Dutch Oven Enchilada-Style Chili Mac with Torn Corn Tortillas and Red Sauce
Brown ground beef with onion and spices in a 12-inch Dutch oven over medium coals or a medium stove flame. Add red enchilada sauce, water, beans and elbow macaroni, then simmer about 13 minutes, stirring often. Fold in torn corn tortillas, melt cheese on top, and serve in about 50 minutes total.
Think of an enchilada casserole and a pot of chili mac having a good idea together. The red sauce coats the pasta, and the corn tortillas soften into tender, toasty-tasting ribbons that thicken the pot. It is a different bowl from the usual tomato-and-chili-powder chili mac.
Everything cooks in one Dutch oven. You stir a lot, but you never drain anything. Cook it at the end of a day on the trail, put the pot in the middle of the table, and let people top their own bowls with sour cream, cilantro and lime.
Dutch Oven Enchilada-Style Chili Mac with Torn Corn Tortillas and Red Sauce
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals or medium flame
- Pack weight
- 5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 12-inch Dutch oven with lid
- Campfire grate or camp stove
- Long-handled wooden spoon
- Heat-proof gloves
- Cutting board and knife
- Can opener
- Bowls and spoons
Steps
-
Prep the pot
Dice the onion, mince the garlic and tear the tortillas into strips. Set a 12-inch Dutch oven on a grate over medium coals or a stove burner on medium and add the oil.
-
Brown the beef
Add the beef and cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Ground beef must reach 160°F, so cook it all the way through.
-
Soften the onion
Add the onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until soft. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
-
Add liquids and pasta
Pour in the enchilada sauce and water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the beans, corn and dry macaroni, making sure the pasta is mostly under the liquid.
-
Simmer and stir
Bring to a gentle bubble, cover and cook 12 to 14 minutes. Stir every 3 minutes so the pasta does not stick. The macaroni is done when tender and the sauce is thick. If it gets dry, add a splash of water.
-
Fold in tortillas
Stir in the torn tortillas and cook uncovered 2 to 3 minutes. They will soften and thicken the sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
-
Melt the cheese
Scatter the cheese over the top, cover and take the pot off direct heat. Wait 3 minutes until the cheese is melted. If you are using coals, a few on the lid speeds this up.
-
Top and serve
Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream, cilantro, scallions and a squeeze of lime. Serve hot.
Trail Notes
Keep the beef at the bottom of the cooler, sealed in a zip bag, and cook it the first or second night. Mix the chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt in a small bag at home so there is less to measure at camp.
Dice the onion and mince the garlic at home and store them in a sealed container in the cooler. Shred the cheese ahead too. Leftovers must go into the cooler within 2 hours of cooking and be eaten within a day.
Swap the beef for a second can of beans and add a can of drained black beans. Use shelf-stable shredded cheese or a hard aged cheese that keeps, and skip the sour cream.
Scrape bowls and the pot into a bag and pack out food scraps. Strain dishwater, pack out the solids, and scatter the water at least 200 feet from streams, lakes and camp. Let the coals burn down and drown them completely.
Round out your camp day
Picked to work with the same kit as this recipe.
BreakfastDutch Oven Sausage, Potato and Egg Breakfast Bake
LunchCast-Iron Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet with Whole-Grain Mustard
Snack or treatCampfire Skillet Bacon-Wrapped Almond-Stuffed DatesMore one-burner camping meals →Planning a trip? Get the free 3-day meal plan →
Campers ask
Can I cook chili mac with enchilada sauce in a Dutch oven over a campfire?
Yes. Set the Dutch oven on a grate over medium coals, not open flame, and stir often so the sauce does not scorch. Rotate the pot if one side runs hotter.
Why do the tortillas go in at the end?
Added early, they turn to paste before the pasta is done. Two to three minutes is enough to soften them and thicken the sauce.
How do I keep chili mac from sticking to the Dutch oven?
Use enough liquid, stir every few minutes and keep the heat at a gentle bubble. Scrape the bottom each time you stir.
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