Pantry Raid Beans and Rice
Instant rice, bean flakes, and whatever spice jar you emptied at home. Built from shelf staples, not a shopping list.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 21 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 7 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 450 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant rice | 3/4 cup | the parboiled kind that rehydrates in five minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated refried bean flakes | 1/2 cup | |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | or crush two sun-dried tomato halves |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube | |
| Dried onion and garlic flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder | 1 tsp total | |
| Olive oil | 1.5 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Corn nuts or fried onions | 1/4 cup | crushed over the top at the end |
Method
- Boil 450 ml of water. Drop in the bouillon, tomato powder, onion flakes, and spices and stir until the cube dissolves.
- Add the rice, stir once, and cut the heat. Cover and let it sit five minutes.
- Stir in the bean flakes a spoonful at a time. They thicken fast, so go slow and stop when it holds a spoon.
- Pour the oil over the top and stir it through. Crush the corn nuts on last so they stay crisp.
This started as a use-up-the-cupboard dinner at home, which makes it an easy one to move onto the trail. Nothing in it was fresh to begin with. The swaps are small: instant rice instead of dry long-grain so it cooks off residual heat, bean flakes instead of canned, tomato powder instead of a jar of sauce.
The bean flakes do the structural work. Rice alone drinks the water and leaves you with a thin bowl; the flakes bind it into something you can eat with a spoon and they carry the oil, which is where most of the calories live. Add them slowly. Dumping them in at once gives you a lump in the middle and soup around the edge.
Packing
Rice, beans, tomato powder, bouillon, and spices go in one freezer bag at home. Oil and the crunchy topping ride separately.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna or chicken adds 20 g of protein and drops the vegan tag.
- Dehydrated corn or peppers rehydrate in the same boil if you add them with the rice.
- Hot sauce packets keep forever and cover a lot of blandness.
https://www.theseasonalhomestead.com/pantry-challenge-40-meal-ideas