Rainy Day Skillet Chili Mac
One skillet, one burner, and a tarp overhead. Built for the afternoon the weather pins you at the site.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 90
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 30 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
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Elbow macaroni | 1 1/2 cups dry | |
|---|---|---|
| Canned chili with beans | 1 can (15 oz) | the can is the weight, but car camping pays for itself here |
| Canned diced tomatoes | 1 can (14 oz) | |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder | 1 tbsp total | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Hard cheese | 2 oz | cheddar or dry jack, keeps a day or two out of the cooler |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Heat the oil in the skillet and toast the onion flakes and spice mix for about a minute. They will smell like something before they taste like something.
- Pour in the tomatoes with their liquid and about 400 ml of water. Bring it to a boil.
- Add the dry macaroni. Stir often for 10 to 12 minutes, adding water in small splashes when the pan goes dry. The pasta cooks in the sauce, so there is nothing to drain.
- Stir in the chili and heat it through, another 5 minutes.
- Kill the heat, grate the cheese over the top, and put a lid on it for two minutes.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan when you serve. That is the good part.
Cooking the pasta directly in the tomato liquid is what makes this a one-skillet meal. The starch that would normally go down the drain stays in the pan and thickens the sauce, so you never need a strainer, a second pot, or a place to dump hot water in the rain.
Watch the liquid rather than the clock. Camp stoves run hot and uneven, and the difference between chili mac and a scorched skillet is a splash of water added thirty seconds earlier. Add it in small amounts; too much at once and you are back to soup with no way to reduce it before dinner gets cold.
Packing
Spices and onion flakes go in one small jar at home so you are not opening four containers under a tarp. Cans travel in the food bin; cheese in the cooler if you have one, otherwise wrapped in wax paper and used the first night.
Variations
- Swap the canned chili for a foil pouch of chicken and a packet of taco seasoning to cut a pound of can weight.
- A can of corn, drained, stretches it to three servings.
- Crushed corn chips on top instead of cheese if the cooler is already warm.
https://lunolife.com/en-ca/blogs/journal/cozy-autumn-car-camping-rainy-day-cooking