Quick, Easy, One Pot Camping Meal: Vegetarian Pesto Quinoa
I’m currently on a three-month-ish USA Road Trip (you can read my more real-time updates here). I’ll be staying at a mix of hotels, AirBnBs, and campsites, and likely my car at some point.
To save money, I don’t want to east out every meal so I plan to make some of my meals. BUT I also don’t have an RV, camper van, or a ton of room in my CRV so my cooking equipment is limited to some camping basics – mini camping burner, two small pots, small skillet-ish thing, etc.
Oh, and I don’t have a mini fridge or cooler. I also don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing meals. All this to say….it’s time to get creative cooking without a kitchen!
I kicked off the trip at San Onofre Bluffs Campground just south of San Clemente, California with a successful first meal: Vegetarian Pesto Quinoa. I had it for two meals and have approved it for the meal rotation.
Ingredients
Trader Joe’s Pesto Quinoa (alternative: Plain Quinoa & Jar of Pesto)
Can of Chickpeas
Sundried Tomatoes
Optional: Plain Quinoa
Sort of Recipe
Combine pesto quinoa, chickpeas, and desired amount of sundried tomatoes in a pot and heat to desired temperature, stirring relatively frequently. Enjoy!
Notes & Modifications
- The Trader Joe’s Pesto Quinoa has a string flavor which could be too much for some. I recommend adding in some plain quinoa which spreads the flavor love a bit and makes the meal go further. I added plain quinoa to the leftovers (about ¼ cup uncooked) and it was perfect.
- The Trader Joe’s Pesto Quinoa is not made with pine nuts (perhaps, because as I’ve previously discussed, pine nuts are expensive AF) so if you want some added nutrition buy a pesto that is made with them, but expect to spend a little more cash-money.
- “Technically,” you are supposed to refrigerate the Trade Joe’s pesto quinoa after opening but I figured the oil was enough of a preservative to last another day. Ate the leftovers the next day for dinner with no gastrointestinal disturbances.
Healthy Things About this Meal
- Chickpeas = Protein, fiber, iron. More on chickpea nutrition.
- Quinoa = Complete plant based protein. More on quinoa nutrition.
- Sundried Tomatoes = Vegetable, iron. More on sundried tomato nutrition.
Have your own favorite easy campsite meals? Leave a comment or shoot me a message! I’m learning as I go here.
