Red Lentil Vegetable Stew
Dehydrated vegetables and red lentils that cook down into one thick pot on a single boil.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 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
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Red lentils | 1/3 cup | red only, they break down in about 12 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Instant rice | 1/4 cup | the quick-cooking kind, not parboiled |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | stands in for canned tomatoes and paste |
| Dried vegetable mix | 1/2 cup | carrot, celery, bell pepper, green bean, mushroom, onion |
| Dried spinach flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried oregano and basil | 1/2 tsp each | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | in a dropper bottle |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Dump in everything except the spinach and the oil.
- Stir once, then hold it at a low simmer for 12 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes or the lentils weld to the bottom.
- Add the spinach flakes and cook two minutes more.
- Kill the heat, pour in the oil, and let it sit five minutes with the lid on. It thickens as it rests.
- If it is still soupy, another minute of heat fixes it. If it is too thick, add hot water.
The original is a stovetop soup built on fresh vegetables and homemade stock, which is a non-starter three days from a trailhead. Bouillon replaces the stock, tomato powder replaces the can and the paste, and dried vegetables replace everything that used to live in a crisper drawer. The lentils are the one thing that did not need changing.
Red lentils are the reason this works on a stove that burns fuel by the minute. They cook in about twelve minutes and then fall apart, which thickens the pot without any flour, dairy, or extra step. The instant rice absorbs whatever water the lentils do not, so you get a stew rather than a bowl of broth with things in it. Simmering, not just steeping, matters here — lentils will not soften in a cozy.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag at home, oil separate. Tomato powder cakes in humidity, so squeeze the air out.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken stirred in at the end pushes it past 40 g of protein.
- Swap the oregano and basil for cumin and a pinch of chili for a different pot entirely.
- Skip the rice and carry a tortilla to mop it up.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/red-lentil-vegetable-soup