Comfort foods are the best. They serve the dual purpose of filling our stomachs while also filling our souls. Okay, that was way too cheesy! (Why yes, they often are cheesy.)
I’m always on the hunt for new campfire favorites. I like to have a good arsenal of things that are fun to cook and things that are easy to cook, depending on the camping trip. (If we’re not arriving and setting up camp until 7pm, that is probably not the night to try a complex dish.)
Focusing on the easy to cook category, I bring you veggie sausage pasta. This dish is a staple in my house. Noodles, sauce, protein, and veggies. It’s versatile, it’s fast, and it’s a great “veggie dump” dish. Meaning, I can throw in all the veggies that are about to go bad. You can use whole wheat pasta, chickpea pasta, chicken sausage, veggie sausage, whatever you want to make it as healthy or as unhealthy as you like.
Let’s cook!
This dish requires some prep work at home to make it easier while on the campsite. Precut your sausage and veggies, storing them in containers you plan to put in the cooler. Cook your pasta at home, also to bring in the cooler. I cook my pasta 3-4 minutes less than the recommended cooking time to avoid mush when it gets reheated on the campfire. I also rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking ASAP.
Here are my ingredients ready to go! And my super sneaky dog checking out the goods. I didn’t use all these veggies in this dish. I planned to use 1/3 for dinner, 1/3 for breakfast, and 1/3 for dinner the next night.
Preheat a cast-iron dutch oven or large skillet. I know it’s hot enough when I sprinkle on some water and it sizzles and evaporates quickly.
Add some oil to the bottom of your pan and let it heat. (I actually forgot the oil in my rush to pack. Whoops!) First in is the sausage! Cook until browned.
Once the sausage is browned, add the veggies. Cook these until they soften to your liking.
Then add your sauce. Heat this until bubbly.
Then dump in your pre-cooked pasta and heat it thouroughly.
And there you have it, ready to serve!
Feel free to add cheese, salt, pepper, hot sauce, or whatever you like. This is your comfort dish, after all!
Enjoy! And remember, no leftovers for the wildlife.