Foil-Packet Green Bean Fries
Breaded green beans crisped over coals in a foil packet. A vegetable side that eats like a snack.
- calories
- 260
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 12 min
- cook
- 14 min
- total time
- 26 min
- water
- 60 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.
- Snack
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Day one only
- Basic
Ingredients
| Green beans | 25 beans, about 6 oz | rinsed and dried at home, stem ends trimmed |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole egg | 3 tbsp | stands in for one egg plus one white |
| Panko breadcrumbs | 1/2 cup | |
| Plain wheat breadcrumbs | 1/2 cup | |
| Grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | the hard shelf-stable kind in a shaker |
| Garlic powder | 2 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | 1/2 tsp each |
Method
- Build a fire down to coals, or set a grill grate over a low burn. Flames will scorch the coating before the beans cook.
- Whisk the powdered egg with 60 ml of cold water in a cup or bag. Let it sit two minutes until it stops being grainy.
- Tear off a double layer of heavy foil and grease or oil nothing, but crimp the edges up into a shallow tray.
- Drop a handful of beans into the egg, lift them out, and let them drip. Roll them in the breadcrumb bag until coated on all sides.
- Lay the beans in one layer on the foil with a little space between them. Crowding steams them.
- Set the tray on the grate over coals for about 8 minutes, then turn the beans with tongs and give them 5 or 6 more until the coating browns.
Air fryer recipes assume dry circulating heat and a machine to make it. Coals do the same job if you keep the beans in one layer and off direct flame. The foil tray is the whole trick: it holds enough heat to crisp the crumbs but keeps them from dropping into the fire.
The original used fresh eggs, which is not a camp ingredient. Powdered whole egg rehydrated thick enough to cling does the same work and rides in a pack for months. Two kinds of breadcrumb are worth carrying: panko for texture, fine crumbs to fill the gaps so the coating actually sticks. Green beans are the one thing here with a clock on them, so cook this the first night out.
Packing
Panko, breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper go in one bag at home, shaken together. Egg powder rides in its own small bag. Beans travel in a paper bag, not plastic, or they sweat and go slick.
Variations
- No fire? The same packet works on a canister stove in a covered pot over low heat, though the coating browns unevenly.
- Swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast and the egg powder for a thin cornstarch slurry to make it vegan.
- Any thick hot sauce or a mustard packet is the dip. Nothing creamy survives the trip.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/air-fryer-green-bean-fries-no-oil-recipe