This is a hearty soup that is great to prepare and enjoy at home, then dehydrate to be enjoyed again on the trail or around the campfire. After cooking, place in dehydrator at 155 degrees Fahrenheit until completely dehydrated, then place in vacuum seal bags. I usually divide the bags into 2 cup (pre-dehydrated) quantities.
Ingredients
· 64 oz chicken broth
· *Optional: Ham bone simmered with broth for one hour
· 2 Butternut squash chopped
· 2 medium sized sweet potatoes chopped
· ½ pound ham finely chopped
· 1 large onion finely chopped
· 1 stalk celery finely chopped
· 1 large carrot finely chopped
· 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
· 1-2 tbs creole seasoning
· 1 tsp black pepper
· 1 tsp cinnamon
· *Optional: 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped
Directions
· Simmer squash and sweet potatoes in broth until tender
· Mash until smooth
· Add the remaining ingredients and slow cook until vegetables are tender
After dehydrating and vacuum sealing, store your trail soup in the freezer until your trip.
When it comes time to rehydrate, add bag contents to 2 cups of water on camp stove and heat while stirring occasionally until desired consistency is reached. Be careful not to scorch.
For a fuel conserving variation, add 2 cups of water to the vacuum sealed bag and roll closed. Gently rock or mix for 20 minutes to bring your soup back to life, then heat on camp stove.
Enjoy!