White Bean and Pasta Camp Soup
Small pasta, white beans, and tomato powder in one pot. A budget kitchen soup rebuilt for a stove and no cooler.
- calories
- 610
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 111
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 650 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
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Small elbow pasta | 2 oz | |
|---|---|---|
| Instant white bean flakes | 1/3 cup | cannellini or navy; freeze-dried whole beans also work |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | replaces the can of diced tomatoes |
| Bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Dried mirepoix | 3 tbsp | dried onion, celery, carrot |
| Dried spinach flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Crushed red pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | 1/4 tsp each | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Grated hard parmesan | 2 tbsp | the dry shelf-stable kind |
Method
- Bring 650 ml of water to a boil. Drop in the dried mirepoix, bouillon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer three minutes so the vegetables start taking on water before the starch goes in.
- Add the pasta. Cook at a low boil for the time on the package, stirring often so nothing welds to the pot bottom.
- Kill the heat. Stir in the bean flakes, tomato powder, and spinach flakes. It thickens fast.
- Let it sit two minutes with the lid on, then stir in the oil and parmesan.
The kitchen version of this soup leans on a can of tomatoes, a can of beans, frozen vegetables, and a second pot of water for the pasta. None of that travels. Tomato powder, instant bean flakes, and dried mirepoix carry the same flavors at a fraction of the weight, and cooking the pasta in the soup instead of draining it separately means one pot and no wasted starch water.
Order matters more than technique. Vegetables need a head start to rehydrate, pasta needs a real boil, and the bean flakes need to go in last with the stove off, or they glue to the bottom and scorch. The oil and parmesan at the end are doing the calorie work; the soup is thin and forgettable without them.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil and cheese goes into one bag. Bean flakes and tomato powder pack toward the top so you remember they go in last, off heat. Oil rides in a leakproof bottle inside a second bag.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or tuna turns it into a heavier dinner and drops the vegetarian tag.
- Swap the pasta for instant rice and it becomes gluten-free.
- No bean flakes? A quarter cup of instant refried beans does the same thickening job.
https://morefood.org/making-spirits-and-budgets-bright-with-feasts-soup-and-chili