Cauliflower Cheese Bake, Trail Version
Dried cauliflower and zucchini rehydrated into a thick cheese bake, done in one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 155
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 14 min
- water
- 450 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
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried cauliflower florets | 3/4 cup | broken small, or they never soften |
|---|---|---|
| Dried zucchini and summer squash slices | 1/2 cup | cut thin before drying |
| Whole milk powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for the cream and creme fraiche |
| Powdered cheddar cheese | 3 tbsp | |
| Grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | hard and dry enough to travel unrefrigerated |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 2 tbsp | thickener, replaces the egg yolk |
| Ghee or olive oil | 1 tbsp | the butter, in a form that will not go rancid |
| Dried rosemary | 1/4 tsp | crushed |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 450 ml of water to a boil. Add the dried cauliflower and squash, cover, and simmer five minutes.
- Kill the heat and let the pot sit, lid on, another five minutes. The vegetables keep absorbing water off the stove.
- Stir in the milk powder, cheddar powder, and rosemary. Work out the lumps against the side of the pot.
- Add the potato flakes a teaspoon at a time until the sauce coats the vegetables instead of pooling under them.
- Stir in the ghee and the parmesan. Salt and pepper at the end, since the cheese powder is already salty.
The original is an oven casserole held together by cream, creme fraiche, and an egg yolk. None of that travels. Milk powder plus cheese powder rebuilds the sauce, and potato flakes do the egg’s job of thickening it, so the whole thing sets in the pot instead of in a baking dish.
Drying the vegetables at home is the real work. Cut them thin and they come back in ten minutes of soaking; leave them thick and you will be chewing damp cardboard. The parmesan and the fat go in last, off the heat, so the cheese melts rather than scorches to the bottom.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one freezer bag except the ghee, which rides in a screw-top jar. Dry the vegetables at home on the lowest oven setting or a dehydrator until they rattle.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or a scoop of unflavored protein powder pushes it past 35 g of protein.
- Swap half the cauliflower for dried broccoli if that is what you have.
https://ohmyveggies.com/cauliflower-and-zucchini-bake