Foil-Pouch Bean and Cheese Tacos
A pouch of refried beans, hard cheese, and tortillas. Six minutes from pack to plate.
- calories
- 590
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 84
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 6 min
- total time
- 8 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
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Foil pouch refried beans | 1 pouch (about 8 oz) | check the label for lard if that matters to you; the spiced versions save you carrying seasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Flour tortillas | 4 small | they crush flat and survive a week in a pack |
| Hard cheese | 2 oz | cheddar or cotija, grated or cut thin |
| Hot sauce | to taste | small bottle, optional |
| Olive oil | 1 tsp | keeps the beans from catching |
Method
- Wipe the oil around the bottom of the pot or pan and set it over low heat. Beans scorch fast and the burnt layer is impossible to clean in the field.
- Squeeze in the whole pouch. Stir for three or four minutes until it steams through. Add nothing — the pouch is already at eating consistency.
- Push the beans to one side, lay a tortilla on the empty half of the pan for twenty seconds a side, then stack the warmed ones under a bandana.
- Spoon beans onto each tortilla, drop the cheese on while the beans are still hot, and fold. Hot sauce goes on last.
Foil pouch refried beans are the whole point here. Canned beans are heavy and leave you with a can; the pouch weighs about half as much, needs no water, and packs down to nothing when it is empty. They come out of the pouch at the right thickness, so this is a warming job, not a cooking job.
The cheese is doing the work that fat usually does in a trail dinner. Beans and tortillas are mostly starch and protein, and without a couple of ounces of hard cheese the meal reads as light an hour later. Grate it at home if you want it to melt evenly — thin slices work, but they sit in stripes.
Packing
Tortillas ride flat against the back panel of the pack so they do not fold into a wad. The bean pouch is the heavy item, so keep it low and centered. Cheese in its own bag; it sweats.
Variations
- Pouches come in several flavors. Black bean with chipotle needs no hot sauce at all.
- A handful of crushed corn chips inside the fold gives it something to push against.
- For breakfast, scramble in a packet of powdered egg cooked separately, then fold both together.
https://bushcraftusa.com/threads/backpacking-food-resources.389005