Easy Bacon Mac and Cheese
One of the biggest complaints we hear about Mac and Cheese is that it makes a really big mess, and its tough to clean in the backcountry. We came up with an ultralight mac and cheese that is easy to make, and easy to clean. Plus, there’s bacon…enough said! Read on and get the recipe below.
Easy mac and cheese recipe
Mac and cheese is a classic american dish, and a staple for many backpacking diets. The powdered cheese is a convenient solution that offers thru hikers and long distance travels the reliability of food with a very long shelf life. Our recipe (listed below) uses fresh cheese, but you can substitute fresh for powdered cheese. There are several places online to buy powdered cheese, or if you have a dehydrator, do it yourself at home.
Couscous is our lightweight substitute for macaroni pasta, which takes longer to cook. If you’re looking for a gluten free version, try quinoa or rice instead of couscous. Couscous binds to the cheese, making this an easy to clean meal – just as long as you don’t burn the pot!
Pair mac and cheese with our ultralight Pulled Pork Sandwiches for an incredible dinner!
The best bacon
The highlight of this dish is of course, the bacon. But remember, this salty meat has a strong smell and quickly attracts animals. Cook bacon at home and seal in air tight containers or vacuum packed bags. If you need bacon quickly, many stores sell pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits toppings that are pre-packed. Bacon adds big flavor and muscle-repairing protein to this dish, but if you’re not a meat eater substitute dehydrated veggies or vegan jerky.
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Couscous Bacon Mac N Cheese
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
The benefit to this recipe is quick cooking, low fuel, lightweight ingredients, and delicious flavors. Oh, and there's bacon!
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
American
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Fresh Water
- 1/2 cup Dehydrated Milk
- 1 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese sliced or shredded
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Black Pepper
- 1 box Parmesan Couscous
- 1/2 cup Dehydrated Bacon Bits
Instructions
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Using a single burner one pot backpacking stove, bring water to a boil. Turn burner to low and add parmesan seasoning packet from couscous box, olive oil, salt, black pepper.
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Add box of couscous, shredded parmesan cheese and bacon bits to pot. Stir ingredients together for 1 minute. (save 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese for the topping).
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Turn stove off, top with a thin layer of parmesan cheese. Cover the pot with a lid. Let sit for 15 minutes.
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Lift lid, check to see if couscous is cooked. Couscous is merely small pieces of pasta, grab a kernel - if you can softly bite through the kernel the couscous is fully cooked.
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Stir, and serve.
Recipe Notes
This recipe goes great with our BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders.
