Dutch Oven Chili Mac
Ground beef, macaroni, and canned tomatoes with chilies in one pot over coals.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 28 g
- serves
- 5, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 240 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
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 1 lb | 80/20; keep it cold until it hits the pot |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1, chopped | chop at home to save a cutting board |
| Diced tomatoes with green chilies | 2 cans (10 oz each) | undrained, the liquid is part of the recipe |
| Elbow macaroni | 1 1/2 cups | dry; any short shape works |
| Water | 1 cup | |
| Shredded cheddar | 1/2 cup | |
| Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper | 1 tbsp total, to taste | optional but it is a different meal without them |
Method
- Build a bed of coals and set a 12-inch dutch oven over them, hot enough to fry. Roughly 375°F, which is about 25 coals under the oven.
- Add the beef and onion. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the beef is browned through and no pink is left. Do not drain the fat.
- Stir in both cans of tomatoes with their liquid, the water, the dry macaroni, and the spices. Bring it to a boil.
- Pull most of the coals out from under the oven, put the lid on, and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir every five minutes so the pasta does not weld to the bottom.
- Check a noodle. If it is still firm, add a splash of water and give it another five minutes.
- Serve into bowls and put cheese on top so it melts into each portion.
This is a one-pot dinner for a group, and it works because the pasta cooks in the tomato liquid instead of in a separate pot of water you would have to drain and dump. The starch coming off the macaroni thickens everything into a sauce. That means no strainer, no second pot, and no wastewater to carry away from camp.
The fat from the beef stays in on purpose — it carries the chili powder and keeps the pasta from going gluey. The canned tomatoes with chilies do the seasoning work of a spice rack you did not bring, though a real dose of chili powder and cumin is what separates this from plain tomato noodles. Ground beef is the one cooler-dependent part, so cook it the first night out.
Packing
Onion chopped and bagged at home. Beef stays in the cooler on ice, bottom layer, and gets used the first night. Pasta and the spice mix travel together in one bag; cans and cheese need no special handling.
Variations
- Swap the beef for a can of drained black beans and a packet of textured vegetable protein for a meatless pot.
- No coals? This works on a two-burner camp stove in any heavy pot with a lid.
- Canned chicken or a pouch of taco-seasoned beef makes it shelf-stable enough to leave the cooler at home.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/chili_mac-1237.asp