Freeze-Dried Beef Alfredo Rice
Creamy alfredo sauce with beef and vegetables. Mix at home, boil water at camp, wait fifteen minutes.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 20 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 355 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
- Canister stove
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant rice | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried ground beef | 1/4 cup | |
| Freeze-dried sweet corn | 1/4 cup | |
| Freeze-dried red bell pepper | 1/4 cup | |
| Dried onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Dry alfredo sauce mix | 1 tbsp | |
| Freeze-dried sour cream powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | carried in a small bottle or packet |
Method
- Boil 355 ml of water in a small pot.
- Pour the boiling water into a quart freezer bag containing all the dry ingredients and the oil.
- Stir well to break up lumps and mix everything evenly.
- Seal the bag and wrap it in an insulated cozy or cloth to hold the heat.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes without opening. In cold weather, keep it wrapped.
- Carefully open the bag and stir again. Eat from the bag or transfer to a bowl if you have one.
Freeze-dried ingredients make a full dinner weigh almost nothing. The alfredo sauce mix and powdered sour cream dissolve into hot water without needing fresh dairy, and the rehydration happens passively while you sit and rest. All the protein comes from the beef, which is stable indefinitely and doesn’t need refrigeration.
The oil carries the alfredo flavor and adds back the calories that dehydration removes. Without it you have a bland, lean survival meal. The fifteen-minute wait does the cooking for you—no flame, no stirring, no cleanup beyond sealing the bag.
Packing
Mix all dry ingredients together in a single quart freezer bag at home. Carry the oil separately in a dropper bottle or small packet to keep the dry mix from getting greasy.
Variations
- Add freeze-dried mushrooms or additional vegetables for more flavor and bulk.
- A dash of cayenne pepper or garlic powder sharpens the alfredo sauce.
- Use the freezer bag cozy method: place the sealed, stirred bag into an insulated pouch and it will finish cooking while you tend to camp tasks.
https://trailcooking.com/2023/02/03/new-fbc-recipe-beef-alfredo-rice