Squash and Red Pepper Penne
Dehydrated squash and roasted pepper rehydrate into a thick orange sauce over penne. One pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 700 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
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole wheat penne | 2 oz dry | quick-cook shapes save fuel |
|---|---|---|
| Butternut squash powder | 1/3 cup | dehydrated squash puree, blitzed to a powder |
| Dried roasted red pepper | 2 tbsp | chopped fine so it rehydrates with the sauce |
| Dried cauliflower florets | 1/3 cup | cut small before drying or they stay crunchy |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 tsp | |
| Grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | the hard dry kind from the shelf, not fresh |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the cauliflower and dried pepper in the pot with 700 ml of water. Bring it to a boil and give the vegetables a three minute head start.
- Add the penne. Boil it the full time on the box, stirring so nothing welds to the bottom.
- When the pasta is done, do not drain. Kill the heat.
- Stir in the squash powder and bouillon a spoonful at a time. It will thicken fast.
- Add the oil and parmesan, stir, and season. Let it sit two minutes with the lid on so the cauliflower finishes softening.
The original roasts squash and peppers for forty minutes and runs them through a blender. Neither of those exists on trail, so the puree happens at home in a dehydrator and comes along as powder. Rehydrated in pasta water it does the same job: a thick, slightly sweet sauce with no cream and no cheese sauce packet.
Not draining the pasta is the whole trick. The starch in that water is what gives the sauce body, and dumping it means dumping half your thickener. Add the squash powder in stages, since it grabs water faster than you expect and a lump of it stays a lump.
Packing
Pasta in one bag. Squash powder, pepper, cauliflower, bouillon, and parmesan premixed in a second bag, because they all go in at the end. Oil in a dropper bottle.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken pushes it past 35 g of protein.
- Smoked paprika and a pinch of chili flake if the squash tastes flat.
- Skip the parmesan and it is vegan; add another half tablespoon of oil to make up the calories.
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-whole-wheat-penne-with-butternut-squash-sauce-roasted-cauliflower-crispy-parmesan-circles