Three Bean Chili Mac

The smoky three bean chili mac will make all the other hikers jealous!

Nutrition Estimates (Per Hungry Hiker Serving)

500 calories, 23 grams of protein

Chili Ingredients (Makes One Large Crock Pot of Chili!)

  • 15.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed
  • 15.5 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed
  • 15.5 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 15.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 3 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Chili Mac Ingredients (Feeds One Hungry Hiker)

  • 1 serving dehydrated chili 
  • ½ cup dehydrated pasta
  • 2 tsp nutritional yeast

Preparation & Assembly

  1. Prepare the chili by adding all the ingredients to a crock pot and cooking on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours
  2. Place silicon sheets or parchment paper on your dehydrator trays
  3. Scoop the chili onto the dehydrator trays and spread it in a thin layer. Tip: dehydrate one serving of chili per dehydrator tray. For me, two heaping scoops is one serving, and is also the perfect amount of food per dehydrator tray!
  4. Dehydrate the chili for 8-10 hours at 135F. The chili should be brittle when fully dehydrated.
  5. Cook the pasta. I recommend using elbow noodles or other small pasta. 
  6. Spread the pasta on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 135F for 6-8 hours. 
  7. Store dehydrated ingredients in mason jars if not using soon
  8. To assemble, combine the ingredients in a bag
  9. Add an oxygen absorber and heat seal the bag if not eating soon

“Cooking” On the Trail

  1. Remove the oxygen absorber from the bag
  2. Add 1.5 cups of boiling water
  3. Mix well, and seal the bag
  4. Wait 20 minutes
  5. Enjoy! 

Tips:

  • The weight of the dehydrated ingredients should be about 5.3 oz
  • If you want to increase the caloric density of this meal, add olive oil after rehydrating the meal on the trail. You can also add Fritos!
  • If you prefer spicy chili, substitute the can of diced tomatoes for a can of diced tomatoes with green chili peppers. This is how I prefer to make my chili!