Camp Red Beans and Rice
Instant refried beans and instant rice, smoked with paprika and a summer sausage.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Bikepacking
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant refried red beans | 3/4 cup | dehydrated flakes, not canned |
|---|---|---|
| Instant white rice | 1/2 cup | the parboiled kind that rehydrates in five minutes |
| Hard smoked sausage | 3 oz | summer sausage or dry andouille, shelf-stable unopened |
| Creole seasoning | 2 tsp | go light, the sausage is already salty |
| Smoked paprika | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried onion and bell pepper flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 tsp | low sodium if you can find it |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Hot sauce | to taste | a small bottle, optional |
Method
- Slice the sausage into coins. Brown them in the pot with the oil for two minutes, dry, before any water goes in.
- Add 600 ml of water, the bouillon, the onion and pepper flakes, and the seasonings. Bring it to a boil.
- Stir in the rice, cover, and pull it off the heat. Let it sit five minutes.
- Stir in the bean flakes a little at a time. It thickens fast and lumps if you dump it.
- Cover again for two minutes, then stir and eat. Hot sauce at the end.
The original is an eight-hour slow cooker dish built on dry kidney beans, and dry beans are a non-starter on a stove that runs on a fuel budget. Instant refried bean flakes do the same job in two minutes: they rehydrate into something creamy and hold the seasoning, which whole beans never manage without long simmering. The rice cooks in the same pot, in the same water, so nothing gets drained.
The smoke has to come from somewhere. Hard smoked sausage is shelf-stable until you open it and renders enough fat to coat the whole pot, and browning it dry first is what pulls that fat out. Smoked paprika backs it up. Go easy on the creole seasoning — between the sausage and the bouillon there is already plenty of salt, and you can always add more.
Packing
Beans, rice, and all the dry seasonings go in one bag. Sausage rides whole and uncut until camp. Oil in a leakproof dropper bottle.
Variations
- Leave out the sausage, swap the bouillon for a vegetable cube, and double the smoked paprika. That makes it vegan.
- A foil packet of chicken instead of sausage cuts the fat and the salt.
- Add a pinch of cayenne if your creole blend is mild.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/crockpot-slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice