Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
For these macaroni and cheese recipes, I recommend borrowing the cheese powder and macaroni from Annie’s Homegrown or Back to Nature brands. These brands contain no artificial ingredients and the cheese powder rehydrates into a nice cheesy sauce. You will use one third of the cheese power and almost half of the macaroni from the package for these recipes. I usually assemble several meals at one time using the contents from several boxes. Nothing goes to waste.
For milk powder, I recommend NIDO brand Instant Dry Whole Milk.
To learn more about dehydrating meat and vegetables for these mac and cheese recipes, review the dehydrating meat and dehydrating vegetables pages.
Ham and Cheese Macaroni
Ingredients:
- ¼ Cup deli ham, dried
- ¼ Cup mixed vegetables, dried (corn, carrots, peas, and green beans)
- ½ cup macaroni
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cheddar cheese powder
- 1 Tbsp powdered milk
- 1¼ Cups water
At Home:
Combine ham, vegetables, and macaroni in a 4 x 6 plastic bag.
Combine cheese powder and instant dry milk in a 2 X 3 plastic bag. Enclose the smaller bag in the larger bag and seal.
On the Trail:
Add all ingredients except the cheese/milk powder to your pot with water. Allow contents to rehydrate for five minutes.
Light stove, bring to a boil, and continue cooking with the lid on for two minutes.
Stir in cheese/milk powder, put the lid back on, and place pot into insulating pot cozy. Wait ten minutes for the meal to continue rehydrating and cooking inside the cozy.
Kickin’ Veggie Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
- ¼ Cup dried cherry tomato slices
- ¼ Cup dried mixed peppers, onions, mushrooms
- 2 slices dried jalepeno peppers
- Pinch red pepper
- ½ Cup macaroni
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cheddar cheese powder
- 1 Tbsp powdered milk
- ½ tsp taco seasoning
- 1¼ Cups water
At Home:
Combine vegetables, macaroni, and red pepper in a 4 x 6 plastic bag.
Combine cheese powder, instant dry milk, and taco powder in a 2 X 3 zip
style plastic bag. Enclose the smaller bag in the larger bag and
seal.
On the Trail:
Add all ingredients except the cheese/milk/taco seasoning to your pot with water. Allow contents to rehydrate for five minutes.
Light stove, bring to a boil, and continue cooking with the lid on for two minutes.
Stir in cheese/milk/taco powder mix, put the lid back on, and place pot into insulating cozy. Wait ten minutes for the meal to continue rehydrating and cooking inside the cozy.
Taco Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
- ¼ Cup ground beef, dried
- ¼ Cup mixed vegetables, dried (bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms)
- 2 slices dried jalepeno peppers
- ½ Cup macaroni
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cheddar cheese powder
- 1 Tbsp powdered milk
- ½ tsp taco seasoning
- Pinch red pepper
- 1¼ Cups water
Taco Mac & Cheese is the same recipe as Kickin’ Veggie Mac & Cheese with dried ground beef or chicken substituted for tomatoes. If you prefer a less spicy meal, you may omit the taco seasoning and jalepeno peppers.
At Home:
Combine vegetables, macaroni, and red pepper in a 4 x 6 plastic bag.
Combine cheese powder, instant dry milk, and taco powder in a 2 X 3 zip
style plastic bag. Enclose the smaller bag in the larger bag and
seal.
On the Trail:
Add all ingredients except the cheese/milk mix/taco seasoning to your pot with water. Allow contents to rehydrate for five minutes.
Light stove, bring to a boil, and continue cooking with the lid on at medium to high heat for two minutes.
Stir in contents of the cheese/milk/taco powder mix, put the lid back on, and place pot into insulating cozy. Wait ten minutes for the meal to continue rehydrating and cooking inside the cozy.
More Mac & Cheese Recipes
How to make tomato sauce leather and Macaroni with Cheesy Tomato Sauce.
How to Make Chili and Chili Macaroni and Cheese.
Return to backpacking recipes for supper.
Click here for information about purchasing dehydrated vegetables and meat for these recipes.