Dinner Recipe: Jambalaya

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This is one of the first backpacking meals I prepared when I was starting to move away from prepackaged dinners, and it remains one of my favorite things to cook at the end of a long day on the trail. It’s based on a recipe from Adventure Journal, which uses orzo, but I find tiny acini pasta cook a little more evenly in this low-liquid setup. It can be made vegetarian by omitting (or substituting for) the freeze-dried chicken and stock packet.

  • 50 grams acini (“pepper seed” shape) or other very small pasta

  • 20 grams freeze-dried chicken

  • 4 grams freeze-dried peas

  • 4 grams freeze-dried corn

  • 4 grams freeze-dried sweet peppers

  • 4 grams tomato powder

  • 10 grams freeze-dried onion

  • 1 teaspoon freeze-dried or dehydrated garlic (perhaps less if using granulated garlic)

  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet/mild paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or one single-serving packet)

  • 1 chicken stock packet to make 8 oz stock

  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt), use 1 teaspoon salt if omitting stock packet

At home: Combine all dry ingredients (everything except the olive oil and stock packet) in a zip-top bag. If not using single-serving olive oil packets, package olive oil in a sturdy, leak-proof container (such as a small screw-top Nalgene bottle).

In camp: Bring 14 oz water to a boil. Add olive oil and contents of stock packet, then the dry ingredients. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is cooked through, 10-15 minutes depending on pasta size and your altitude. You will need to stir more frequently toward the end as the pasta absorbs the water. Another option is to let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes to finish cooking without worrying about scorching the bottom.

Nutrition: 540 calories, 35 grams protein.

Notes:

  • This recipe does involve some simmering, so if you’re using a stove that doesn’t simmer well, consider substituting instant rice for the pasta to make it a just-add-boiling-water meal. You’ll probably want roughly the same amount of water, and you’ll need to let it sit 10-15 minutes.

  • For more protein, slice up and stir in salami or summer sausage toward the end of cooking.

Sourcing:

  • Freeze-dried chicken can be purchased from Packit Gourmet, among other retailers.

  • Freeze-dried vegetables and tomato powder can be purchased from Packit Gourmet, North Bay Trading Company, and other retailers.

  • Single-serving olive oil packets are widely available online, including from Amazon.

  • Chicken stock packets (and other stocks) are also widely available in-store and online. My favorite brand is Savory Choice, but there are lots of options.