Cowboy Mac
Boxed mac and cheese loaded with beef, corn, and tomato until it eats like a full dinner.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 1500 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
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Boxed macaroni and cheese | 14 oz | keep the cheese powder packet |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried or canned ground beef | 1 lb equivalent | canned works if you have a cooler-free trip and a can opener |
| Canned whole kernel corn | 10 oz can | do not drain |
| Tomato paste | 6 oz can | |
| Tomato sauce | 10 oz can | |
| Bell peppers | 3, chopped | or 1/2 cup dried bell pepper flakes |
| Jalapeños | 2, chopped | or a spoonful of pickled slices |
| Grated Parmesan | 3 tbsp | optional, the shelf-stable shaker kind |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Boil about 1.5 L of water and cook the macaroni until soft, roughly 8 minutes. Drain most of the water off, leaving a few tablespoons in the pot.
- Tip the pasta into a bowl or lid. Put the pot back on the heat with the oil and cook the peppers and jalapeños until they soften.
- Add the beef. If it is freeze-dried, pour in enough hot water to cover and let it sit five minutes before it goes back over the flame. If canned, drain it and heat it through.
- Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and the corn with its canning liquid. Let it bubble a few minutes so the paste loses its raw edge.
- Return the pasta, add the cheese powder, and stir until everything is coated and hot. Shake the Parmesan over the top.
The original was a casserole that went into a 450 degree oven. There is no oven at a campsite, so the whole thing moves to one pot on a flame. Nothing is lost: the bake was only heating already-cooked food through, which a few minutes of stirring over heat does just as well.
Tomato paste is the ingredient carrying the weight. Cheese powder alone thins out once you add a pound of beef and a can of corn, and the paste puts the body back so it clings to the pasta instead of pooling. Keep the corn liquid for the same reason you drained the pasta — you want a little starch and salt in the sauce, not a bowl of water.
Packing
Cans and the mac box go in the food bin. If you are using dried peppers and freeze-dried beef, premix them into one bag and the whole meal fits in a gallon sack.
Variations
- Swap the beef for a can of chili beans and it becomes a meatless one-pot.
- A packet of taco seasoning in place of the jalapeños gives it more depth with less chopping.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/cowboy-mac-and-cheese