Stroganoff Meatballs in the Dutch Oven
Precooked meatballs simmered in a mushroom-sour cream gravy over rice. Car camp food that feeds a crowd.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 7, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 40 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
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Precooked meatballs | 26 oz | frozen or thawed; frozen ones help keep the cooler cold |
|---|---|---|
| Condensed cream of mushroom soup | 1 can | |
| Beef consomme | 1 can | beef broth works if you cannot find consomme |
| Sour cream | 8 oz | cooler item; see the body for a shelf-stable swap |
| Onion | 1 medium, diced | or 2 tbsp dried minced onion |
| Paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Long grain rice or egg noodles | 2 cups dry |
Method
- Set the Dutch oven over a moderate bed of coals or a low fire. Add the soup, consomme, sour cream, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk until it is mostly smooth. Lumps are fine. They cook out.
- Add the meatballs, stir to coat, and put the lid on.
- Cook 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes so the bottom does not scorch. Frozen meatballs take the full half hour.
- In a second pot, boil water and cook the rice or noodles while the meatballs heat through.
- Spoon the meatballs and gravy over the rice.
This is a stroganoff that skips the browning and the roux. Canned soup already contains the thickener and the mushroom flavor, so the only real work is heating precooked meatballs through without burning the bottom of the pot. Stirring is the whole technique.
The sour cream is the one thing tying it to a cooler. Sour cream powder rehydrated with water behaves close enough and turns this into a pantry meal, though it wants a little extra salt. Cook it over coals rather than open flame; a hot spot under a Dutch oven will scorch a dairy gravy fast.
Packing
Measure the paprika, salt, and pepper into one small bag at home. Meatballs, soup, consomme, and sour cream all ride in the cooler; the rice goes in the dry box.
Variations
- Add sliced mushrooms with the onion if nobody in the group is avoiding them.
- Swap the sour cream for 1/2 cup sour cream powder plus 1/2 cup water and the whole thing goes shelf-stable.
- A clove of minced garlic and a handful of chopped parsley at the end sharpens the gravy.
https://chuckwagoneer.wordpress.com/2019/07/17/stroganoff-meatballs