Dutch Oven Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Brown sliced smoked sausage and onion in a Dutch oven over medium coals or a camp stove. Add dry macaroni, water, evaporated milk and spices, then simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often. Stir in broccoli for the last 3 minutes, then melt in sharp cheddar off the heat. Total time is about 45 minutes.
This is one-pot mac and cheese with no draining and no separate pasta water. The macaroni cooks right in the milk, and the starch turns the sauce thick and creamy. Smoked sausage adds salt and smoke, and broccoli gives it some green.
The main job is stirring. Pasta sticks to a hot Dutch oven if you walk away, so keep the heat medium and scrape the bottom every minute or two. Evaporated milk is shelf-stable, so the only things you need cold are the sausage and the cheese.
Dutch Oven Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals or medium flame
- Pack weight
- 4 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
Gear you'll need
- 6-quart Dutch oven with lid (flat-bottomed, or the camp style with legs, if cooking on a stove)
- Grate for the fire, or a camp stove
- Long-handled wooden or metal spoon
- Heat-proof gloves
- Cutting board and knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Can opener
Steps
-
Prep and set up
Slice the sausage, dice the onion, mince the garlic and cut the broccoli into small florets. Set a grate over medium coals or a flame, or use a camp stove burner, and put the Dutch oven on it without the lid.
-
Brown the sausage
Heat the oil, then add the sausage coins. Cook 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned at the edges.
-
Soften the onion
Add the onion and cook 3 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
-
Add pasta and liquid
Pour in the dry macaroni, water and evaporated milk. Stir in the paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder and salt, then bring to a gentle boil.
-
Simmer and stir
Lower the heat to a steady simmer, or slide the pot to the cooler side of the grate. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every minute or two and scraping the bottom, until the pasta is nearly tender.
-
Add the broccoli
Stir in the broccoli, cover, and cook 3 minutes more. The pasta should be tender and the sauce loose but creamy.
-
Melt in the cheese
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cheddar a handful at a time until it melts. Make sure the sausage is steaming hot, at least 165°F.
-
Rest and serve
Cover and let it sit 5 minutes so the sauce thickens. Season with pepper and more salt to taste, then serve right from the pot.
Trail Notes
At home, dice the onion, mince the garlic, slice the sausage and shred the cheese. Bag each separately and keep the sausage and cheese cold. This cuts camp prep to almost nothing.
Keep the sausage and cheese at 40°F or below until you cook, and use them within 2 days of packing. Eat leftovers within 2 hours of cooking or toss them.
For a meatless version, skip the sausage and stir in 1 can (15 oz) of drained white beans with the broccoli. Use pepper jack instead of cheddar for some heat.
Scrape the pot into a bag and pack out the scraps. Strain dishwater through a bandana or mesh strainer, pack out the solids, and scatter the water at least 200 feet from streams and lakes.
Campers ask
How do you cook mac and cheese in a Dutch oven over a campfire?
Set the Dutch oven on a grate over medium coals and simmer the dry pasta in water and evaporated milk for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often. Take it off the heat before you stir in the cheese so it melts smooth.
How do you keep pasta from sticking to a Dutch oven?
Use medium heat, not high flames, and stir every minute or two, scraping the bottom. If it gets thick, add a splash of water.
Can you make camp mac and cheese without a cooler?
Mostly. Evaporated milk and dry pasta are shelf-stable, but the cheese and sausage should stay cold. For a no-cooler trip, use a hard aged cheese for the first day or two and skip the sausage in favor of canned white beans.
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