Vegetable Tortellini Soup, Camp Version
Dried tortellini and a bag of dehydrated vegetables in one pot of hot broth.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 2, 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
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried cheese tortellini | 5 oz | the shelf-stable dry kind, not refrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated mixed vegetables | 1 cup | carrot, corn, peas, green beans |
| Dried celery flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried minced onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for a can of diced tomatoes |
| Vegetable bouillon | 2 tsp | paste in a small jar or two cubes |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Dried rosemary | 1/2 tsp | crush it between your fingers |
| Dried parsley | 1 tsp | |
| Bay leaf | 1 | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Grated hard parmesan | 2 tbsp | the shaker kind keeps for weeks |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 700 ml of water to a boil. Stir in the vegetable bag, tomato powder, bouillon, herbs, and the bay leaf.
- Drop to a simmer for 8 minutes. The dried vegetables and celery need that time to come back.
- Add the tortellini and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until they float and give under a spoon. Dry tortellini take longer than the fresh kind.
- Kill the heat. Fish out the bay leaf, pour in the olive oil, and stir.
- Taste for salt. Bouillon varies, so add the rest of it here if the broth is thin. Dust with parmesan.
The original is a fridge-and-freezer soup: frozen vegetable mix, a can of tomatoes, fresh onion and celery. All of that dries well, which is the whole reason this one travels. Tomato powder and bouillon rebuild the broth, and dried celery does more work than its weight suggests.
Dry shelf-stable tortellini is the part to get right. Refrigerated tortellini cooks in three minutes and spoils in a day; the dried kind sits in a pack for a month and wants closer to seven. Give the vegetables their eight minutes first, then the pasta, or you get soft pasta and hard carrots. The oil goes in off the heat because that is where the calories are.
Packing
Vegetables, celery, onion, tomato powder, bouillon, and all the herbs go in one bag at home. Tortellini in a second bag so you can time them separately. Oil in a dropper bottle, parmesan in its shaker.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or a handful of dried salami turns it into a heavier dinner.
- Swap the tortellini for small dried pasta and a scoop of powdered milk if you want it cheaper.
- A squeeze of tomato paste from a tube in place of the tomato powder.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/vegetable-tortellini-soup