Kidney Bean Chili for One Pot
Freeze-dried turkey, dehydrated beans, and tomato powder. Chili without the cans.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 600 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
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried ground turkey | 2 oz | or freeze-dried ground beef |
|---|---|---|
| Instant refried or flaked kidney beans | 1/2 cup | dehydrated bean flakes rehydrate in minutes; whole canned beans do not |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for the can of stewed tomatoes and the can of sauce |
| Sun-dried tomato pieces | 1 tbsp | gives the chunk that stewed tomatoes would have |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tbsp | |
| Red pepper flakes | 1/4 tsp | optional |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil.
- Stir in the turkey, onion, sun-dried tomato, and spices. Simmer on low for 8 minutes so the meat and tomato pieces actually soften.
- Add the tomato powder and stir until no dry pockets are left.
- Take it off the heat and rain in the bean flakes a little at a time, stirring. Add all at once and you get lumps.
- Cover for 5 minutes. It thickens as it sits. Stir in the oil and eat.
The original is a can-opener dinner: canned beans, canned tomatoes, canned sauce, a pound of ground turkey. All of that is water and steel. This version carries the same chili as powder and flakes and puts the water back at camp.
The two swaps that matter are tomato powder for the two cans, and bean flakes for whole beans. Whole dried kidney beans need an hour of fuel and a soak; flakes are done in five minutes off the heat and they thicken the pot at the same time, which is why nothing here needs to reduce. The 15 minutes of simmering is for the freeze-dried meat, not the beans.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil goes in one bag: meat, beans, tomato powder, and spices premixed at home. Oil rides in a dropper bottle. If your bean flakes are already salted, cut the added salt.
Variations
- A handful of crushed corn chips on top adds fat and crunch.
- Swap the turkey for a foil pouch of chicken if you would rather not carry freeze-dried meat.
- Leave the meat out and add 2 tbsp of TVP for a vegan version.
https://mealswithmaria.site/really-easy-kidney-bean-chili