Butternut and Pomegranate Camp Bowl
Roasted squash, pecans, and a sharp pomegranate dressing, built on a grill grate instead of an oven.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 55
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Butternut squash | 1 small, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes | cube it at home; whole squash keeps for weeks unrefrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 1/2 cup | split, half for the squash and half for the dressing |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Pomegranate juice | 1/4 cup | a shelf-stable single-serve bottle |
| White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| Honey | 1 tbsp | |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tsp | packets work |
| Pecans | 1/4 cup, chopped | |
| Sturdy greens | 4 large handfuls | kale or cabbage instead of spring mix; spring mix turns to slime in a cooler |
| Dried cranberries | 1/3 cup | standing in for pomegranate seeds |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals, or run a two-burner low. Set the grate about six inches over the heat.
- Toss the squash cubes with 1/4 cup oil, the salt, and the pepper in a foil packet or a heavy pan. Leave the packet loose at the top so steam escapes.
- Set it on the grate for 25 to 30 minutes. Shake or stir it every eight minutes so the bottom layer does not scorch over the hot spot.
- While it cooks, shake the pomegranate juice, remaining oil, vinegar, honey, and mustard in a small jar until it stops separating.
- Toast the pecans dry in a pan for two minutes, watching them. They go from done to burnt fast.
- Pile the greens in a bowl, dump the hot squash on top so it wilts them, then add pecans and cranberries and pour the dressing over.
The original is an oven recipe with goat cheese and spring mix, neither of which survives a weekend in a cooler. The cheese is gone here and the greens are swapped for kale or cabbage, which take a day of jostling without going to mush. What is left is the part that actually carries the dish: caramelized squash, a sharp dressing, and something crunchy.
Heat is the whole game. A foil packet on a grate does not roast the way a 425-degree oven does, so the squash steams unless you leave the top open and stir it. Dumping the cubes on the greens while they are still hot wilts them just enough, which is the only thing the cheese was doing for texture anyway.
Packing
Cube the squash at home and pack it in a zip bag in the cooler. Dressing ingredients mix into one jar before you leave, so camp is one shake. Pecans and cranberries ride in the dry box.
Variations
- Skip the honey and use maple syrup to make it vegan.
- A can of drained chickpeas thrown in with the squash for the last ten minutes turns it into a real dinner.
- Sweet potato works if squash is what the store is out of.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/roasted-butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese-salad-with-pomegranate-vinaigrette