Dutch Oven Sausage and Egg Frittata
Powdered eggs, sausage, and feta baked in a Dutch oven over coals. Camp breakfast for a crowd.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 95
- protein
- 29 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 300 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Bulk Italian sausage | 3/4 lb | kept cold; cook it the first morning out |
|---|---|---|
| Whole egg powder | 1 cup | reconstitutes to about 6 eggs |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | stands in for half and half |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | replaces the fat the cream would have brought |
| Feta | 8 oz | crumbled; brined feta keeps well in a cooler |
| Dried spinach or kale flakes | 1/2 cup | |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 1/3 cup | chopped |
| Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes | to taste |
Method
- Bury 8 coals under the oven and set 16 on the lid. That runs about 375F in a 12-inch.
- Brown the sausage in the bare Dutch oven. Pull it out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat behind.
- Off the heat, whisk the egg powder and milk powder into 300 ml of cold water until no lumps remain. Add the oil, salt, pepper, and flakes.
- Stir in the sausage, dried greens, tomatoes, and feta. Let it sit five minutes so the greens and tomatoes pull water.
- Pour it into the oven, set the lid on, and rebuild the coals. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, rotating oven and lid a quarter turn every ten so it does not scorch on one side.
- It is done when the center puffs and stops jiggling. Lift the lid straight up or ash falls in.
The original wanted six eggs, a cup of half and half, and a ripe tomato. None of that survives a weekend in a car. Whole egg powder and milk powder rebuild the custard from dry goods, and olive oil puts back the fat the cream was carrying. Sun-dried tomatoes and dried greens go in dry and pull moisture out of the egg mix, which is why the five-minute rest matters.
Coal count is the whole game. Roughly two thirds on the lid gives you top heat that sets the surface while the bottom cooks slower, which is what keeps the eggs from turning into a burnt disc with a raw middle. Rotate both oven and lid or you will find the hot spot the hard way. Sausage and feta still need a cooler, so this is a first- or second-day breakfast.
Packing
Egg powder, milk powder, greens, tomatoes, and spices go in one bag at home. Sausage and feta ride in the cooler.
Variations
- Swap the sausage for a can of chicken or leave it out entirely and add another handful of greens.
- No cooler: use shelf-stable salami cut fine and skip the feta. It loses the tang but keeps for days.
https://thervatlas.com/food/dutch-oven-breakfast-frittata-courtesy-of-the-valley-forge-black-pots