Cooking with Shifting Gears

Cooking with Shifting Gears is a collection of recipes that serves as both a resource for backcountry cooking and a living story of the meals that the Shifting Gears community shares in the outdoors.

Breakfasts

  • Your preferred amount of instant oats with a combination of favorite toppings such as:

    • Seeds: chia, hemp, flax, pumpkin

    • Nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews

    • Nut butters: peanut, cashew, almond, mixed nut, hazelnut

    • Sweeteners: honey, brown sugar, date syrup, maple syrup

    • Dried or fresh fruits: berries, dates, raisins, tropical fruit, bananas

    • Dried milk powders: dairy, coconut, soy

    • Other toppings: chocolate chips, granola, trail mix, vanilla

    The Shifting Gears community loves these topping combinations:

    • Chia and hemp seeds with almond butter and dried cranberries

    • Salt, brown sugar, and nuts with coconut milk powder

    • Peanut butter, banana chips, and granola

    • Dried cherries and chocolate chips

    • Chocolate, marshmallows, and sprinkles

    • Honey and milk powder

    Tips:

    • Pour your hot water into an instant oatmeal package for a dish-free morning!

    • Enjoy your oatmeal in your mug and make tea in it afterwards for a speedy clean-up.

    • Add a splash of vanilla — it enhances the perception of sweetness!

    • Forage for nearby edible berries in bushes to add to your dish.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 1 cup instant rice

    • 1/4 cup coconut milk powder

    • 1-2 tbsp brown sugar

    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

    • 1/4 tsp cardamom

    • Pinch of salt

    • 1/4 to 1/2 cup freeze dried or dried fruit. I love freeze dried berries for this!

    Instructions: Bring 1 and 1/4 cups water to boil. Add in ingredients and stir well. Cover pot and turn off the stove. Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir before eating.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 1/2 cup dehydrated hash browns

    • 1/2 cup dehydrated beans

    • 1-2 tsp taco seasoning, adding salt if the mix does not already include salt.

    • Consider adding a handful of dried mixed veggies, summer sausage, cheese, powdered eggs, or greens!

    Instructions: Add ingredients to a pot and cover with water. Cook until everything is soft, adding water as needed.

  • Ingredients:

    Instructions:

Lunches

  • Tortillas are a light, versatile and delicious backcountry staple. Use a tortilla for a PBJ or wrap lunch of choice.

    • PBJ Wraps & Friends: any nut butters with fruit spreads, Nutella, honey, or pickles

    • Pizza Wrap: tomato pasta/tomato sauce, cheese, hard sausage, other toppings

    • Hummus Wraps: hummus or dehydrated hummus, veggies, Terra chips, potato chips or veggie chips, cheese, hard sausage, and sriracha

    • Burrito Frito Lunch Wraps: beans, rice, cheese, burrito toppings and Frito chips 

    • Trail Burrito: pre-prepared or left over dinners into a tortilla ex: curry wraps

    Other Wrap Ingredients:

    • Savory: cheese, sausage, pepperoni, hard salami, tuna/chicken/salmon packets, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, chickpeas or hummus, veggies, arugula, spinach, chips, pretzels

    • Sauces: sriracha/hot sauce, pesto, balsamic reduction, mustard, mayonnaise

    • Sweet: fruit, nut butters, marshmallow fluff, chocolate spreads, jellies, banana chips

    Tips:

    • Slide your tortillas down the back of your bag to keep their shape (and add back support!)

    • Save your sauce packets from fast food restaurants to add to your wraps in the backcountry.

  • Eat hearty snacks and bars all day while hiking to keep energy levels high before you make it to camp for dinner.

    Snack options:

    • Mixed nut trail mix

    • Sesame sticks

    • Protein bars

    • Dried fruit

    • Crackers, cheese, and sausage

    Make your own trail mix:

    The Shifting Gears community loves these snacks:

    • Nuts and dates smushed together

    • Tuna and mustard

    • Cucumbers (refreshing)!

Dinners

  • Ingredients:

    • Vermicelli rice noodles

    • Veggies: peppers, onion, garlic, broccoli

    • Coconut milk or powdered coconut milk

    • Sauce mix: soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey/brown sugar, chili/red pepper flakes/sriracha

    • Spices: curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper

    • Peanut butter 

    • Toppings: lime, peanuts, and scallions 

    Instructions: Chop and saute veggies in oil. Stir in coconut milk, soy mix and curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper (spices added to taste - the noodle base is plain, so sauce can be saltier). Stir in peanut butter until texture is smooth but still watery. Serve over boiled vermicelli rice noodles with lime, crushed up peanuts and chopped scallions. 

    As tasted on our Intro to Backpacking course:

    On our June 2026 Intro to Backpacking course at Backer Lake, our trip leader prepped the soy mix at home in a jar with ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and lao gan ma chili crisp. So, be creative and adjust the spices and ingredients to your favorite peanut sauce experience.

  • Ingredients per person: 

    • 1-2 packages of ramen 

    • A handful of peanuts or nut of choice

    • A few spoonfuls of peanut butter 

    • Brown sugar & soy sauce to taste 

    • Optional: shredded cabbage or Taylor Farms Asian Salad Kit 

    Instructions: Boil water in a pot and add ramen. When the noodles are done, drain leaving a little pasta water for the sauce. Add peanut butter, brown sugar and soy sauce/packet to taste. Add peanuts and/or salad kit to the top.

    This meal with a Taylor Farms Asian salad kit is perfect as a first night dinner in the backcountry for 2-3 people. It is easy, filling and a bliss of peanut butter. The peanut sauce can be made separately in a mug or bowl or in a pot to share. For a larger group consider bringing bulk ramen noodles or pouring boiling water into individual dishes with ramen. The peanut sauce can be made separately in a dish or pot to share. A peanut sauce can also be store-bought or kitchen prepped with peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, brown sugar/honey, lime, garlic, and red pepper flakes to store in a leftover peanut jar.

    Tips:

    • Try draining the ramen water into a mug and adding a seasoning packet for a warm and salty broth to drink with the PB ramen.

    • Any extra salad kit can be enjoyed with a fork mixed up in the bag.

  • Ingredients per person: 

    • 1 block of ramen or rice noodles (around 3-4 oz of noodles)

    • 1 peanut butter packet (like Justin's or Once Again)

    • 1 tbsp soy sauce (about 2-3 packets from restaurants)

    • 2 packets of lime powder (like True Lime)

    • Handful of dried mixed veggies

    • Pinch of chili flakes or a hot sauce packet

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp brown sugar

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ginger powder

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp onion powder

    • Handful of TVP or 1 packet of pre-cooked chicken

    • Small handful of peanuts

    Instructions: Add all ingredients (except peanuts and peanut butter packet) to a ziploc bag. When ready to cook, empty the bag of ingredients into the pot. Cover with water by about 1 inch. Cook until veggies are soft, adding water as needed. Add peanuts and peanut butter.

Peanut Noodles

Inspired by the popular Asian cuisine, backcountry peanut noodles exist under many recipes and names: whether sealed and store bought for backpacking, a hungry hiker's spoonful of peanut butter with ramen, or a prepared peanut sauce with veggies and rice noodles split up amongst packs, bikes, or boats, Peanut Noodles, like peanut butter, are a backcountry favorite.

Ramen & Curries

Ramen is an affordable, boil-only and salty backcountry meal with rockin’ add-ins. You can also either save the seasoning packets for hot broth or buy a package of plain ramen noodles at an Asian market.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 1 block of ramen noodles (without seasoning packet)

    • Handful of dried mixed veggies

    • 2 tbsp coconut milk powder - add more as desired while cooking

    • 2 tbsp curry powder - add more as desired while cooking

    • 1-2 packets lime powder (like True Lime)

    • 1 peanut butter packet (like Justin's or Once Again)

    • 1 bouillon cube

    • Handful of TVP or 1 packet of pre-cooked chicken

    Instructions: Combine all ingredients (except the packet of peanut butter and packet of lime powder) in a ziploc bag to pack in. When ready to cook, empty the bag of ingredients into the pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Cook until veggies are soft, adding more water as needed. Add the peanut butter packet in when food is done cooking. Add lime powder to taste.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 2 miso soup packets

    • Handful of dried mixed veggies

    • 1 block of ramen noodles (without seasoning packet)

    • Dried seaweed

    • Handful of TVP or freeze dried tofu 

    Instructions: Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag. When ready to cook, add all ingredients to the pot and cover by water by about one inch. Cook until veggies are soft, adding water as needed.

    The Shifting Gears community loves this version:

    • Boil broth with dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, a bouillon cube, and miso paste. Add to ramen.

    • Boil ramen noodles of choice, and then add miso paste, cilantro, scallions, garlic salt, and an egg (powdered or fresh). Once the egg is cooked, enjoy your egg ramen.

  • Ingredients: 

    • Ramen packet 

    • Instant mashed potatoes

    • Chunks of cheese 

    • Optional: veggies 

    Instructions: Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag. Add to boiling water or cold soak. 

    PCT-Hiker on the Ramen Bomb: What is a Ramen bomb? - Katrina Hemingway

  • Backcountry curries can be as easy as heating up a Tasty Bite™ package in a backcountry stove or as culinary as creating lentil curries with fresh veggies and fancy spices curry powder. Curries can be paired with naan for luxury solo trips or for groups with packs full of food, or the common, backpacking friendly instant rice or tortillas. These meals are filling and deliciously as spicy as you like! 

    Lentil Curry:

    • Lentils 

    • Veggies 

    • Instant rice

    • Coconut milk

    • Spices: curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, red chili flakes

    • Oil

    • Optional: naan, tortilla, pita bread

    Instructions: Cook rice in one pot. Heat oil and saute garlic and veggies in a pan. Add coconut milk, curry powder and spices to the pan. Add lentils. Cook slowly on low heat. Pour curry over cooked rice and enjoy!

    The Shifting Gears community loves these curry renditions:

    • Sweet potato curry with cubed sweet potatoes, onion, chickpeas, rice, lime, cilantro, curry spices, and coconut milk.

    • Japanese curry with Golden Curry Japanese curry mix, onion, potatoes, cauliflowers, carrots over rice.

    Tips:

    • Play around with the ingredients and spices at home to create the perfect ratio of ingredients before you prepare it in the backcountry.

    • Split red lentils cook the fastest!

  • Mac & Cheese is warm and filling after a long day outside, and it’s easy to make in a backcountry stove. Everyone likes their Mountain Mac & Cheese a little differently whether that’s a light weight freeze dried meal, boxed macaroni and cheese, or pasta with melted cheese and dehydrated milk. Here are some variations! 

    Ingredients:

    • Annie’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese (or other boxed Mac & Cheese) with cheese mix

    • Tuna/Chicken/Salmon packet

    • Powdered milk

    • Spices: red pepper flakes, pepper, salt, garlic powder

    • Optional:

      • Add veggies like onion, broccoli, or peppers.

      • Add dehydrated veggies.

      • Add summer sausage or hard salami instead of meat packets.

      • Add beans, tomatoes, and veggies.

    Instructions: Boil noodles and drain extra noodle water. Leave some water in the pot to hydrate the powdered milk. Stir in the cheese mix, powdered milk, spices, and any other additions. If adding veggies, saute them separately or boil them with the noodles. Mix in and enjoy!

    The Shifting Gears community loves these additions to mac and cheese:

    • Adding Sea Bear packets like smoked trout.

    • Add crushed up potato chips to the top for an added crunch!

    • Stir in chunks of white cheddar for an extra cheesy dish.

    • Mix falafel with water and cook in a skillet with oil. Add to boxed Mac & Cheese or melt cheese chunks with powdered milk in a pasta with pesto and bits of chickpea. Get fancy and make a roux with powdered milk.

    Tips:

    • Save and drink the noodle water for extra hydration. Can mix in a broth packet or make it a tea for added flavor.

    • Pack the boxed mac & cheese in a bag for easier packing.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 1 package shelf stable gnocchi

    • 2 pesto mix packets (like Knorr or Simply Organic)

    • 1/2 cup sundried tomato - dry, not in oil

    • Small handful of dried mixed veggies

    • Olive oil or butter

    • Optional: 1 tsp to tbsp of instant mashed potatoes for thickening

    Instructions: Combine sundried tomatoes, mixed veggies, and optional mashed potatoes in a ziploc bag. When ready to cook, empty the bag ingredients into the pot and cover by about 1 inch. Cook until veggies are soft. Add the package of gnocchi and about a cup of water. Cook until gnocchi is soft, adding more water as needed so that there is moisture in the pot but it isn't soupy. When gnocchi is cooked, add olive oil or butter and the pesto packets.

  • Ingredients: 

    • Tomato sauce (mix) or paste

    • Italian seasoning for sauce 

    • Pita, tortilla or pizza dough

    • Cheese of choice

    • Toppings of choice 

    Instructions: Prep the sauce with Italian seasonings. Add sauce, cheese and toppings to pita or tortilla. Cook until melted and warm. If packing a pizza dough, let the dough rise in a bag. Cook the dough in a pan with a little oil and add pizza toppings. 

    Tips:

    • Tuck it in a bag under your clothes against your skin to keep the dough baby warm before baking.

    • Set up tin foil or a heat shield around your pan to create diffuse heat. Elevate the pan above the flame by resting it on the heat shield.

  • Ingredients per person:

    • 1/2 cup couscous

    • Handful of dried mixed veggies

    • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes - dry, not in oil

    • 1 pesto mix packet (like Knorr or Simply Organic)

    • 1 bouillon cube

    • Handful of TVP or 1 packet of pre-cooked chicken pouch

    • Optional: olives in shelf-stable package

    Instructions: Combine all ingredients (except the pesto packet and optional olives) in a ziploc bag to pack in. When ready to cook, empty the bag of ingredients and the pesto packet into the pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Cook until veggies are soft, adding more water as needed. 

    The Shifting Gears community also loves:

    • Add cheese chunks to your couscous to make it cheesy!

Pastas & Pizzas

Taking your favorite pizzas ans pastas can be as easy as converting those same recipes to more lightweight, simplified, and packable ingredients. See the options for these dishes below!

Rice & Bean Dishes

  • This meal is easy, perfect for groups of hungry hikers, bikers, kayakers and other adventurers. These can have as many or as few ingredients depending on the adventure.

    Ingredients:

    • Instant rice

    • Dehydrated black beans or instant refried beans

    • Cheese of choice

    • Veggies (fresh or dehydrated): onion, bell peppers, garlic

    • Spices: salt, pepper, fajita seasoning, hot sauce

    • Optional: jalapenos, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, corn, sausage, tofu, sweet potato

    Tips:

    • If weight isn’t an issue, bring cans of beans, fresh bell peppers and onions, and a block of cheese.

    • Cheeses, sausages, or avocados always add an extra sparkle to a backcountry burrito.

    • Also consider adding salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and other front-country burrito essentials for trips like sea kayaking, multi-day rafting, or bike touring.

    • Try frying the whole burrito in oil in a hot pan!

  • Ingredients: 

    • Instant rice 

    • Veggies: onion, broccoli, peppers, snap peas, garlic

    • Tofu or packet of chicken

    • Oil

    • Soy Sauce 

    • Teriyaki Sauce 

    Instructions: Cook rice. Then, saute veggies in oil. Add in tofu or chicken, or cook seperately and mix with spices. Combine with rice, teriyaki and soy sauce. 

    Shifting Gears enjoyed this meal in a big group pot at surprise lake and added honey teriyaki ELENA WHAT WAS IT CALLED. (elevate)

  • Refried Beans and Rice

    Ingredients per person:

    • 1/3 cup instant rice

    • 1/3 cup instant refried beans

    • 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil

    • 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes

    • 1 bouillon cube

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cumin

    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika

    • Pinch of cayenne

    • Optional: add a handful of dried mixed veggies

    Instructions: Add all ingredients (except ghee/olive oil) to a bag. When ready to cook, add ingredients to a pot and cover with water by about 1/2 inch. Cook until ingredients are soft, adding water as needed.

    Vigo Red Beans and Rice

    Ingredients: 

    • Vigo Red Beans and Rice mix

    • Hard salami or summer Sausage

    • Cheese chunks 

    Instructions: Boil water. Add Vigo. Stir. Add sausage and cheese. Cook until done. See recipe here: Red Beans and Rice with Sausage - Vigo Foods

  • Imagine anything that goes in a wrap, burrito, or hot sandwich as a backcountry quesadillas. Ideas include mozzarella, tomato and pesto, pizza styles with tomato sauce cheeses, hard sausage and veggies, sausage and cheese, or other classic cheesy burrito-like ingredients

  • Ingredients per person: 

    • 1/4 cup instant rice

    • 1/3 cup red lentils or 1/2 cup dehydrated split peas

    • Handful of dried mixed veggies

    • 1 bouillon cube

    • 1/4 tsp of:

      • Onion powder

      • Garlic powder

      • Dried thyme

      • Dried rosemary

      • Dried basil

      • Dried parsley

    • Optional: 1 tsp to tbsp of instant mashed potatoes for thickening

    Instructions: Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag. When ready to cook, add all ingredients to the pot and cover by water by about one inch. Cook until lentils and veggies are soft, adding water as needed.

  • Ingredients: 

    Onion, oil, carrot, peanut butter, potato, tomato paste (tube), chicken bullion, spices (garlic, cumin, cayenne, ginger) key was to roast spices in the oil, and then to sauté the veggies. Served over rice. 

    • Onion

    • Potato

    • Carrot 

    • Peanut butter

    • Tomato paste

    • Chicken (or veggie) bouillon

    • Cumin 

    • Cayenne 

    • Spices: cumin, cayenne, ginger, garlic

    • Oil 

    Instructions: The aromatics are key. Toast the cumin, cayenne, and other spices in oil before adding the veggies to saute. This brings out the fullness of those spices. Saute the veggies and then add veggies, bouillon, and tomato paste together to create a stew. Cook rice in a separate pot. Serve the stew over rice.

    One-Pot African Peanut Stew - Making Thyme for Health

Soups & Stews

Sweet Treats

  • Ingredients:

    • Dehydrated berries (make at home or buy)

    • Packets of “TRUE Lemon”

    • Brown sugar

    • Granola of choice

    Instructions: at home, dehydrate frozen berries in oven (put them on a tray in an oven with parchment paper underneath, low temp, or in dehydrator, or buy freeze dried berries). To make the Berry Crumble in the backcountry, rehydrate the berries with TRUE lemon mixed with water, stir in brown sugar, and add granola to the top. Enjoy!

  • Ingredients:

    • Instant pudding mix of choice

    • Powdered milk

    • Oreos or other toppings

    Instructions: make the appropriate amount of milk by mixing powdered milk with water. Stir milk into instant pudding mix until it is a the preferred consistency. To serve cold, place the pudding into a Ziplock bag and set it into a cold creek to chill. Crumble oreos on top or add other toppings of choice, and serve!

Thank you to all of the backcountry chefs in the Shifting Gears community who contributed to this collection of recipes!

We especially want to thank the following collaborators who were interviewed on their backcountry cooking experiences.

Melissa Daniels

About Melissa:

Favorite Backcountry Meal: Curry Ramen

Cooking Advice: It doesn't have to be complicated or picture perfect. Just start somewhere.

Diane Bedell

About Diane:

Favorite Backcountry Meal: Instant Oatmeal with French Press Coffee

Cooking Advice: Diane recommends bringing a lightweight French press for coffee in the mornings!

Hannah Baggs

About Hannah:

Favorite Backcountry Meal: Pesto and Falafel Mac & Cheese

Cooking Advice: You should eat something that tastes good. It doesn’t need to be freeze dried. If you enjoy it, backcountry cooking can be as elaborate as what you are willing to carry.

Elena Mederas

About Elena:

Favorite Backcountry Meal: Backcountry Brownies

Cooking Advice: Know how your stove works and practice with your equipment first. Start with food that just needs boiled water, like pasta dishes. If you can boil water you can eat, drink, and purify water!

Bella Mueller

About Bella: Bella loves to fill up her bear can every time she backpacks and always seems to be surprised when her pack is heavy. She enjoys cooking in the backcountry with friends, family and even strangers, and she hopes that through this cookbook she can share her love for backcountry food culture.

Favorite Backcountry Meal: Peanut Butter Ramen

Cooking Advice: Don’t be afraid to take your favorite foods into the backcountry or take a backcountry recipe to your table at home. Try new and weird things! Food is fun.

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