Reuben Soup, Camp Version
Corned beef, kraut, and Swiss in one pot, with milk powder standing in for the half and half.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 83
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 1200 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
- Winter / snow
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Butter or ghee | 3 tbsp | ghee holds up without a cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Dried chopped onion | 3 tbsp | |
| Dried chopped celery | 2 tbsp | |
| All-purpose flour | 1/4 cup | |
| Beef bouillon | 4 tsp instant, or 4 cubes | |
| Water | 5 cups total | 3 for the broth, 2 for the milk |
| Canned corned beef | 12 oz | one tin, broken up with a fork |
| Canned or jarred sauerkraut | 1 cup | drained hard, then squeezed |
| Whole milk powder | 3/4 cup | stands in for half and half |
| Swiss cheese | 6 oz | a block, grated or torn at camp |
| Rye crispbread | 8 pieces | packs flat and does not go stale |
| Black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Melt the butter in the pot over low heat. Add the dried onion and celery with 1/2 cup of water and let them soften for five minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook it for a minute, scraping the bottom so it does not scorch. Low heat matters here.
- Add 3 cups of water and the bouillon a little at a time, stirring out lumps as you go. Bring it up to a boil, then drop it to a simmer for five minutes.
- Whisk the milk powder into 2 cups of cool water in a bottle and pour it in. Add the corned beef and the drained kraut.
- Hold it at a bare simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often. It must not boil once the milk is in.
- Kill the heat. Stir in half the Swiss until it disappears, then scatter the rest on top and lid the pot for two minutes.
- Serve with rye crispbread broken over each bowl.
The original is a stovetop cream soup with three cups of half and half in it, which is a non-starter anywhere without a fridge. Whole milk powder mixed into cold water does the same job and carries dry. The roux is what holds it together, so cook the flour in the fat before any liquid goes in, and keep the pot off a hard boil once the milk is added or it will break.
Drain the sauerkraut harder than you think you need to. The brine is aggressive enough to curdle the milk and to bury the beef, and the kraut still brings plenty of acid after a squeeze. The rye replaces the broiled bread-and-cheese lid from the original, which needs an oven you do not have.
Packing
Flour, milk powder, bouillon, and the dried vegetables premix into one bag at home. Cheese and the corned beef tin ride separately. Crispbread goes in a hard-sided container or it arrives as crumbs.
Variations
- Swap the crispbread for a slice of rye toasted on a grate, then float it under a handful of cheese.
- A tablespoon of mustard powder and a splash of vinegar in the broth sharpen it up if your kraut was mild.
- No milk powder: use a cup of shelf-stable cream and cut the water by the same amount.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/reuben-soup