Louisiana Red Beans & Rice from Backpacker’s Pantry is a dehydrated pouch meal meant as camping supplies but certainly suitable as fairly shelf-stable and compact storage food that doesn’t need refrigeration. You add boiling water to the pouch, stir, seal it up for about 20 min, and eat. There are two 300 cal servings in each pouch, and the retail cost is a bit under $4.
This waterproof pouch with a ziplock to reseal during preparation holds two 300 cal servings for a little under $4.
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice cooked as directed
Following the directions precisely gave me this: The water was not fully absorbed by the meal, leaving a layer of ‘sauce soup’ on top of the rice and beans. I sealed it again and gave it another 15 minutes.
Peeking inside the pouch when the directions indicated it should have been ready revealed something more soup-like than expected.
After the second pause, water absorption was better but not complete. I didn’t want the food to get too cold (it was lukewarm by now), so divvied it up to give it a try. Here was one serving:
Half the pouch worth of food, after the second rehydration period.
Quantity is good, how about the quality?
This was a satisfying amount of food, and extraordinarily simple to prepare. It’s good stick to your ribs fare for a body that’s been working. The beans had good texture and flavor. The rice was just a bit on the chewy side yet (not fully rehydrated) and flavorless as only white rice can be. The heat level of the spices was very pleasant; some heat but not eye-watering. Beyond heat and beans though the flavor was pretty bland. The ingredients showed a bit of tomato, onion, and garlic, but it wasn’t enough to add significant flavor. It’s vegan and gluten free, for those who care.
Nutritionally, not bad at all…because, Beans. The beans donated most of the food value: 12 g protein, plenty of fiber, good iron (35% RDA), respectable contributions of Vit A and C and calcium. No disturbing chemical additives, although it had an eye-popping quantity of sodium (half the RDA, over a gram!) Very little fat.
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice Pros:
Easy to prepare comfort food in a satisfying-feeling portion. Respectable nutrition. Light and comes with its own cooking container. A much shorter ingredient list than many prepared foods, so could make a good choice for people with multiple sensitivities.
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice Cons:
Not very flavorful. The ‘add boiling water and wait’ method of cooking didn’t do a completely thorough job of it, and left the food lukewarm. 300 cal for a serving is good for a camper who’s hanging out watching sunsets and wants to save room for s’mores later, but would be light if you were actually trying to make miles on foot.
Pro tip:
I suspect cooking it in a way that you could add more heat than the boiling water itself brings would improve the rice texture and soupiness issues. Having a varied garden salad on the side (hey, it’s May as I write and the garden is overflowing with salad fixings) improved the meal considerably.
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice from Backpacker's Pantry
4.00
Pros
- Good packaging, can cook in pouch
- Easy to carry
- Good shelf life
- Good nutrition
Cons
- Bland. Needs additives
- Not fully cooked via-directions
- Not many calories for hiking