Three Square
Car-camping classics in all their one-pot vegetarian glory
Mountain Skillet
Fried potatoes, peppers, onions, cheesy scrambled eggs, and sausage. What more could you ask in a camping breakfast? This hearty single-skillet meal can be made on a camp stove or over an open fire. The trick is fried potatoes (a.k.a. home fries) that don’t take a million years to cook, and the secret to that is finely dicing the taters. If you prefer those big potato chunks like you see at your local diner, that’s fine, too, just be prepared to cook them about twice as long. We aren’t that patient, so we typically aim for ¼-inch to ½-inch cubes. The same goes for the peppers and onions: The smaller you cut them, the faster they cook. Assess your crew’s hunger level before you start slicing the veggies!
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided
- ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ¼-inch to ½-inch cubes
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ pound veggie sausages (about 6 links)
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped green onions, ground black pepper, and hot sauce to serve
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the potatoes and cook, turning occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add half the remaining oil and the green bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes until the pepper begins to soften, then add the onion and salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes more, until the onion is soft and begins to take on color. Add the sausage and cook until browned.
- Thoroughly beat the eggs in a bowl. Once the potatoes and vegetables are soft and browned, push them to the edge of the skillet, add the last splash of oil, then pour the eggs and shredded cheese into the center of the pan. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs, and fold in the vegetables once the eggs are set.
- Remove from heat and top with sliced green onions, cracked pepper, and hot sauce if desired. Serve hot.
Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes
This vegan version of sloppy joes uses red lentils, diced peppers and onions, and a tangy tomato sauce to recreate the flavor of the original—without the mystery meat. We’ve been fans of sloppy joes since our childhood, but as we’ve grown older and wiser, we’ve gotten increasingly skeptical of their provenance. So we decided to create our own vegan version, with the same sweet and tangy flavor as the original but using more healthful ingredients. The sloppy joe sauce can (and probably should) be premixed at home, so you needn’t bring all the individual ingredients—mustard, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder—to the campsite. Store your sauce in a resealable container in the cooler. We like to serve these on slider buns, but you can use whatever buns you have available. Pair with coleslaw or your favorite chips and you have a quick and easy camping lunch that is sure to be a hit.
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 Anaheim pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup red lentils
- 1½ cups water (or broth)
- Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Buns
- At home: Combine mustard, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, and salt. Mix well and store in a reusable container.
- In camp: Using a medium pot, heat the oil over medium flame then add the chopped onions and Anaheim pepper. Sauté until soft and the onions have just begun to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the red lentils and 1½ cups water or broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not falling apart, adding more water as needed.
- Add the premixed sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Serve on toasted buns with whatever toppings and sides you love.
Vegetarian Chili Mac
Combining the smoky and spicy flavors of chili with the rich creamy texture of homemade mac and cheese, this one-skillet chili mac hits all the right notes. While chili mac can be made with as little effort as combining a can of chili and a box of store-bought mac and cheese, making it from scratch gives you a lot more control over the ingredients and a much deeper flavor. For our chili base, we start by sautéing chopped poblano peppers and onions. Once they’ve softened and begun to turn translucent, we add in the “ground beef.” We use plant-based Impossible Burger, which in a recipe like this is indistinguishable from ground beef. Once browned, we add the garlic, tomato paste, and spices. If you’re cooking over a campfire and don’t have good simmer control, not to worry. If things brown and stick to the bottom of the skillet, just add the dry macaroni, beans, and water or broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape the skillet with your spatula to release all those savory browned bits from the bottom. Now you’re just simmering the liquid to cook the pasta. Once the pasta is al dente, there should still be a little liquid left to mix in the shredded cheese. To serve, top with green onions, sliced jalapeños, and of course more cheese.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 poblano pepper
- 12 ounces plant-based ground meat substitute
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup elbow noodles
- 14.5-ounce can kidney beans, drained
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- To serve: minced red onion, jalapeño, scallions
- In a large skillet or pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and poblano and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the ground meat. Using your spoon or spatula, break apart the meat and cook until browned. Add the tomato paste, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and sauté for a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the noodles, kidney beans and broth, and stir to combine. Cook for about 10 minutes (unless the noodle packaging denotes a different cooking time), stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cheese and remove from the heat. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.
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