I’ve passed on my love of this dish to Daniel who has been asking me to make this on camping and backpacking trips for years. I kinda ignored him- too many perishables, specialty ingredients, too heavy… When a Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store opened in our neighborhood recently, we noticed they stocked shelf-stable tofu in Tetrapaks. Daniel made a new case for trying this dish and, after some experimentation, here it is!

Full disclosure, there still are some specialty ingredients required for this dish, and the tofu box weighs 12 ounces which will make some of you gasp. On the plus side, it’s ready in 10 minutes and one of the most satisfying and warming dishes I know of for a cold night out. We made this on our overnight trek to Mount Whitney and it was worth every ounce of weight.

Specialty Ingredient Sourcing:
Shelf-Stable Silken Tofu
Korean Chili Flakes
Dehydrated Cabbage

If you’re curious about hiking up Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States, I highly recommend it. The main thing I had gathered from my research and feedback from other hikers is that it was going to be HARD. I can confirm that it was not easy, but no one told me how overwhelmingly beautiful and diverse the hike would be. For that alone, I think it was worth navigating a frustrating lottery system, camping in the backcountry with an unusually large amount of people, and dealing with poop bags. Train adequately and get out there – you won’t regret it!

That’s pretty much a typical end of a backpacking day for me. It seems no matter how much or little ground has to be covered in a day, I’m always racing to set up camp and get dinner going before the moon comes up. Luckily, on our trip to Mineral King, we had this Salsa Soup with Corn Dumplings planned for dinner.

In a nutshell, this is a spicy tomato based broth that gets covered in cornmeal batter dumplings. Let it simmer for 10 minutes until the batter is cooked. When you peek into the pot, your dumplings will probably have converged into one delicious cornbread-like pillow over the soup. In each bite you get a subtly sweet starch layer followed by hot and spicy broth. Soup naysayers stand down because this meal is comforting and will satisfy any ravenous hiker.

In preparation for the trip, I used a dehydrator for the first time. I didn’t follow any recipes but rather put random stuff on the trays and let it go for a long time until it appeared to be completely dry. There are better ways to do things, but I’m impatient, and I was really excited to use this machine.

Fortunately, the homemade salsa and red bell pepper I added to the recipe rehydrated really well in the soup and added texture to the broth. My salsa was pretty basic (lazy), just fresh tomatoes, cilantro, salt and lime that I pureed in a food processor. If you don’t have access to a dehydrator, you can purchase dehydrated bell peppers and dehydrated salsa. Substitute the amounts called for in the recipe with 3 tablespoons dehydrated bell pepper and 3 tablespoons dehydrated salsa.

As for the dumplings, I’m not talking about Asian-style dumplings but the other kind which consists of steamed or boiled dough or batter. Read more about the origin of dumplings here.

This recipe is modified from my standby Backpacking recipe book Simple Foods for the Pack – also mentioned in this Grits Cakes post.

Food is usually tricky on our weekend trips. Different friends show up at different times throughout the weekend, so most expect to just cook for themselves. We have food all over the place, all the time. We still end up sharing a lot of it, so we finally thought to change the process last week. Everyone was responsible for one complete meal. Each meal was easy, and everyone only had to be responsible for one meal’s worth of prep and cleanup. And it was BYO plates and sporks. I was in charge of a camping dinner, which I was able to prepare almost completely at home, and just reheat in a dutch oven over the campfire. On a cold night under the stars, there’s nothing better than a hearty soup like this albondigas.

Soup is hard to impress. It usually tastes fine, but just that. At least my soup. So lucky for you, this is Wes’s. This soup is hearty, but ends with a burst of zippy freshness from lime and cilantro. Spicy chipotle keeps your belly warm long after your bowl has been inhaled. Crispy chips and melty meatballs help complete a truly perfect balance of flavor and texture. I really love this soup.

You can make this soup at camp, but I recommend preparing it at home sometime during the week, and finishing it off in a dutch oven the night you arrive. We like to make open-faced quesadillas to go with the soup. Go ahead and fry them cheese-side down. My method: lay the cheese in the pan first, then top it with a tortilla. Flip once the cheese is crispy. These aren’t as pretty as you’ll want them to be, but they are extremely tasty, and act as a sort of handheld crouton. This is a great recipe to share, so plan an adventure with your friends soon!

First trip was a short fun overnighter with the girls (and the boys) in Mount Pinos. The goal was to keep it local and keep logistics to a minimum (KISS). We made too much food (as usual) with each of us wanting to test out new recipes (check out Sweet Potato and Sausage Savory Pie Bomb, Herby Cheese Crackers, and Eggs in the Backcountry).

The other trip I took was in Mineral King in Sequoia National Park. What an amazing place! This is off the beaten path away from the main area of the park where all the giant trees are. The landscape is a mix of conifer forests that give way to rocky Eastern Sierra vistas and alpine lakes. I highly recommend it.

Wherever it is you are headed, you will need some food. This Coconut Lentil Stew uses typical backpacking ingredients and combines them in a satisfying creamy sauce. Besides being delicious, the coconut brings a fatty component that really hits the spot. Once everything is cooked, the texture is more like a porridge than a soup. I used zucchini because I was on a quick overnighter in cool temperatures. Dehydrated veggies or other sturdy vegetables could easily substitute the zucchini, especially if you expect hot weather. As always, feel free to experiment with the seasoning and spices to create your own comforting meal.

These are delicious and spicy. Taco meat and puff pastry- what could be better? Just don’t forget the hot sauce! (I learned my lesson on this trip).

Sunset, if you’re reading this, we’re onto you. We know you’re digging into our brains and stealing all our ideas and then taking fabulous photos for your cookbooks and magazines. It’s nice to know that we at least have ESP with the right kind of people. And that the recipes that you’re choosing are all phenomenal.

This may seem slightly basic, but that’s the beauty. It is. Camping food shouldn’t be difficult. It should be hearty, and flavorful, and cooked all in one pot, preferably over the campfire.This one is also easily customizable. Adjust the spiciness of the potatoes, switch out eggs for tofu, add any kind of toppings that you want. If there are leftovers (good luck with that), make potato tacos for lunch.

Are you planning some serious glamping trips coming up? Where are you going?

Here are a few of our favorite one pot meals, and these ones have just five main ingredients! It doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious and satisfying.

Quick Note: We didn’t include salt, pepper, oil, or water when counting to five ingredients for these meals. We know they technically count, but we’re going to assume these are already in your backcountry kitchen, and the five main ingredients are items you’ll likely have to shop for.

Skillet Tamale Pie

Tamales take a lot of prep time, so if you’re not ready for it, try this deconstructed version in your skillet or dutch oven.

1 pound ground beef
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
1 16-ounce jar salsa
1 1-pound tube polenta, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large, deep skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add the beans and salsa and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and layer the polenta slices over the beef mixture. Top with cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted and polenta is heated through.

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This pasta recipe cooks altogether and creates a sauce as it cooks so there’s no wasted water or straining to do. Get creative and add any herbs and veggies that you like. For some extra protein, try adding a drained can of white beans.

1 pound spaghetti
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
pepper, to taste
a few handfuls of basil

In a large pot, combine the spaghetti, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt, along with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue cooking, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente. Stir in torn pieces of basil and season to taste with pepper.

Channa Masala

This dish is usually ingredient-intensive, but here is a perfect camping version that will still impress your taste buds.

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons garam masala
salt, to taste

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add chopped onions, ginger and 1 tablespoon of garam masala. Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and translucent.

Add tomatoes and their juice to the pot and stir well. Add remaining garam masala and bring mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Add chickpeas and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes to let flavors develop. Optional – serve with rice and garnish with cilantro and chili flakes.

Many homemade backpacking meals are five ingredients or less. Here are a couple from our archives:

Broccoli Cheese Orzo

Chili Mac with Bacon

Post in partnership with REI and Emily is an employee. All opinions shared here are our own.

For the purists out there, I should specify that this Spicy Korean Lentil soup is not really Korean, but rather is influenced by the flavors of this cuisine.

This Spicy Korean Lentil soup has some real heat to it. It’s a peppery-slow-heat-in-the-back-of-the-throat kinda kick that decreases as your meal progresses. One interesting anecdote: I served it with rice and after each bite of rice, the heat factor came back! It’s like the rice cleansed our palates, and resensitized our taste buds to the spiciness.

We went to our favorite shop, The Cheese Cave, and got plenty of cheese (they recommended 7 lbs, so I got 11) to go with Aimee’s amazing Hazelnut Raisin Crisps. We found really great castelvetrano olives, and I wanted to do something a little more interesting to them than just put them out plain.

We’d been to a little tapas restaurant near us that makes excellent paprika olives, so we just made up a sauce recipe similar to what we had there. It turned out perfect without requiring too much effort. This recipe would be perfect on a day trip or picnic, and easy to make for a glamping party. I call castelvetranos “the gateway olive,” because they are buttery and salty, rather than the typical briny taste. See if you like them, even if you don’t think you like olives.

This is prime time for Joshua Tree National Park and I have been trying to squeeze in as many weekends there as possible. After going there mostly for climbing in the past 9 years, I also had a luxurious weekend of non-climbing (read all about Emily’s big horn sheep sighting here) and finally took some time to see both well known and lesser known sights in the park.

The first day we went on a two-hour guided walking tour of Keyes Ranch and learned all about Bill Keyes – a shady but very entrepreneurial character. On the second day, we hiked out to Samuelson’s Rock – an off-the-beaten path destination that you can only get to with a little cross-country hiking. There you can see many of John Samuelson’s quotes carved into rocks. It seems he had strong opinions, but maybe not the best grasp on grammar!

This Spicy Asian Penne pasta was really quick and easy – just what we wanted after a day of hiking around in the sun all day. I tend to crave Asian flavors but I wanted something a little heartier than rice or noodles so I decided to try penne pasta.

The portobello mushroom, sweet onion and bell pepper are no fuss vegetables that add a distinct flavor profile to the dish. Throw them into a foil pouch with sauce and put your campfire to work. The vegetables should be cooked and the sauce slightly thickened with some charring happening at the bottom of the pouch.

This dish has a lot of heat, so if you are a little more conservative with your spiciness, I recommend using less chili pepper. If you can’t find fresh peppers, red chili flakes will probably work as well.