Brothy Pasta and Vegetables
Somewhere between soup and noodles. A wet, salty bowl for cold nights.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 1200 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
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried vegetable blend | 1/2 cup | peas, carrot, celery, onion |
|---|---|---|
| Broth concentrate | 4 packets | the paste tubes dissolve faster than bouillon cubes |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | or two single-serve packets |
| Lemon juice | 1 tsp | a squeeze bottle, or one crystallized packet |
| Mini spaghetti | 8 oz | any small shape that cooks in under 10 minutes |
Method
- Put 5 cups of water in the pot with the dried vegetables, broth concentrate, and oil. Do not light the stove yet.
- Let it sit at least 15 minutes. Cold soaking the vegetables first means they finish at the same time as the pasta.
- Bring it to a boil, then add the pasta.
- Simmer low for 8 minutes, or whatever the package minimum says. Stir so nothing welds to the bottom.
- Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and eat straight from the pot.
Brothy pasta sits in the gap between soup and a noodle bowl. It is mostly water by weight once it is cooked, and that is the point: on a cold night you need to rehydrate as much as you need to eat, and this does both in one pot.
The soak is the part people skip. Dried vegetables take longer to come back than pasta takes to cook, so fifteen minutes in cold water before the flame goes on is the difference between soft carrots and gravel. The oil is not optional either. It carries the broth flavor and adds most of the fat in the bowl. The lemon at the end cuts through the salt.
Packing
Vegetables in a snack bag, pasta in a sandwich bag, broth and oil packets tucked alongside. One bundle, one pot.
Variations
- A pouch of chicken stirred in with the water pushes it past 30 g of protein.
- Swap the mini spaghetti for small gluten-free pasta if you need it.
- A hard-boiled egg, peeled and dropped in, works on night one.
https://trailcooking.com/2019/12/13/comfort-food-brothy-pasta-and-veggies