Vegetarian Entrées

Recent Vegetarian Entrée Reviews

Peak Refuel Butternut Dal Bhat

A lovely, creamy, curry-spiced freeze-dried meal. Back to the winter proving grounds for another test run of a freeze-dried meal.  This one, like the previous review, is another dal bhat. A wee reminder: bhat is a rice soup, and dal is a relative of the humble lentil.   So this, this is called a dal bhat, but it's not actually a dal bhat. See, it's got no dal. It does have rice, and lentils, and chickpeas, and chunks of butternut squash. Given the coconut milk curry sauce and the squash and the… Full review

Firepot Dal and Rice with Spinach

A traditional Himalayan offering from a small British company. Low-fat, low-sodium, vegan. I've had this sitting in my food box since before the pandemic. I don't know if I bought it or if it was gifted to me. It certainly looks interesting, though. I've had dal bhat before, albeit a cream-sauce-based variety—which is, apparently, not entirely traditional?  So, "dal" is a legume akin to a lentil. And "bhat" is rice. While these British fellows don't call this meal "dal bhat," dal bhat is essentially… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Hatch Green Chili Mac & Cheese

Much like their Three Cheese Mac & Cheese, this offering from Backpacker's Pantry is just a little weak. A word on flavor: "Yes."  A generous portion of hatch green chiles give this meal a solid spice-level, making for a pleasant mid-dayhike meal. The single-serving portion guaranteed no loginess, but left me a bit hungry before the hike was finished. I reckon this makes it the perfect size for a shared side-dish at the end of a long day of backpacking, or for those with smaller appetites. But… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Three Cheese Mac & Cheese

Nothing special, sadly. Remember the old lady from the Wendy's commercials back in the '80s?  Allow me to refresh your memory, with a bit of alteration for context. "WHERE'S THE CHEESE?" This is called Mac & Cheese, and there was cheese (and mac), but....  I expect better from Backpacker's Pantry. I expect more from anything calling itself "Mac & Cheese." I don't expect nearly 100% of the r.d.a. of sodium from a relatively small portion of relatively bland pasta and dairy. This wasn't… Full review

Stowaway Gourmet Chana Masala

A lovely, creamy break from the usual salt-bombs. Another solid meal from a relatively new company, Stowaway Gourmet's Chana Masala is a pretty darn tasty dish. It is perhaps a little on the small size for an end-of-day backpacking meal, but it is just the right size for a midday meal on a long day hike. I added an extra quarter cup of water and an extra five minutes of rehydration time based on the usual requirements of rice—it was not necessary. This may have contributed to a perceived mildness… Full review

Bushka’s Kitchen Lentil Lunch

This is a delightful, cold soaked meal for a lunch or dinner on a hot hiking day when trying to make miles. Almost like a light soup, but cold...   This is a nice, delightfully filling, cold-soaked meal for lunch or dinner on a hot hiking day. I found this aromatic when I opened the pouch, with a sweet nice smell to it.  You can see the fresh ingredients—lentils, cucumber, apple, bell peppers, onion, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic powder, dill,… Full review

CampFare Brown Rice and Red Quinoa

Great for tacos!! I went camping with my husband and kiddo in Colorado and was excited to try some of these! We are avid backpackers and I thought the idea of these only having to be warmed was genius!!! I hate having to sit and watch noodles or rice boil. We used these as a taco filler and I will admit after a long day of hiking, there was no way near enough for the three of us in one package. Definitely a 1-pack to 1-person ratio. Also, if you are backpacking and in need of high calorie food,… Full review

CampFare Brown Rice and Red Quinoa

I was extremely impressed with these camping meals and plan to use them again for future trips. I hope they start making more varieties and types because having something this tasty that is this easy to prepare opens up so many new options for backcountry meals. I was super geeked to try out these gourmet camping meals. I do a ton of backpacking, pack-rafting, and camping trips, so I am always looking for ways to step up my meal planning. The meals came in a few different options—chicken, beef,… Full review

CampFare Brown Rice and Red Quinoa

Easy to make, but not worth the price Being an avid backpacker and a vegan I’ve spent a lot of time trying out different camp meal brands and unfortunately I don’t think this brand got it right enough for me to purchase this particular item again. Let’s start with the pros: easy, packable, decent serving size. All you have to do with the meal is throw the bag in hot water. The packaging is such that you could toss the outer cardboard envelope and just pack the boil bag to save space. The amount… Full review