Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese
Boxed elbows, jarred alfredo, and three cheeses in a cast iron pot over coals.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 29 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 2000 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
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Elbow macaroni | 1 lb | boil at home and bag with a spoon of oil if you want to skip a step |
|---|---|---|
| Jarred alfredo sauce | 1 jar (about 425 ml) | shelf-stable until opened |
| Sharp cheddar, shredded | 2 cups | |
| Mozzarella, shredded | 1 cup | |
| Parmesan, shredded | 1/2 cup | |
| Half and half | 1/2 cup | shelf-stable evaporated milk works and needs no cooler |
| Salt | 1 tbsp for the pasta water |
Method
- Build a bed of coals and set the dutch oven over it. Bring about 2 L of salted water to a boil.
- Add the macaroni and cook until it still has bite, roughly eight minutes. Drain it off downhill from camp.
- Set the pot back over fewer coals. Pull most of them aside so the bottom is not screaming hot.
- Dump in the alfredo, all three cheeses, and the half and half. Stir.
- Give it ten to fifteen minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the cheese does not catch on the iron.
- Lid it for five minutes off the heat if you want the edges to set and pick up smoke.
Three cheeses do three jobs. Cheddar is the flavor, mozzarella is the pull, parmesan is the salt. Drop any one and the pot goes flat in a way more of the others will not fix.
The jarred alfredo is the reason this works over a fire. A scratch roux wants steady heat and constant attention, and coals give you neither. The jar is already emulsified, so the cheese has something to melt into instead of breaking into grease and curds. Keep the heat low and stir often anyway, because cast iron holds more heat than you think and scorched cheese does not come off easily.
Packing
Cheese and half and half ride in the cooler. Pasta and the sealed jar go in the dry box. Cook the pasta at home and it becomes a fifteen minute meal.
Variations
- Swap the half and half for evaporated milk and it is a pantry meal with no cooler at all.
- Crushed crackers or breadcrumbs on top for the last five minutes under the lid.
- A packet of bacon crumbles or a chopped summer sausage stirred in at the end.
https://campfirefoodie.com/dutch-oven-macaroni-cheese-recipe