Budget Rice and Beans
Tinned beans and tomato over rice. Budget backpacking in one pot.
- calories
- 550
- weight
- 4.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 15 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 28 min
- water
- 450 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
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| White rice | 1/2 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Tinned baked beans | 1/2 can | about 7 oz |
| Tinned tomatoes | 1/2 can | about 7 oz |
| Dehydrated mixed vegetables | 1/4 cup | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Boil 450 ml of water in your pot.
- Add the rice and stir. Cover and reduce heat to low.
- Cook for 15 minutes until the rice is nearly tender.
- Add baked beans, tinned tomatoes, and dehydrated vegetables.
- Stir and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Season with salt and pepper. Eat from the pot.
This is a physics problem in reverse: how to make rice taste like food with only ingredients that pack flat and never spoil. Tinned tomatoes carry the flavor that fat usually carries; beans add protein and texture. Without them, you’re eating shelf-stable paste.
Dehydrated mixed vegetables replace the frozen veg in the source list and rehydrate in the cooking liquid, saving weight and pack space. Rice is just calories; tomatoes and beans are where the actual meal happens.
Packing
Rice and dried vegetables go in one freezer bag. Tins of beans and tomatoes pack separately. The whole meal weighs less than a pound.
Variations
- Swap the beans for tinned lentils for different texture.
- If you have salt or dried herbs, they matter more in a simple dish than a complex one.
- A splash of oil stirred in at the end makes it taste richer than it is.
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/how-much-food-for-a-fiver.95