Dutch Oven Vegan Jambalaya with Smoked Mushrooms and Red Beans over the Campfire
Brown mushrooms in a 12-inch Dutch oven over medium coals, then cook down onion, pepper and celery, toast the spices and add tomatoes, beans, broth and rice. Cover and simmer over low coals for about 25 minutes, rest 10 minutes, and fluff. It takes about 70 minutes total and feeds 6.
This is a Louisiana-style one-pot dinner with no meat at all. Browned mushrooms and smoked paprika give it the deep, savory flavor you'd normally get from sausage. Red beans make it filling.
It cooks in one pot with a few coals under it and a few on the lid. Rice is the one part that needs care, so we'll cover how to keep it from scorching. Make it at the end of a trail day and everyone eats from the same pot.
Dutch Oven Vegan Jambalaya with Smoked Mushrooms and Red Beans over the Campfire
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Heat
- Medium coals under, low coals on lid
- Pack weight
- 4 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler optional
- One burner
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 12-inch Dutch oven with lid (5 to 6 qt)
- Lid lifter or heavy gloves
- Long-handled spoon
- Shovel and tongs for coals
- Cutting board and knife
- Can opener
Steps
-
Build the coal bed
Burn a fire down to a bed of glowing coals, about 30 minutes. Set a grate or a ring of rocks over medium coals and put the Dutch oven on it to heat.
-
Brown the mushrooms
Add the oil and mushrooms in one layer. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only every couple of minutes, until deep brown and the liquid has cooked off.
-
Soften the vegetables
Stir in the onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for the last minute.
-
Toast spices and paste
Add the tomato paste, paprika, thyme, oregano and cayenne. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the paste darkens and smells rich.
-
Add rice and liquid
Stir in the tomatoes, beans, rice, broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, scrape the bottom, and season with a little salt and pepper.
-
Cover and simmer
Put the lid on and move the pot to low coals, with a few coals on the lid. Cook 25 minutes without opening for the first 15, and turn the pot a quarter turn every 10 minutes to avoid hot spots.
-
Rest the rice
Pull the pot off the coals and keep the lid on for 10 minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid absorbed. If it's still crunchy, add 1/4 cup hot water and cover for 5 more minutes.
-
Fluff and serve
Remove the bay leaves and fluff with a spoon. Top with green onions and pass the hot sauce.
Trail Notes
Dice the onion, pepper and celery at home and carry them in a zip bag in the cooler. Mix the paprika, thyme, oregano and cayenne in a small jar so camp prep is just opening cans.
Use black-eyed peas or pinto beans instead of kidney beans. Sliced plant-based smoked sausage can go in with the beans, if you like it.
Cooked rice spoils fast. Get leftovers into the cooler within 2 hours, eat them within a day, and reheat to 165°F. Keep fresh mushrooms and chopped vegetables cold until you cook.
Cook in an established fire ring and drown the coals until cool to the touch. Scrape stuck rice into your trash bag, and strain dishwater and scatter it at least 200 feet from water.
Round out your camp day
Picked to work with the same kit as this recipe.
BreakfastCast-Iron Vegan Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos with Black Beans and Avocado
LunchDutch Oven Pizza Biscuit Pull-Apart Bites with Warm Marinara
Snack or treatCampfire Pie Iron Pizza Pockets with Mozzarella and PepperoniMore one-burner camping meals →Planning a trip? Get the free 3-day meal plan →
Campers ask
Can you make jambalaya in a Dutch oven over a campfire?
Yes. A Dutch oven holds steady heat for the 25-minute rice simmer. Use low coals under the pot and a few on the lid.
How do you keep rice from burning in a campfire Dutch oven?
Move the pot to low coals once it boils, don't lift the lid for the first 15 minutes, and turn the pot a quarter turn every 10 minutes. A thick layer of cooked vegetables on the bottom also helps.
What replaces sausage in vegan jambalaya?
Well-browned mushrooms, smoked paprika and kidney beans give it the smoky, meaty bite. Add plant-based smoked sausage too if you want.
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