Backcountry Gourmet: 3 Backpacking Recipes That Evoke Trail Envy

Kiss cans goodbye, and don’t even think about touching that mac n’ cheese. These easy-to-follow backpacking recipes will keep your tent mates happy and full.

Eating just about anything after a long day of hiking tastes incredible. It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures. For whatever reason, the trail affects your taste buds.

Often hikers choose pre-packaged meals that require less effort over meals with fresh ingredients. But imagine creating a meal that tastes phenomenal at home and transporting it to the trail. Your mind and tastebuds will thank you.

Below are three recipes, all cooked in two Sea to Summit Alpha Series pots. Make these meals on short backpacking trips or at home.

Note that these recipes take longer than usual and likely do not comply with a fast-and-light ethos. But for casual backpackers that take in the sights and care about eating delicious food (who doesn’t?), this list is for you.

This article is sponsored by Sea to Summit. The following three recipes, all of which are dairy and gluten free, were made in the brand’s Alpha Series Cookware. 

Gourmet Backpacking Recipes: Frittata

This classic baked egg dish is best done in a cast iron skillet in the oven. But for backpacking, you can still pull it off with a simmering stove and some patience. The ingredient list is for a classic variation but is by no means the only version. Feel free to add cherry tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

Before you get cooking, have everything ready to go. This entire dish takes 20 minutes to cook (depending on your stove).

Begin by adding the vegetable oil to the pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with the boiled potatoes, sliced 1/4 of an inch thick.

Layer on the ham, and then pour in the 4 beaten eggs.

Lightly stir in the spinach and top with the cheddar cheese.

Salt and pepper can be incorporated into the eggs before cooking or sprinkled on top when the dish is complete. Your choice.

Light your stove and turn the heat down as low as it goes. Cover your pot for roughly 20 minutes.

Check in on your frittata every 5 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to the pan.

The dish is complete when all of the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted.

Serve and garnish with scallions.

Immediately soak your pan. There will likely be some scrubbing involved, but the hard-anodized surface of the Alpha Pot will easily cope with the scouring side of a sponge.

Gourmet Backpacking Recipes: Pad Thai

There are premade pad thai sauces, but most of them have ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, fillers, and binders. Stick to fresh ingredients, and you won’t be disappointed. A couple of the ingredients are a little harder to find. But most major grocery stores now have decent Asian food sections.

Start by boiling some water for the rice noodles. These will cook very quickly and will continue to cook in the sauce later, so leave them al dente, or slightly firm.

Strain the noodles and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and translucent (3 minutes depending on your stove).

Stir in tamarind paste, crushed red pepper, brown sugar, and fish sauce.

Toss in rice noodles and stir until evenly coated.

Set aside the rice noodles and stir in the egg. Scramble until cooked, and then toss them into the rice noodles and sauce.

Top with crushed peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice.

Garnish with scallions.

Gourmet Backpacking Recipes: Jambalaya

Traditional jambalaya is a mix of chicken, sausage, and shrimp. But for this backpacking recipe, we’ll stick to things with a longer shelf life – like fully cooked andouille sausage.

Pro tip: For space savings, many of the dry and wet ingredients can be combined together to save room and packaging.

Start by sautéing the garlic, onion, and red pepper in 2 tablespoons of oil on low for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.

Then add everything else, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

For hotter-burning stoves, you’ll need to stir more frequently to avoid rice getting stuck to the pan and burning. The anodized aluminum spreads heat well, and the larger-radius curve between the base and the walls of the Alpha Pots makes simmering and cleanup a breeze.

Serve with a scallion garnish.

–For further information and more great recipes you can make using Alpha Cookware, click here.