Caprese Pasta, Trail Version
Rotini, sun-dried tomatoes, and hard parmesan with a balsamic and oil dressing, built in one pot.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 144
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 700 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
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Rotini or fusilli | 2.5 oz dry | spirals hold oil better than tubes |
|---|---|---|
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 1/4 cup | dry-packed, snipped small at home |
| Hard parmesan | 1 oz | a wedge, not the shaker can |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Balsamic vinegar | 1 tbsp | small leakproof bottle, or a balsamic glaze packet |
| Dried basil | 1 tsp | |
| Italian seasoning | 1/2 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring about 700 ml of water to a boil. Add the pasta and the sun-dried tomatoes at the same time.
- Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring so nothing welds to the bottom. The tomatoes rehydrate in the pasta water.
- Drain down to a spoonful of water left in the pot. Keep the drained water for coffee or dishes if you are dry camping.
- Off the heat, pour in the oil and vinegar and stir. Add the basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Grate or shave the parmesan in and stir until it coats everything. Eat warm, or let it sit ten minutes and eat it closer to room temperature.
The original is a picnic salad built on fresh mozzarella, ripe cherry tomatoes, and torn basil. None of that survives a day in a pack, so all three get swapped: dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes, a wedge of hard parmesan for the mozzarella pearls, dried basil for fresh. What is left is the part that actually carried the dish, which is oil, acid, and salt on hot starch.
Adding the tomatoes to the boiling pasta does double duty. They soften enough to chew, and they give the water a tomato edge that ends up back in the noodles. Drain hard but not bone dry. A spoonful of leftover water helps the oil and cheese pull together into something that coats the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the pot.
Packing
Pasta, tomatoes, and all the dried seasoning go in one freezer bag. Oil and vinegar ride in separate small bottles inside a ziplock. The parmesan wedge stays wrapped on its own.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or tuna turns it into a heavier dinner.
- Swap the balsamic for a lemon powder and a splash more oil if you want it sharper.
- Dry-cured salami, diced, works in place of the parmesan and keeps just as well.
https://blog.9jakitchen.com/caprese-pasta-salad-italian-summer-recipe