Pantry Beans and Tomatoes with Oats
Canned beans, canned tomatoes, and rolled oats cooked into one thick pot. Built from a deep pantry, not a specialty shop.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 20 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 250 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
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned diced tomatoes | 1 can (14 oz) | juice and all, it is most of your liquid |
|---|---|---|
| Canned beans | 1 can (15 oz) | pinto or white, drained |
| Rolled oats | 1/2 cup | the thickener, not a breakfast move |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Cider vinegar | 1 tbsp | small dropper bottle |
| Creamed coconut | 2 tbsp | the solid block kind, chopped |
| Hard cheese | 2 oz | grated at home, keeps a day or two out of a cooler |
| Sauerkraut or kimchi | 1/4 cup | cooler only, skip it if you have no cooler |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Pour the tomatoes into the pot with about 250 ml of water and bring it to a boil.
- Add the drained beans and the oats. Stir, then drop the heat to a low simmer.
- Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Oats stick to a hot pot bottom faster than rice does.
- Stir in the chopped creamed coconut and the olive oil until both melt into the sauce.
- Off the heat, add the vinegar, then the cheese. Salt and pepper at the end, after the cheese.
- Spoon the kraut on top cold if you brought it. Do not cook it.
This started as a shelf-stable pantry list rather than a recipe, which is exactly why it works in camp. Everything in it is either canned, dried, or a fat that keeps at ambient temperature. Nothing needs a fridge except the ferment, and the ferment is optional.
The oats are the structural piece. Beans and canned tomatoes on their own make a thin, watery pot, and rolled oats pull it together into something you can eat with a spoon without adding a second dish. Fat is the other half of the job: the oil, the creamed coconut, and the cheese are where the calories come from, and the splash of vinegar at the end keeps all that fat from tasting flat. The kraut is a cooler item, so leave it home on longer trips and add a bit more vinegar instead.
Packing
Cans ride in the bottom of the food bin. Oats, salt, and pepper go in one bag. Oil and vinegar in leakproof bottles, upright. Creamed coconut and cheese are the only things wanting shade.
Variations
- Swap the cans for 1/2 cup dried instant refried beans and 3 tbsp tomato powder to cut about half the weight.
- A foil packet of tuna or a handful of dried salami turns it into a bigger dinner.
- No creamed coconut: 3 tbsp full-fat coconut milk powder does the same job.
https://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/food-storage-how-many-food-independence-days-do-you-have-each-year