One-Pot Rice, Beans, and Greens
Instant rice, dried tomatoes, and a foil pouch of white beans cooked down in one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 103
- protein
- 21 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 14 min
- water
- 500 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
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant brown or white rice | 3/4 cup | instant only, regular rice needs 40 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| White beans | 1 foil pouch, 5 oz | or 1/2 cup dried refried bean flakes to cut weight |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 1/4 cup | the dry-packed kind, chopped at home |
| Dried broccoli or kale | 1/2 cup loose | freeze-dried or home-dehydrated |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Dried oregano and basil | 1 tsp | |
| Red pepper flake and black pepper | to taste | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Bring 500 ml of water to a boil with the bouillon, tomato powder, sun-dried tomatoes, and dried greens. Let it sit at a low boil for three minutes so the vegetables start to open up.
- Stir in the rice and the herbs. Cover, pull it off the flame, and wait eight minutes.
- Open the bean pouch and stir the beans in. Put the lid back on for two minutes to bring them up to temperature.
- Pour the oil over the top and stir. If it is still soupy, leave the lid on another few minutes and it will tighten up.
The original is a skillet of canned tomatoes, canned beans, and cooked rice. None of that carries. Instant rice replaces the cooked rice, tomato powder plus sun-dried tomatoes replaces two cans of stewed tomatoes, and the greens go in dried. What survives the swap is the structure: a tomato broth that rehydrates everything, then starch and protein stirred in at the end.
Order matters. The dried vegetables and tomatoes need real boiling time to soften, and the rice does not — put the rice in first and the broccoli stays crunchy while the rice turns to paste. The beans go in last because they are already cooked and only need warming. The oil at the end is where most of the fat comes from; without it this is a lean dinner for the calories it weighs.
Packing
Rice, tomato powder, dried vegetables, bouillon, and herbs go in one bag at home. Beans and oil ride separately. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes before you leave; they are leathery and hard to cut in camp.
Variations
- Swap the beans for a foil pouch of chicken if you are not keeping it vegan.
- Bean flakes instead of the pouch drop about four ounces and rehydrate in the same pot.
- A packet of tomato paste in place of the powder makes it richer and heavier.
https://morefood.org/one-pot-meal-recipes