Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Pot
Freeze-dried brassicas rebuilt into a thick cheese sauce with no flour and no fridge.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 160
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried broccoli florets | 3/4 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried cauliflower | 3/4 cup | |
| Powdered heavy cream | 3 tbsp | heavy cream powder, not milk powder |
| Cheese powder | 3 tbsp | sharp cheddar style |
| Grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | the shelf-stable canister kind |
| Hard aged cheddar | 1.5 oz | waxed or vacuum-sealed, rides fine for days |
| Mustard powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | optional, pushes the calories up |
Method
- Pour 400 ml of water over the freeze-dried broccoli and cauliflower in the pot. Bring it to a simmer and hold it there four or five minutes until the stems are soft, not squeaky.
- Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cream powder, cheese powder, parmesan, mustard powder, and garlic powder. Add the last 100 ml of water only if it looks like paste.
- Crumble in the hard cheddar and stir until it is gone. Put the pot back over the lowest flame for a minute if the cheese stalls, and keep stirring so nothing scorches on the bottom.
- Pour in the oil, season, and let it sit two minutes with the lid on. It thickens as it cools.
The original is a baked side dish held together by cream and cheese instead of a flour roux. That part travels well. Everything else does not, so the fresh heads become freeze-dried florets, the double cream becomes cream powder, and the cream cheese becomes a mix of cheese powder and a block of aged cheddar that survives a warm pack.
No roux means the sauce depends on fat and evaporation to thicken, which is why the water goes in short and the rest only if needed. Rehydrate the vegetables first and off the heat before the cheese goes in. Cheese powder added to a hard boil turns grainy, and it will not come back.
Packing
Cheese powder, cream powder, parmesan, and the two spices go in one bag. Vegetables in another, since they crush and you want the volume intact. The block cheddar rides on its own.
Variations
- A handful of instant potato flakes thickens it fast if you overshot on water.
- Freeze-dried peas or a foil packet of chicken turns it from a side into a full dinner.
- Smoked paprika instead of garlic powder if you want it darker.
https://www.baldhiker.com/keto-broccoli-and-cauliflower-cheese-recipe