Spanish Rice
Instant rice with freeze-dried beef and tomato powder. One freezer bag from pack to plate.
- calories
- 1050
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 117
- protein
- 40 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 1 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 16 min
- water
- 420 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
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant rice | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried ground beef | ¼ cup | |
| Freeze-dried bell pepper | 2 Tbsp | |
| Dehydrated celery | 1 Tbsp | |
| Dried tomatoes | 2 Tbsp | |
| Dried tomato powder | 2 Tbsp | |
| Dried onion | 1 Tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | |
| Sea salt | a pinch | |
| Oil | 1 Tbsp | carried in a dropper bottle or packet |
| Cheddar cheese | 1 oz | 1 individually wrapped stick, or substitute freeze-dried cheddar or shelf-stable wedges |
Method
- At home, combine instant rice, freeze-dried beef, bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, tomato powder, onion, chili powder, and salt in a quart freezer bag. Seal it tightly.
- In camp, boil 1¾ cups water.
- Pour the boiling water and oil into the bag. Stir until everything hydrates and breaks up.
- Seal the bag and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a cozy if you have one; otherwise, wrap it in a sleeping bag or puffy jacket.
- Stir in the crumbled cheese and eat straight from the bag.
Instant rice and freeze-dried beef hydrate on the same schedule, so everything finishes at once. The tomato products—both whole and powder—provide real flavor without tasting like dehydrated backpacking food. Cheese stirred in at the end is essential; it’s where all the richness comes from.
Freezer-bag cooking eliminates a pot to wash. A cozy holds heat through the 15-minute steep; without one, wrap it in a sleeping bag or puffy jacket. One-pot is equally simple—boil water, add dry mix, cover, kill the heat, and wait. Everything happens in one vessel either way.
Packing
Pre-mix all dry ingredients into a quart freezer bag at home and seal tightly—freeze-dried beef needs an airtight seal if stored longer than a weekend. Carry oil in a small dropper bottle or packet. Wrap cheese separately; it stays solid for a day or two if unopened, but will sweat oil in temperatures above 75°F.
Variations
- Cook it one-pot: boil water, stir in the dry mix, cover, turn off heat, and let sit 15 minutes.
- Use freeze-dried cheddar (2 Tbsp) instead of a cheese stick for lighter weight.
- Shelf-stable cheese wedges like Laughing Cow work in place of a cheese stick.
https://trailcooking.com/2022/09/08/fbc-meals-spanish-rice