I like to make this recipe when the group I paddle with is out for a week long or better trip. Even though the recipe looks large, once you've tried it you'll realize how easy it is to dehydrate and cook at camp.
Lazy Cabbage Rolls
1 - small to medium sized head of coarsely cut cabbage (dehydrated)
2 - large cans of tomato sauce (dehydrated and ground into powder)
1 - can diced tomatoes (dehydrated)
1 - pound lean cooked ground beef (dehydrated)
1 - package of Uncle Ben's precooked heat and serve rice
1/2 cup - dehydrated or store bought dried onion flakes
Some - salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika
Yield: Feeds three to four hungry canoeists.
NOTE on the Cabbage: When drying the cabbage, fill the trays up! Layer the coarsely cut cabbage on each tray very thickly. The trays should be overfilled which will sometimes cause the trays to not stack properly. The trays will settle as the cabbage dries. One head should fit in a four tray dehydrator and look very overfilled as the trays will not nest properly if at all. Trust me, it will not look that way the next day after it dries. Cabbage dries really well and you'll end up with next to nothing after it dries. You should end up with one fully stuffed medium freezer bag of dried cabbage for every small head of cabbage dried. Or one large freezer bag with lots of room left over.
Dry the tomato sauce as leathers and grind them into powder using a blender or other similar device. Turning it into powder speeds up the re-hydration process. Store the powder in it's own bag.
Dry the diced tomatoes and ground beef and store them in a separate freezer bags.
Preparing the Meal at Camp
Rehydrate the cabbage, diced tomatoes, ground beef and onion flakes in a single pot with enough warm water to cover the mixture by two inches. Add more as the water is absorbed.
After about five to six hours or soaking bring the mixture to a boil to cook the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is heated well but not cooked to the point of being soggy. El Dante is best.
Drain the water off into a separate pot leaving enough water in the cabbage mix equal to half the height of the mixture in the pot.
Stir in the tomato sauce powder a bit at a time into the pot with the cabbage. As you add the tomato sauce powder and the sauce thickens, slowly add in small amounts of the drained water as needed while adding additional tomato powder until you get the desired consistency. Always add water sparingly. It's easier to add a little bit of water than it is to boil it off.
Then add in the the package of rice.
Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to taste.
Gently heat for another 5 to 10 minutes and add additional drained water as needed to keep the consistency.
Serve and enjoy.
Feel free to modify this recipe with a bit of imagination, extra ingredients and a few spices of your liking. Rehydrated dried mushrooms and maybe olive oil pan fried peanuts or almonds for crunch comes to mind as I'm writing this post. The possibilities are endless.
This recipe, like all recipes, are not carved in stone. You can play with the ingredients in any recipe until it turns into the one that works for you. You just have to take the time to experiment. You can use any spice you like in any quantity that floats your boat. But above all, never fear playing with new ingredients. Always fear never trying something different when cooking.
Other Uses for Dehydrated Cabbage
Dehydrated cabbage can also be used as a coleslaw too. Just rehydrate the cabbage for three or four hours in water, drain and then add in your favorite dressing.
Yours in Cooking,
Tripper
Lazy Cabbage Rolls
1 - small to medium sized head of coarsely cut cabbage (dehydrated)
2 - large cans of tomato sauce (dehydrated and ground into powder)
1 - can diced tomatoes (dehydrated)
1 - pound lean cooked ground beef (dehydrated)
1 - package of Uncle Ben's precooked heat and serve rice
1/2 cup - dehydrated or store bought dried onion flakes
Some - salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika
Yield: Feeds three to four hungry canoeists.
NOTE on the Cabbage: When drying the cabbage, fill the trays up! Layer the coarsely cut cabbage on each tray very thickly. The trays should be overfilled which will sometimes cause the trays to not stack properly. The trays will settle as the cabbage dries. One head should fit in a four tray dehydrator and look very overfilled as the trays will not nest properly if at all. Trust me, it will not look that way the next day after it dries. Cabbage dries really well and you'll end up with next to nothing after it dries. You should end up with one fully stuffed medium freezer bag of dried cabbage for every small head of cabbage dried. Or one large freezer bag with lots of room left over.
Dry the tomato sauce as leathers and grind them into powder using a blender or other similar device. Turning it into powder speeds up the re-hydration process. Store the powder in it's own bag.
Dry the diced tomatoes and ground beef and store them in a separate freezer bags.
Preparing the Meal at Camp
Rehydrate the cabbage, diced tomatoes, ground beef and onion flakes in a single pot with enough warm water to cover the mixture by two inches. Add more as the water is absorbed.
After about five to six hours or soaking bring the mixture to a boil to cook the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is heated well but not cooked to the point of being soggy. El Dante is best.
Drain the water off into a separate pot leaving enough water in the cabbage mix equal to half the height of the mixture in the pot.
Stir in the tomato sauce powder a bit at a time into the pot with the cabbage. As you add the tomato sauce powder and the sauce thickens, slowly add in small amounts of the drained water as needed while adding additional tomato powder until you get the desired consistency. Always add water sparingly. It's easier to add a little bit of water than it is to boil it off.
Then add in the the package of rice.
Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to taste.
Gently heat for another 5 to 10 minutes and add additional drained water as needed to keep the consistency.
Serve and enjoy.
Feel free to modify this recipe with a bit of imagination, extra ingredients and a few spices of your liking. Rehydrated dried mushrooms and maybe olive oil pan fried peanuts or almonds for crunch comes to mind as I'm writing this post. The possibilities are endless.
This recipe, like all recipes, are not carved in stone. You can play with the ingredients in any recipe until it turns into the one that works for you. You just have to take the time to experiment. You can use any spice you like in any quantity that floats your boat. But above all, never fear playing with new ingredients. Always fear never trying something different when cooking.
Other Uses for Dehydrated Cabbage
Dehydrated cabbage can also be used as a coleslaw too. Just rehydrate the cabbage for three or four hours in water, drain and then add in your favorite dressing.
Yours in Cooking,
Tripper
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