteed hit! These skillet nachos and cheese are so flavorful, everyone will want a bite.
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    Sour cream drizzled over baked nachos

    Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe

    There is so much you can do with leftover pulled pork, but one of my favorite things to make with it is this pulled pork sandwich recipe. If you’re wondering what to make with leftover pulled pork, this is the way to go!
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    Slow cooker pulled pork sandwich

    Ham and Cheese Sliders

    Ham and cheese sliders are so easy to make, you're going to want to include them as a part of your easy vacation meals. Sliders recipes are simple and fun to make!
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    Ham and cheese sliders on red and white checked paper

    Easy Meatball Sauce

    This incredible meatball sauce recipe is perfect for making on vacation! Easy vacation meals using meatballs and pasta pair perfectly with this sauce.
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    Lifting a meatball out of meatball sauce recipe over spaghetti in a white bowl

    Homemade Meatballs

    Try making homemade meatballs on vacation and use them for pasta, meatball subs, or on their own!
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    Three rows of air fryer meatballs on the table

    Slow Cooker Lasagna

    Easy slow cooker lasagna is perfect as an easy vacation meal. It's flavorful, simple to make, and makes delicious leftovers!
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    Lifting slow cooker lasagna out of the crockpot with a serving spoon

    Pepperoni Pizza Dip

    Dips are one of my favorite easy vacation meals to make, and when you're craving pizza, this pepperoni pizza dip is a perfect choice!
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    Pepperoni pizza dip in a white square dish

    Pink Pasta Sauce

    Pink pasta sauce is an excellent choice for vacation dinners. Pair it with sausage or diced ham and your favorite pasta!
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    Close up of pink pasta

    Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

    Slow cooker chuck roast is a great choice while on vacation! Use the leftovers to make hot roast beef sandwiches.
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    Slow cooker chuck roast with roast potatoes and carrots on a white platter

    Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

    Hot roast beef sandwiches are easy to make using roast beef leftovers, so they're a perfect choice after enjoying slow cooker chuck roast earlier in the week!
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    Two halves of a hot roast beef sandwich up close

    Vacation Dessert Recipes

    Disney Dole Whip – Strawberry and Pineapples

    Learn how to make Disney's iconic Dole Whip recipe using only 3 ingredients and a blender! In less than 10 minutes, you'll be enjoying the magical flavors of my delicious Pineapple Dole Whip. 
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    Creamy dole whip in a pineapple

    Amazing Strawberries and Cream

    My Fresas con Crema recipe shows you how easy it is to make a special and memorable dessert for your family without spending hours in the kitchen! In fact, it only takes 10 minutes!
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    Fresas con Crema in a clear bowl

    Double Chocolate Brownie in a Mug Recipe

    What could be better than an easy mug cake recipe? Only one thing: an easy mug cake that tastes as delicious as this brownie in a mug!
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    Brownie in a mug with whipped cream and ice cream on a table with chocolate chips spread around

    Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

    Recently, I made a boxed yellow cake and used my Strawberry Shortcake Recipe to make the filling. It was a simple strawberry sheet cake – easy and delicious!
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    Close up of strawberry shortcake on a plate

    Tips for Cooking on Vacation

    • Make meatballs at home and freeze them. They will defrost in the cooler on the way, and when you arrive, you can prepare our meatball sauce to add them to!
    • I always make sauce ahead of time, add it to gallon freezer bags, then freeze the bags. They will defrost on the way in the cooler so they’re ready to use when you arrive.
    • If you want to make a fresh sauce, homemade bolognese is super quick and easy to make!
    • Slow cooker pulled pork is the easiest meal in the world to make on vacation. What I love most about it is there are so many easy spins on it, like pulled pork fried rice or pulled pork tacos!
    • I always bring a bag of rice to quickly make a big batch for rice bowls or for fried rice.

    More Vacation Dinner Ideas

    For more easy vacation dinner ideas, take a look at some of my favorite Sunday Dinner Ideas!

    Two ham and cheese sliders on red and white checked paper

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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay, along with other television appearances, to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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