Trail Food Recipe: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

A standard recipe I include in most resupplies. Hearty, flavorful and easy to package up since everything* goes in together!

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz Angel Hair Pasta Nests

1/2 cup Freeze-dried Ground Beef

2 Tbsp Tomato Powder

2 Tbsp Spaghetti Sauce Mix

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Basil Leaves

2 TbspToasted Pine Nuts (Opt)

1 Tbsp Parmesan

1/4 tsp Salt and Pepper

*2 Tbsp Olive Oil (Always added when preparing on the trail, not when packaging.)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the ingredients (excluding olive oil) in a meal pouch or prep bowl, crushing the pasta slightly so it takes less space and mixes with the ingredients better.
Remove as much air as possible and seal.

PREPARATION:

Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 2 Tbsp olive oil to the meal pouch.
Let sit in a meal cozy or other insulated container.
Stir well and dig in.

A Word or Two About the Ingredients

My preference is always more natural, less processed foods. You might be thinking "Isn't freeze-dried food pretty processed?" Well, yes, but you might be surprised at how simple and natural it is with very little added. The process of freeze-drying is the "preservative" so there is generally not a lot of other added stuff.

You can, of course, use any other pasta that suits your fancy and has a fairly quick cook time. I really like these nests because it's pretty good pasta and absorbs well. The nest shape is also pretty convenient to package.

Tomato powder isn't something we would normally have in our pantry, but it's a really great and useful (essential, even) ingredient in hiker food! I love this Hoosier Hill Farm brand in general, and their tomato powder is clean and high quality. 100% tomatoes!

Where I deviate a bit from my general rule is for the occasional sauce packet! In this case, 3 of the 4 first listed ingredients are they kind of thing that makes me put something back on the shelf at the grocery store: Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, and Maltodextrin. Ugh. BUT, in this recipe they do serve a purpose. That little bit of starch helps to thicken the sauce so it's not "spaghetti soup."

And I'd say the same thing about the parmesan. Normally I would choose a fresh parm but since it's going in the recipe and won't be refrigerated, I figure a little preservative might serve a purpose there, too. Now, even though the jar says to refrigerate after opening, I think it's pretty safe without.