There are fewer meals hikers love more than Mac 'N Cheese. When I was thru hiking on the AT, Mac N Cheese night more often than not meant a box of the cheapest stuff at the store without any milk or butter to make it more delicious. Then, you’d wipe the pot clean with whatever kind of bread you had to clean it up. Mac 'N Cheese is a fun comfort food, but when you’re making your own meals with nutritional factors in mind a box of the cheapie stuff just won’t do. Here’s my recipe for Trail Mac that will definitely leave you wanting more!
Trail Mac - 1 serving
1/2 cup macaroni of your choice (does not need to be precooked!)
1/4 cup dehydrated veggies
1/2 tsp dried onion flake
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cheese powder
1 tbsp full fat powdered milk
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp red pepper flake
At home: Add the macaroni, dehydrated veggies, and onion flake into a sandwich size zip top bag. Add the cheese powder, milk powder, and spices to a smaller snack size zip top bag and mix to combine. Seal the smaller bag, add to the larger bag, and seal.
On trail: Add macaroni to your pot and cover with water (just to the tops of the pasta). Bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes to avoid sticking. Cook pasta to desired level of doneness and stir in the contents of your spice/cheese packet. Let meal sit, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.