3 Mouth-Watering Homemade Backcountry Meals

Nothing quite satisfies like a home-cooked meal in the backcountry. Try these three amazing backcountry meals on your next adventure.

Big, Bad Backcountry Burritos or Nachos

This burrito recipe is guaranteed to please. For some crunch, try using tortilla chips (best tried on short trips before the chips get smashed in your bag)

Serves: 1

What you’ll need:

• One serving (around a two-inch slice) of salsa leather. Made by dehydrating your favorite salsa
• ¼ cup of dehydrated kidney beans
• ¼ cup of dehydrated black beans
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated onion slices
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated bell pepper
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated shredded potatoes
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated corn
• 3 tbsp of taco seasoning or season to taste
• Tortillas or corn chips
• 2 cups of water

How to cook it:

Place all of the ingredients in your cook pot, tearing the salsa leather into small pieces. Add around 1 ½ cups of water. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, mashing the salsa leather part way through. If the leather doesn’t mash, it’s ok, it will during cooking. Cook off excess water and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Mash leather and beans as desired. Scoop out contents into a burrito, or use chips as a spoon. Pro Tip: For shorter trips garnish with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. This should last a day or two in the backcountry. Add some jerky or dehydrated chicken for extra protein.

The Best Ramen You’ll Ever Taste

Forget overly-salty cups of noodles, this backcountry ramen will satisfy your noodle fix in a hurry. Serves: 1

What you’ll need:

• 1 tbsp of dehydrated green bean pieces
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated carrot slices
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated onion pieces
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated green peas
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated corn
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated celery slices
• 1 tsp of dehydrated parsley
• ½ tsp of dehydrated finely chopped garlic
• ½ tsp of dehydrated finely chopped ginger
• 1 veggie bouillon cube
• 1-2 packets of instant noodles, without the spice pack

How to cook it:

Place all of the ingredients, except the noodles in your cook pot. Add 2 cups of water and let the mixture stand, covered, for a half hour. Crunch up the noodles and add to the mixture, then bring the soup to a boil, stirring often. Once the noodles are cooked through, the dish is ready. Pro Tip: Save soy sauce packets from your favorite Asian take-out for an added salt boost. Garnish with the soy and enjoy.

Simply Delicious Pasta in Red Sauce

Bring the taste of Italy to your backcountry cooking arsenal with this simple pasta and red sauce dish.

Serves: 1

What you’ll need:

• One serving (about ½ a cup wet) of red pasta sauce leather
• One serving (about ½ a cup) of dehydrated spaghetti pasta.
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated onion
• 1 tbsp of dehydrated bell pepper

How to cook it:

Break up the sauce leather into small pieces. Put all of the ingredients in a pot with around 2 cups of water. Cover the pot and let it stand for 45 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixture to evenly coat in sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Check noodles to see that they are cooked through, add more water if required. This step can be a hassle, so be patient. Once the noodles are cooked you’re ready for some delicious backcountry Italian. Pro Tip: Cooking pasta in the backcountry is messy business. By dehydrating cooked pasta, you eliminate the need for a pot full of starchy water. Thin pasta, like thin spaghetti and angel hair, works best. To make dehydrated pasta break up pasta into small pieces, cook, strain, then lay the pasta on lined dehydration trays. Make sure that the pasta isn’t clumped up, as this will mean more time for the rehydration process. These recipes are only the beginning. Go ahead, spice it up and customize these recipes to your tastes. The combinations are enldess.