Backpacking Recipes

I love backpacking and I love cooking which has let me to be a bit creative with my back country meal planning. Forget prepackaged meals, we're going gourmet tonight! The basic equipment you'll need is a Dehydrator to prep the food, a camp stove, a pot and frying pan, and a Tupperware to rehydrate food in. Below are some of our favorite recipes from on our week long trip this summer!

Breakfast:

Biscuits and Gravy

What you need:
1 packet instant gravy with sausage (makes 2 cups)
1 packet biscuit mix that only requires water (makes ~8 biscuits)


Instructions:

1. Pack ingredients as is, or split for a smaller portion (this makes enough for 4 people
2. On the trail- follow the instructions on how much water to add to the biscuits. Roll dough into ~1 inch balls.
3. Follow the instructions on the gravy and make in a larger pot. Add the biscuit dough to the simmering gravy and simmer until dough is cooked.

Post trip comments:  you can also cook the biscuits in a frying pan, depending on your stove, you may have to flip them a few times to keep from burning. Using a lid helps them "bake" as well, you can use tin foil.


Breakfast Burritos

What you need:
Pace Salsa
Powdered eggs
Pre-cooked (shelf stable) bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortillas

Instructions:

1. Dehydrate Pace Salsa in a food dehydrator (how ever much salsa you want on your burritos)
2. Break up dried salsa into smaller pieces and put in a zip-lock
3. You can buy egg powder, or make your own. Package approximately 2 eggs worth per person.
4. On the trail - Add cool water to the salsa and allow to rehydrate while you cook up the eggs.
5. Follow the instructions on how much water to add to the egg powder.
6. Pile up eggs, bacon, salsa and cheese on a tortilla, wrap, and enjoy!

Post Trip Comments: You can also get freeze dried egg scrambles and wrap in a tortilla.

Lunch:

Backpackers Pad Thai

What you need:
1 package Chicken ramen noodles
2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter
1 tsp Chili powder
1/4 cup peanuts

Instructions:

1. Measure out peanut butter powder, peanuts, and chili powder (Adjust amount to taste) into a small zip-lock.
2. On the trail - add boiling water to ramen noodles and let sit 3 mins or until noodles are cooked.
3. Mix in peanut mixture and ramen flavoring packet, and enjoy!

 Post trip comments: We love this recipe, we could make it for every meal on the trip if we could! For a more substantial meal, add a packet of cooked chicken. I saw another version of this with soy sauce ans sriracha chili sauce, could bring little packets to add to it as well!


Pine Nut Hummus and Pita

What you need:
1 package Fantastic Foods Original Hummus
Olive Oil
Pine Nuts
Pita Breads

Instructions:

1. Determine how much Hummus you want to make, one packet makes 2 cups.
2. Measure out how ever much olive oil you will need per the instructions, plus a little extra too drizzle on top.
3. Package some pine nuts to sprinkle on top -  about 1tbsp per 1/2 cup
4. On the Trail - mix water and oil with hummus powder as directed on instructions. 
5. Sprinkle the pine nuts and remaining oil on top of the hummus and enjoy spread on the pita bread. 

Post trip comments:  I'd recommend 1/3 cup hummus per person, we brought 1/2 cup pp and were struggling to finish the last bit! You can also use tortillas with the hummus, or bring carrots or other veggies if its a shorter trip.

 Dinner:

Jim's Spaghetti

What you need:
Spaghetti Sauce
Noodles (we used ramen noodles minus the flavor packet)
French Bread
Butter
Garlic Salt
Optional - Parmesan packets (grab some from your local pizza joint)

Instructions:

1. Dehydrate your favorite spaghetti sauce(how ever much you typically eat in a serving) and crumble into smaller pieces and package in a zip-lock. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to hit the trail.
2. Package the noodles in another zip-lock
3. Right before traveling to the trail head, butter your french bread and sprinkle with garlic salt. Wrap with tinfoil and put in zip-lock
4. To prepare on the trail- add boiling water to spaghetti sauce in a Tupperware and let sit for about 10 mins.
5. Add boiling water to noodles in a Tupperware and let sit until noodles soften.
6. Stick the foil wrapped garlic bread in the campfire (if you have one) or on your camp stove frying pan until the butter melts.
7. If the sauce is too runny, simmer over the stove until desired consistency, then top noodles with sauce, Parmesan(optional) and enjoy!

Post trip comments: While the ramen noodles were very fast at rehydrating, they didn't have the same flavor or texture as regular noodles. Our stove burned the foil before the butter could melt, but the bread and butter was still tasty! Try cooking the garlic bread butter down if using a frying pan.


Beef Shepherd's Pie

What you need:
1/2 cup per person Frozen Peas
1/3lb per person ground beef
1 cup per person Instant Beef Gravy (the kind that only needs water)
1 cup per person(after cooking) Instant Mashed Potatoes (the kind that only need water)


Instructions:

1. Dehydrate the peas(can be frozen still) until almost completely dried
2. Cook the ground beef, rinse and dehydrate. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to hit the trail.
3. On the trail - Add boiling water to cover the peas and beef and let stand 10 mins.
4. Follow instructions on the gravy package and make gravy in a pot. Add drained peas and beef and allow to simmer for a few minutes
5. Follow the instructions on the mashed potatoes.
6. Pour the beef/pea/gravy mixture into a bowl for each person and top with the mashed potatoes

 Post trip comments: This recipe was delicious! Just make sure not to dehydrate the peas too long or it can be tough to get them completely soft again.