Chili Mac From Dry Storage
Dehydrated pasta, beans, and peppers rehydrated in one pot, then finished with oil and cheese.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 3 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 475 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Winter / snow
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Cooked and dehydrated pasta | 4 oz | small shapes only, elbows or shells |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked and dehydrated ground beef | 2 tbsp | freeze-dried works the same |
| Freeze-dried diced bell pepper | 2 tbsp | |
| Cooked and dehydrated pinto beans | 1 tbsp | |
| Freeze-dried corn | 1 tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1/4 to 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried oregano | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried diced garlic | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | one packet |
| Cheddar | 1 oz | a stick keeps a few days out of a cooler |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Boil 475 ml of water in the pot.
- Dump in the pasta bag and stir. Everything should sit under water.
- Cut the heat, add the oil and the spice bag, cover, and let it stand 10 to 15 minutes. Use a cozy or wrap the pot in a jacket if it is cold out.
- Pour off any water still standing. There usually is some.
- Dice the cheese in, stir until it disappears, salt it, eat.
The pasta is cooked at home and dried, so camp is just rehydration. Three minutes of fuel gets you a boil; the standing time does the rest with the burner off. That is the whole reason to carry dried cooked pasta instead of raw — you trade a little home prep for most of your fuel back.
Drain the leftover water before the cheese goes in. Cheddar and oil will emulsify into what is left in the pot and coat the pasta; dump them into a soup and you get grease floating on chili water instead. The oil is also where a third of the calories live, so do not leave the packet at home.
Packing
Pasta, beef, peppers, beans, and corn go in one quart freezer bag. Spices in a small separate bag so you can control the heat at camp. Oil packet and cheese ride loose.
Variations
- Skip the pot: pour near-boiling water into the freezer bag, seal it, and cozy it 15 minutes.
- Carrying uncooked pasta instead? Boil it in the 475 ml with the oil for the package time, then add everything else off the heat.
- A salsa packet or two sharpens it up.
https://trailcooking.com/2019/02/16/two-pasta-recipes-for-backpacking-trips