Easy Camp Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner
When I am camping or hiking, I crave hearty comfort food. I, however, don’t like carrying too much stuff to my campsite. Plus, I despise too much cooking clean-up when I am outdoors. I also have found that many camp comfort food recipes appeal to meat-eaters, which my husband is not. Because my husband has a plant-based diet, I have grown accustomed to figuring out ways to adapt classic food to meet his “I don’t want the corpse of an animal in my mouth” needs.
One day, as looking for easy camp meals that I could adapt for a plant-based eater like my husband, I came across the idea for Backpacker’s Thanksgiving Feast on Fresh Off the Grid. This meat-based recipe inspired me to figure out a similar meal for the plant-based eater.
I made it the first time on our July camping trip. My husband demanded that we have it again for our September trip. My husband loved it so much that we even made it at home!
Camp Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner Recipe
Here is the plant-based recipe for Camping or Backpacking Thanksgiving Dinner (adapted from Fresh Off The Grid’s meat friendly version).
Equipment Needed
Camp Stove or Backpacking Stove
I use my Coleman Classic 2 burner camp stove for car camping. It is cumbersome, so I would advise against it if you have some hiking to do before you get to your site.
For backpacking, or if I have to hike into my campsite, I use my MSR Pocket Rocket Delux. I like the Pocket Rocket Delux because it has a built-in igniter.
Fire
You may say, “but my stove has an igniter built-in.” My inner girl scout responds, “what if that fails?” I always bring a lighter and some waterproof matches on every camping or backpacking trip.
Pot
You will need a large enough pot to boil 3 ½ cups of water for two people. Halve it and the recipe if you are going solo.
Some time ago, I bought the MSR Pocket Rocket Stove kit, which included a 2L hard-anodized aluminum pot. This has been fantastic and very easy to clean in the outdoors.
If you are solo, you can opt to go smaller. I use the Toaks 750 ml pot with a bail handle when I do.
Bowls
I like to have two bowls for this recipe. Luckily, the MSR Pocket Rocket Stove kit came with two deep dish bowls.
Sporks
My favorite is the K-Bar Tactical Spork, which has a hidden pull-out knife. I always need a knife outdoors, and this one is nice and sharp.
Knife or Scissors
I usually travel with a Swiss Army Knife. I now love my K-Bar Tactical Spork, and bring that too. When camping, I typically bring a picnic paring knife that I found at Williams Sonoma.
Measuring Cup(s)
Both the MSR pot and the Toaks pot have lines on the inside of the pots marking measurements. For your reference 250ml = 1 cup.
Can Opener
If you are opting for the Campbell’s Mushroom Gravy. Or you can open it at home and put it in a ziplock to save on the weight of a can.
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups of water
- One box of Stove Top Stuffing
- One packet of instant mashed potatoes (I like Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes available in a 4oz packet).
- 2 Boxes of Lightlife Smart Tenders
- 1 Can of Campbells Mushroom Gravy or 1 packet of vegetarian gravy mix *
- 1 pat of butter (optional)
* Be sure to read the ingredients of all gravy mixes. Not all mushroom gravies are vegetarian. For example, McCormick’s has beef! Campbell’s mushroom gravy is vegetarian as of the publication of this blog.
Preparation Instructions
Place 3 ½ cups of water in your pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, empty the contents of the Stove Top Stuffing into one bowl with a pat of butter. Empty the contents of the mashed potatoes into another bowl. Once the water has come to a boil, pour 2 cups of water into the mashed potatoes. Stir with a spork to mix. Then place the remaining 1 ½ cups of water into the stuffing. Fluff the stuffing with a spork.
Using a knife, cut the Smart Tenders into smaller pieces. Open and pour the mushroom gravy into the pot (or prepare the gravy packet as directed). Add the Smart Tenders. Turn on heat to a low flame and stir frequently. When warm, remove from heat.
Divvy up the potatoes and stuffing and serve with smart tenders and gravy.
When I have the time and energy, I will also serve this with ears of corn. I prepare these by cutting off loose parts of their husks and placing the husks near my campfire (usually against the fire ring). I’d say put the corn in the fire about 15 minutes before starting the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner preparations.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
