Turkey Chili, Dehydrated
A three-bean turkey chili built at home, dried flat, and brought back with boiling water.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 450 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | home kitchen only, most of it drains off before drying |
|---|---|---|
| Ground turkey | 1 lb | 93/7 or leaner, fat goes rancid on the shelf |
| Onion | 1, chopped | |
| Jalapeno | 1, seeded and minced | |
| Sliced carrots | 1/2 cup | |
| Tomato paste | 12 oz | |
| Kidney beans | 1 can (15.5 oz) | drained and rinsed |
| Garbanzo beans | 1 can (15.5 oz) | drained and rinsed |
| Shelled edamame | 1 cup | |
| Canned corn | 1/2 cup, drained | |
| Beef bouillon cubes | 4 | |
| Water | 4 cups | at home, for the simmer |
| Chili powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- At home: heat the oil, cook the turkey with the onion and jalapeno until browned through, and pour off every bit of fat.
- Add everything else, bring it up, then hold it at a low simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and fix the salt now, not on the trail.
- Spread it thin on lined dehydrator trays and run 135°F for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans rattle and nothing is tacky. Break up any clumps halfway.
- Divide into eight bags, about 1 cup of dried chili each.
- In camp: boil 450 ml of water, dump in one bag, stir, and pull it off the heat.
- Cover and wait 10 minutes. Stir once more. If it is still chewy, add a splash of hot water and give it five more.
Chili dehydrates better than almost anything else because it is already broken down. Ground meat, beans, and tomato paste all rehydrate evenly, and the paste is what makes the reconstituted version thick instead of watery. The original is a stovetop pot with fresh onion and jalapeno; both dry fine, so they stay.
Two changes matter. Lean turkey only, and drain the fat aggressively, because fat left in dried meat turns rancid in weeks. And the toppings the home version leans on, sour cream and shredded cheese, are gone. That costs calories, so the servings are lighter than they look on the plate. Carry olive oil or corn chips if you need to make up the difference.
Packing
One serving per quart freezer bag. Add a folded square of parchment to each bag if you plan to rehydrate in the bag instead of the pot.
Variations
- Skip the turkey and use two cans of black beans for a vegan version. The bouillon has to change too.
- A packet of hot sauce or a lime wedge on day one cuts through the tomato paste.
- Crushed corn chips stirred in at the end add fat and salt the dried version loses.
https://mealswithmaria.site/panera-turkey-chili-recipe