camp meals

Stroganoff Noodles

Beef, mushrooms, and sour cream powder with egg noodles. Everything rehydrates in the bag with boiling water and no camp cleanup.

calories
360
weight
3 oz
cal / oz
120
protein
18 g
serves
1, scales
prep
2 min
cook
10 min
total time
12 min
water
300 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
  • Backpacking
  • Thru-hike
  • Eat in the bag
  • Pre-mix at home
  • Shelf stable
  • Dump and stir

Ingredients

Egg noodles 2 oz break into smaller pieces before packing so they hydrate evenly
Freeze-dried beef 0.5 oz diced small, available at specialty outdoor retailers
Freeze-dried mushrooms 0.25 oz rehydrate fully with the noodles
Sour cream powder 1.5 tbsp the base of the sauce
Dried onion 1 tbsp
Butter powder 1 tbsp adds the fat that makes stroganoff taste like stroganoff
Beef bouillon 1 tsp powder or crushed cube, adds salt and umami
Garlic powder 0.5 tsp
Cornstarch 1 tsp thickens the sauce so it clings rather than pools
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Boil 300 ml of water.
  2. Pour into a quart freezer bag with all dry ingredients, or into your pot.
  3. Stir hard for 20 seconds to break up the noodles and dissolve the powders.
  4. Let sit for 10 minutes. The noodles will soften and the mushrooms will fully hydrate.
  5. Stir again. The cornstarch will have thickened the sauce.
  6. Eat directly from the bag or transfer to a bowl.

Sour cream powder tastes flat by itself. Butter powder adds the fat stroganoff needs, beef bouillon adds salt and umami that carry the whole thing, and cornstarch stops the sauce from being watery. Without them you have rehydrated noodles and powder. With them you have dinner.

Freeze-dried beef and mushrooms both rehydrate in the ten minutes the noodles need to soften. Dicing the beef small matters: large chunks stay crunchy in the middle. Three ounces packs easily and satisfies.

Packing

Mix all dry ingredients into a single quart freezer bag at home. In camp, you only need boiling water and a spoon.

Variations

  • Use porcini powder instead of freeze-dried mushrooms for deeper flavor and slightly less weight.
  • Add a pinch of smoked paprika for color and a subtle peppery note.

https://trailcooking.com/2024/02/02/commercial-meal-review-trailtopia-pasta-dishes