Butternut Black Bean Chili
A slow cooker chili rebuilt as a one-pot camp dinner with dried squash and instant beans.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 600 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
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated butternut squash cubes | 3/4 cup | dried at home in 1/2 inch cubes, or store-bought |
|---|---|---|
| Instant refried or flaked black beans | 1/2 cup | instant, not canned |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for the can of diced tomatoes |
| Dried minced onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 3/4 tsp | |
| Ground coriander | 1/8 tsp | |
| Dried jalapeño flakes | 1/4 tsp | scale to your tolerance |
| Instant coffee | 1/4 tsp | replaces the porter |
| Cocoa powder | 1/4 tsp | also replaces the porter |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Black pepper | a few grinds | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Corn chips or fried onions | 1 handful | crushed over the top at camp |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Dump in the squash, onion, jalapeño flakes, and spices.
- Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until a squash cube crushes against the side of the pot. Add a splash of water if it goes dry.
- Cut the heat. Stir in the tomato powder and the bean flakes a spoonful at a time so they do not clump.
- Cover and wait 5 minutes. It thickens hard in that window.
- Pour the oil over the top, stir, and crush the chips on before eating.
The original is a slow cooker recipe: raw squash, canned tomatoes, and a cup of porter left to sit for eight hours. None of that travels. Dehydrated squash cubes rehydrate in about ten minutes of simmering, tomato powder replaces the 28-ounce can at a fraction of the weight, and instant bean flakes give you the beans plus the thickening without a long cook.
The beer was doing a specific job — porter brings roast and chocolate. Instant coffee and cocoa powder, a quarter teaspoon each, get you the same dark bottom note dry. Add the bean flakes off the heat and slowly, or you get lumps that never break up.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one freezer bag, spices included. Oil rides in a dropper bottle. Keep the chips in their own bag or you carry dust.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or a scoop of TVP adds 15 to 20 g of protein.
- Powdered cheese or a spoon of shelf-stable sour cream powder stirred in at the end covers the toppings the original leans on.
- Dried lime and a pinch of dried cilantro at the table, if you carry them.
https://ohmyveggies.com/slow-cooker-butternut-squash-chili-with-porter