Camp Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti
Canned chicken bound with breadcrumbs and parmesan, browned in the pot, then buried in tomato-paste sauce and broken spaghetti.
- calories
- 900
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 100
- protein
- 48 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 900 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
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Canned chicken | 10 oz drained | press out the liquid or the meatballs will not hold |
|---|---|---|
| Plain breadcrumbs | 1/2 cup | plus a spoonful in reserve |
| Grated parmesan | 1/3 cup | the shelf-stable shaker kind |
| Powdered whole egg | 1 tbsp | plus 2 tbsp water, stands in for one egg |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Dried parsley | 1 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | |
| Tomato paste | 6 tbsp | tube, not can, once opened |
| Dried minced onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried basil | 1 tsp | |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | cuts the sharpness of the paste |
| Spaghetti | 6 oz | snapped in half to fit the pot |
Method
- Mix the egg powder with 2 tbsp water in a mug and let it sit a minute. In the pot, combine chicken, breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and the egg. Work it with your hands until it holds together. If it smears instead of balling, add breadcrumbs a spoonful at a time.
- Roll about a dozen balls, an inch across. Set them on the pot lid.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pot over medium. Brown the meatballs in two batches, turning them, about 8 minutes a batch. They are cooked through when nothing pink shows at the center of one you break open. Move them back to the lid.
- Add the last of the oil, the dried onion, tomato paste, basil, and sugar to the pot. Stir for a minute over the heat, then pour in 900 ml of water and bring it to a boil.
- Add the spaghetti and cook at a low boil, stirring often so it does not weld to the bottom, until the water has mostly gone and the noodles are soft. About 12 minutes.
- Return the meatballs, cover, and give it 3 minutes off the heat. Shake more parmesan over the top.
Meatballs are a fussy thing to build in camp, so most of the fuss happens at home. The dry mix is one bag, and the only wet work left is a spoonful of egg powder and water. Canned chicken is already cooked, which means browning is about crust and structure, not doneness — but check one anyway, since raw pockets are possible if the balls are large.
The pasta cooks in the sauce rather than in a separate pot of water you would have to dump. Measure the 900 ml honestly. Too much and you get soup; too little and the spaghetti stays chalky in the middle with nothing left to fix it. Tomato paste is doing the work canned tomatoes would at home: it is a fraction of the weight and carries the same acidity, which is why the sugar is on the list.
Packing
Premix the meatball dry goods, egg powder, and seasonings in one bag at home. Sauce seasonings go in a second small bag. Chicken cans and the tomato paste tube ride wherever they fit; the pasta goes in its own bag once snapped, or it punches holes in everything else.
Variations
- Canned turkey works the same and is often cheaper.
- A pouch of chicken instead of a can saves the weight of the tin and drains faster.
- Swap the spaghetti for instant polenta if someone in camp is avoiding wheat, and skip the breadcrumbs in favor of more parmesan.
https://zenandhoney.com/chicken-meatballs-and-spaghetti