Dried Tomato Trail Sauce
Home-dried tomatoes rehydrated into a thick sauce over couscous. One pot, one boil.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated tomatoes | 1 cup | skins off, chopped into 1-inch pieces before drying |
|---|---|---|
| Instant couscous | 3/4 cup | |
| Dried Italian herbs | 1 tsp | oregano and basil |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Tomato powder | 1 tbsp | a few dried slices ground fine at home |
| Olive oil | 1.5 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Put the dried tomatoes and 250 ml of water in the pot. Let them sit ten minutes off the stove while you set up camp.
- Bring the pot to a boil with the tomatoes still in it. Add the herbs, garlic powder, tomato powder, and salt.
- Kill the heat. Pour in another 200 ml of hot water and dump in the couscous. Lid on, five minutes, no stirring.
- Fluff with the spoon, pour the oil over, and stir until the sauce coats the grain.
Dried tomatoes are the whole point here. Water leaves, sugar and acid stay, and what you carry is a quarter of the original weight with more flavor than the fresh fruit had. Soaking them cold before the boil matters: dropping hard tomato pieces straight into boiling water leaves you chewing leather in an otherwise finished pot.
The tomato powder does the thickening that a simmered sauce would normally do over half an hour. Couscous takes only steeping heat, so the stove runs once and then goes off, which is the difference between this and a real pasta dinner. Skip the oil and it eats thin — the fat is carrying both calories and the herbs.
Packing
Dry the tomatoes at 135°F until they snap rather than bend, then cool them fully before bagging or they will sweat. Tomatoes, couscous, and seasoning go in one freezer bag; oil rides separately.
Variations
- Swap the couscous for instant polenta if you want it gluten-free.
- A foil packet of tuna or a scoop of textured vegetable protein turns it into a heavier dinner.
https://www.theseasonalhomestead.com/how-to-dry-tomatoes-with-a-dehydrator-plus-meal-ideas-for-using-dried-tomatoes