This recipe is a crowd favourite – we’ve made it a few times by now, but it keeps being suggested by friends for camping trips.
A beany, hearty, flavourful stew is perfect when you’re in the outdoors, especially if it’s a touch chilly in the evening. What makes it even better is that there are numerous possible variations on the base recipe, which means each time you make it, it’s a little different! Since the main source of protein here is the beans and quinoa, this can also be easily customised to be soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free.
Some other ideas include
- play with the amount of water: make it soupier, or dryer
- play with the level of spiciness: add jalapeño peppers to the stew, or adjust the amount of cayenne pepper
- switch up the type of canned beans: go all black, all pinto, all red, or 1 of a different type
- gluten-free version: choose a gluten-free vegan ground meat or sausage
- soy-free version: skip the vegan ground meat/sausages (to the best of my knowledge, most of them contain soy). There’s enough protein in the chili from the beans and quinoa, so this is strictly for taste/texture. You can also substitute soy-free veggie bites/crumble (like this one).
- use fresh vegetables: nearly anything goes in a chili, some options are – mushrooms, carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, greens like kale or chard, corn etc.
- play with the toppings: in the recipe below, I’ve included a list of optional toppings. There’s some overlap between those and the trail tacos recipe, so you could buy larger quantities and get two meals out of it.
Let me know if you come up with a new variation and try something that’s not on this list here!
While the preparation is pretty easy, the recipe does call for some bulky ingredients, so it is best made when front-country camping or kayak camping. We’ve also made it during a backcountry trip with a very short hike in. Anywhere where the weight of a few cans of goods won’t be a massive burden.
Easy Camping Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 cans beans any type
- 2 packs vegan ground meat or cut-up vegan sausages (optional)*
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 150 g quinoa
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced**
- 1 medium onion diced or half-slices
- 2 peppers diced
Spice mix***
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tbsp soup broth powder
- a dash of cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings
- Cilantro
- 1 lime
- 2 avocadoes
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 200 g shredded vegan cheese
Instructions
At Home
- Put the spice mix in one container. Keep the salt and pepper in a separate container as you would be adding that to taste.
- Feel free to pre-chop the onions, pepper and garlic to save time at camp; they can also be transported together with everything else in one container, or kept separate.
At Camp
- In a bit of water, add the garlic, onion, peppers and cook till the onion is translucent. Add splashes of water as you go to prevent sticking. Sprinkle in about 1-2 tsp of salt, to help soften the vegetables faster.
- Add in the spice mix, and stir so that everything is well mixed.
- Throw in the vegan ground meat, if using, and use the spatula to break it up into small pieces. Also throw in the remaining ingredients. Rinse and drain the beans if you’re able to, otherwise throw it in as is. Rinse the can of diced tomatoes with some water and pour that into the chili so as not to waste any of the flavour. If the consistency is too thick, add more water; it will thicken even more as the quinoa cooks.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer until the quinoa is cooked. Do a final taste test and add more water, salt or pepper if needed to achieve the desired taste and consistency.
