Just-Add-Water Tomato Garlic Couscous with Chickpeas, Spinach and Lemon
Boil 2¼ cups of water on a camp stove or over a campfire grate. Pour it over couscous, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste and spices in a pot, cover, and let it steep 10 minutes. Fold in spinach, lemon and feta. It takes about 25 minutes and uses one pot.
This is the dinner for the night you're tired, it's getting dark, and you want food fast. You boil water, pour it over the pot, and wait. No simmering, no scorching, no scrubbing.
The flavor comes from a dry spice mix and a few pantry items. Tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes give it a rich, savory base. Lemon and spinach keep it fresh. Mix the dry part at home and dinner takes a few minutes of real work.
Just-Add-Water Tomato Garlic Couscous with Chickpeas, Spinach and Lemon
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- High flame to boil, then off the heat
- Pack weight
- 3 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler optional
- One burner
- Low water
- One-pan cleanup
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- camp stove or campfire grate
- large pot with a tight lid (3 qt or bigger)
- small pot or kettle for boiling water
- measuring cups and spoons
- can opener
- fork and spoon for stirring
- bowls and forks
Steps
-
Boil the water
Measure 2¼ cups of water into a small pot or kettle. Bring it to a full boil on a camp stove or over a campfire grate.
-
Build the base
While the water heats, add the couscous, bouillon, garlic powder, paprika, oregano and sun-dried tomatoes to a large pot with a lid. Stir to mix.
-
Add the chickpeas
Stir the tomato paste and olive oil together in a cup until smooth. Add it to the pot with the chickpeas and stir so everything is coated.
-
Pour and steep
Pour the boiling water over the mixture and stir once. Cover tightly and let it sit off the heat for 10 minutes.
-
Fluff and wilt
Fluff the couscous with a fork. Fold in the spinach, cover for 2 minutes, then stir again until it wilts.
-
Finish and serve
Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and add salt and pepper. Top each bowl with feta and serve hot.
Trail Notes
At home, mix the couscous, bouillon, garlic powder, paprika, oregano and sun-dried tomatoes in a zip bag. At camp, dump it in the pot and start at step 3.
Keep the spinach and feta in the cooler at 40°F or below. Don't leave the feta out for more than 2 hours, and eat leftovers the same night.
No feta? Use a handful of toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds. Want more protein? Add a drained can of tuna or a pouch of cooked chicken at step 5, and keep leftovers cold.
Strain any food bits from your wash water and pack them out with your trash. Scatter the strained water at least 200 feet from streams, lakes and camp.
Campers ask
Can you cook couscous with just boiling water while camping?
Yes. Couscous is pre-cooked, so it only needs to soak up hot water. Cover the pot tightly and wait 10 minutes.
How much water do you need for couscous?
Use about 1 cup of boiling water per 1 cup of dry couscous. This recipe uses a little extra, 2¼ cups for 2 cups, because the sun-dried tomatoes absorb some.
Can I make this without a cooler?
Yes. Skip the feta and swap the fresh spinach for ½ cup of dried spinach or kale stirred in at step 3. Everything else is shelf stable.
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