Pasta Salad Backpacking Recipe
I’d classify this pasta salad as one of the easier backpacking recipes in my rotation. Aside from a little prep, there’s no much in the way of cooking so I can breeze through meal prepping.
The other thing I love about this recipe is how quick and easy it is while backpacking. Since it’s cold soaked, you don’t need a heat source or to dirty a bunch of dishes. Just drop this in a sealable container with water for 2-3 hours and it’s ready to eat!
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Pasta Salad Backpacking Recipe
Ingredients
- Elbow pasta [2 cups]
- Chickpeas [2 16 oz cans]
- Red bell pepper, diced [2]
- Red onion, diced [1]
- Cucumber, diced [1]
- Cherry tomatoes, diced [2 cups]
- Garlic powder [1½ tsp]
- Oregano [1½ tsp]
- Black pepper [1 tsp]
- Red pepper flakes, optional [1½ tsp]
- Salt [1½ tsp]
- True Lemon [4 packets]
Servings: 4
Cost per serving: $3.18
Calories per serving: 400
Macros per serving: 80g carbohydrates, 17g protein, 4g fat
Personally, I think the True Lemon is the star of the show in this backpacking recipe. I’ve accidentally forgotten to add it before and without it there’s a significant drop in flavor!
I hadn’t heard of crystalized lemon or lime prior to starting my dehydrated backpacking meals journey and now I’m obsessed. Usually, I can find these at my local grocery store in the baking or canning aisle. If all else fails, they’re also available on Amazon.
Instructions
At home:
For better texture when rehydrating, it’s best to cook and dehydrate your pasta. Don’t ask me why – that’s above my pay grade.
Boil water, add pasta and cook until el dente. I find that subtracting one minute from the el dente instructions on the box works best and prevents the pasta from getting to mushy when cold soaked.
Remove from heat, strain, rinse in cold water to stop cooking. (You know, your normal pasta cooking process…)
Dice your red onion, cucumber, pepper and tomatoes.
For best results, use similar size cuts for more even dehydrating (I use this veggie chopper from Amazon for even cuts and to drastically speed up my prep time.)
Drain and rinse canned chickpeas.
Line your dehydrator trays with parchment paper or silicon mats, then spread pasta, chickpeas, onion, cucumber, pepper and tomatoes evenly on trays.
NOTE: I find it easiest to separate each ingredient on a different tray. Since they do not always dehydrate at the same rate, this makes it easier to continue dehydrating the ingredients that need more time while removing the trays that are done.
Dehydrate at 125°F for approximately 10 hours. Your actual time may vary depending on water content in your ingredients and the ambient humidity in your home. I find that my tomatoes tend to take significantly more time than my other ingredients.
You’ll know when things are fully dehydrated because they will be firm, not squishy, sticky or tacky. It’s totally fine to increase the dehydrating time, but it’s best not to increase the heat (a lower setting is best for veggies.)
Combine seasoning in a bowl and mix. Set aside, then package with pasta mix once dry and ready to store.
If you plan to eat within a month, store in sealable ziplock bags in a cool, dark location. I like to add a food-grade moisture absorber, particularly in more humid summer months.
For storage up to 6 months, vacuum seal and freeze.
At camp:
Place ingredients in a spill-proof container (I use a soup tupperware container with a screw top) with 1 cup of water. Shake, and allow to soak for at least 2 hours.
I recommend checking on your progress occasionally. If all water has been absorbed, but pasta is still crunchy add more water.
When ready to eat, add True Lemon packet and enjoy!
TIP: Add the True Lemon packet slowly, tasting the flavor as you go. It’s surprisingly potent, and if you aren’t a big Lemon lover (I am!) then an entire packet may be more than you like.
