Dutch Oven Chili Mac
Canned chili, cooked-ahead macaroni, and three cheeses melted over coals.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 65
- protein
- 31 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Elbow macaroni | 2 cups dry | boil at home, cool, toss with oil so it does not clump |
|---|---|---|
| Alfredo sauce | 1 cup | jarred, shelf-stable until opened |
| Canned chili, no beans | 1 can (15 oz) | |
| Sharp cheddar | 1/2 cup shredded | |
| Mozzarella | 1/2 cup shredded | |
| Parmesan | 1/2 cup shredded | |
| Half and half | 1/2 cup | cooler item; evaporated milk works and needs no cooler |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp | for the pot |
Method
- Wipe the inside of the dutch oven with oil, or drop in a liner. Cheese sticks to bare cast iron.
- If your pasta is not already cooked, boil it in the oven until it still has bite, then drain it off.
- Put the pasta back in with the chili, alfredo, all three cheeses, and the half and half. Stir it together.
- Set the oven over low coals, well spread out, and leave the lid off. No coals on the lid.
- Heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and scraping the bottom, until the cheese has gone smooth.
- Thin it with a splash more cream or milk if it tightens up before you serve.
This is a reheat, not a cook. Everything in the pot is already done, so the only job over the fire is getting the cheese to melt without scorching the bottom. That means low, spread-out coals and a spoon in your hand. Cast iron holds heat long after you pull it off, which is exactly the problem here.
Cooking the macaroni at home is the change that matters. It saves a pot of water, the fuel to boil it, and the mess of draining pasta in the dark. Oil the noodles before they go in the bag or they weld into a brick overnight. The alfredo and the half and half do the same job from two directions: the sauce carries fat, the cream keeps the melted cheese from turning grainy.
Packing
Cook and oil the pasta at home and carry it in a zip bag in the cooler. Shred the three cheeses into one bag. The chili can and the alfredo jar ride in the food bin.
Variations
- Brown a pound of ground beef in the oven first, then build the rest on top.
- Diced onion and bell pepper cooked down in the oil add bulk without much cost.
- Swap the half and half for evaporated milk and the whole thing stops needing a cooler.
https://campfirefoodie.com/dutch-oven-chili-mac-recipe