Thru Hiker Approved Backcountry Meals
Being the backcountry doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice variety and taste on your regular meals. You just have to be a little more creative! Lucky for you, we are picky when it comes to making quality food while thru hiking and we want to share those recipes with you.
Peanut butter Thai Noodles
A simple yet elegant twist on regular ramen. It is also significantly cheaper than the dehydrated version.
What you will need:
Peanut butter
One ramen package
One tuna packet
*Soy Sauce packet
*Red pepper flakes packet
*Optional
Notes on the ingredient list:
Ramen flavor - any flavor of ramen with work. If I don’t have a soy sauce packet, then I like to use the soy sauce flavor. Otherwise I stick with the shrimp flavor.
Tuna packet - to give the noodles a kick we like to use a flavor that has a kick of a kick. The jalapeno or siracha flavors for tuna work well. I have also used a buffalo flavored chicken packet. If you are looking for something less spicy, then try an unflavored chicken packet.
#1 Cook the ramen as normal.
#2 Turn off stove, add desired amount of peanut butter and stir to melt.
#3 Once PB is incorporated, add protein packet.
#4 Add any additional flavorings as desired.
ENJOY!
Backcountry Stuffed Peppers
This is a great recipe for the night after town because it uses a fresh vegetable. The bell pepper adds a little bit of freshness to the meal. As an additional bonus, peppers tend to hold up better in your pack and they do not weigh a ton.
What you will need:
One Bell Pepper
One Spanish Rice Knorr Side
Protein - pepperoni, BBQ pulled pork packet, chicken packet
*Cheese
*Optional
Notes on the ingredient list:
Rice flavor - I personally like the Spanish rice flavor, but you can use other flavorings such as taco rice, etc.
Protein - The beauty of this recipe is that nearly any protein option will work. My favorite is a pulled pork packet if I can find it, but pepperoni works well too!
#1 Cook the rice as normal (hot or cold soaked.)
#2 While rice is cooking, cut the bell pepper in half and de-seed.
#3 Layer your protein in the bottom of the bell pepper.
#4 Once rice is finished, fill the peppers with rice.
Knorr packets make more rice than will fit in the pepper so you will be eating some it separately or share with another hiker.
#5 If you have it, parmesan cheese sprinkled on top is the chef’s kiss.
ENJOY!
Pepperoni Sliders
One of my favorites for either lunch or dinner. Due to the sizing of the ingredients, this will be something that makes multiple meals so we recommend utilizing across a resupply.
What you will need:
Pepperoni or salami
Cheese of choice
Hawiian rolls
*Mustard or Mayonnaise
*Optional
Notes on the ingredient list:
Cheese - Hard cheese hold up better not refrigerated. Examples: sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, provolone. Otherwise, cheese sticks or wax wrapped (Babybell) work excellently.
#1 Cut your roll(s) in half.
#2 Layer pepperoni/salami on roll.
#3 Add cheese to sandwich.
#4 If you have any condiments, add now.
ENJOY!
Hiker Trash Jambalaya
What you will need:
Seasoned jambalaya rice
Lil’ Smokies (tiny hotdogs)
*Red pepper flakes
*Optional
Notes on the ingredient list:
Seasoned rice - there are a number of brands that make something similar to this seasoning. Zatarain’s is the most popular. Make sure to buy the box with the rice and not the seasoning or liquid mix. As reminder, if you think you cannot eat the entire box you can pour out what you do into a Ziploc bag.
Lil’ Smokies - An entire package is between 12 - 16 oz so I recommend utilizing them as your protein option across multiple meals.
#1 Cook your rice as normal.
To save fuel, I only boil my rice for 3-5 minutes and then turn my stove and let the rice soak.
#2 Slice the lil’ smokies.
Cut in half to disperse evenly in rice.
#3 Add meat to the rice.
#4 If you have any condiments, add them now.
ENJOY!
Instant Cheesecake
Bet you never thought that you would be eating cheesecake in the backcountry! Most likely not going to be a meal, though no judgment if you decide to, but it does make a great desert. You can spilt it up across multiple days and use it as desert for 3-4 nights.
What you will need:
One box of Jello No Bake Cheesecake
*Sugar packets
*Optional
Notes on the ingredient list:
This is more for the packing of the No Bake Cheesecake. The box comes with two packets (1) cheesecake powder and (2) graham cracker crust. Pour the cheesecake powder into a Ziploc bag, this will be easier for making it and then allows you portion out across days if you wish. Pour about 1/4 of the graham cracker crust into a Ziploc bag to take with you, dispose of the rest. The crust weighs a fair bit and you will not use it all. That being said if you don’t want the crust, you can throw the whole away.
#1 Select your desired amount of cheesecake powder.
Pour it into whichever dish you are using - your pot, Ziploc bag, Talenti jar, etc.
#2 Add water, the colder the better.
The box calls for 1 1/2 cups of milk (water) for the whole box. If you are half then that is 12 oz, if you are doing a quarter then 6 oz. When in doubt add less water to begin with, adding too much water will prevent it from setting.
#3 Let sit for 1 hour. It can sit for longer, but minimum is an hour.
#4 When ready to eat, prepare the crust.
Add sugar packets to graham cracker crust with a few drops of water. Sprinkle on top.
ENJOY!
