Pantry Rice and Beans
Instant rice, dried refried beans, bouillon. Built out of whatever the bulk bin had.
- calories
- 700
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 117
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 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
- 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 | parboiled or freeze-dried, not regular long grain |
|---|---|---|
| Dried refried bean flakes | 1/2 cup | black or pinto, whichever the store had |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Dried onion and garlic | 1 tbsp total | |
| Chili powder and cumin | 1 tsp each | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Lime juice powder or a squeeze packet | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Boil 600 ml of water and stir in the bouillon, dried onion and garlic, and the spices.
- Dump in the rice, cover, and pull it off the heat. Wait five minutes.
- Stir in the bean flakes a third at a time. They swell fast, so give each addition a few seconds before adding more.
- Pour in the oil, add the lime, and salt it until it stops tasting flat. Add a splash of water if it stiffens past eating.
Rice and beans is cheap at home because both keep forever in a cupboard. On trail the same logic holds for a different reason: the dehydrated versions weigh almost nothing and rebuild themselves in one pot. The canned beans and simmered dried beans of the kitchen version are out. Bean flakes do the same job in ninety seconds.
Bouillon is the whole flavor budget. Water and salt will cook the rice, but the result tastes like it. Dried onion and garlic go in with the water rather than at the end so they have time to soften. The oil is not optional either. Rice and beans on their own are a lot of carbohydrate and not much fat, and a tablespoon of oil is the cheapest hundred and twenty calories you will carry.
Packing
Rice, beans, bouillon, and spices go in one bag at home. Oil rides in a dropper bottle. Lime powder in a corner of the spice bag.
Variations
- Swap the bean type freely. Black, pinto, and red all rehydrate the same way.
- A foil packet of tuna or a handful of dried chorizo crumbles turns it into a heavier dinner and drops the vegan tag.
- Crushed corn chips on top add fat, salt, and something that crunches.
https://mealswithmaria.site/cooking-on-the-cheap