Mushroom, Bean and Tomato Camp Soup
Dried mushrooms, canned beans, and oil-packed tomatoes in one brothy pot.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 84
- protein
- 14 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 900 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
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried hedgehog mushrooms or chanterelles | 1 oz | any dried wild mushroom works; they rehydrate into the broth |
|---|---|---|
| Canned white or pinto beans | 1 can, 15 oz | do not drain, the starchy liquid thickens the pot |
| Oil-cured or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes | 1/2 cup | chopped small enough to fit a spoon |
| Vegetable bouillon | 3 cubes or 3 tsp | makes about 900 ml of light broth |
| Dried carrot, onion, and celery | 1/3 cup total | freeze-dried soup vegetables or a mirepoix blend |
| Garlic | 1 clove | or 1/2 tsp granulated |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | carried in a dropper bottle |
| Dried greens | 1/4 cup | dehydrated spinach, kale, or watercress |
| Dried herbs | 1 tsp | parsley, dill, or chives |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Cover the dried mushrooms and the dried vegetables with about 300 ml of hot water in your pot. Wait ten minutes. Do not pour that water off; it is most of the flavor.
- Add the rest of the water, the bouillon, the garlic, and 1 tbsp of the oil. Bring it to a simmer.
- Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the carrot has given up its crunch.
- Dump in the beans with their liquid and the chopped tomatoes. Bring it back to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the dried greens and herbs, kill the heat, and let it sit 2 minutes. Salt and pepper, then the last tablespoon of oil over the top.
The original is a fresh-mushroom soup, and fresh mushrooms are a bad trail item. Dried ones are better here anyway. Their soaking water is a concentrated stock, so it goes into the pot instead of the ground, and that single move replaces most of what a long simmer would have built.
The rest is about fat and salt. Oil-packed tomatoes bring both, plus acid to cut the broth, and the bean liquid gives the soup enough body that it eats like a meal rather than hot water with things in it. Save half the olive oil for the end: heated oil disappears into the broth, cold oil sits on top where you taste it.
Packing
Mushrooms, dried vegetables, greens, bouillon, herbs, and garlic all go in one bag. The bean can and the tomato jar are the weight, so this is a short-carry or a drive-in meal.
Variations
- A handful of small pasta or orzo added with the beans turns it from a soup into a dinner.
- A foil packet of chicken makes it heavier and adds about 20 g of protein per person, but drops the vegan tag.
- No canned beans: 1/2 cup instant refried bean flakes stirred in at the end, which also thickens it.
https://foragerchef.com/hedgehog-mushroom-soup-with-beans-watercress-and-tomato