This recipe is a variation of Minestrone – Dehydrated for Camping in which I use full-sized beans instead of lentils. It makes 6 servings and can be ratioed up or down for different numbers of people.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

1 carrot, minced

1 cup tomato sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil

1-1/2 cups beans

1 Knorr Homestyle chicken stock tub, or chicken bouillon cube

6 oz. small pasta

8 oz. good quality salami

6 oz grated parmesan cheese.

At home, soak the beans and then make the bean and vegetable base. Put oil in the pan and sauté the minced vegetables until softened. Add the beans and toss. Add the tomato sauce and water and cook the beans until soft. The objective is to add just enough water to cook the beans and not burn them, and not so much to make a soup which will later need to be dried.

Once the lentils are cooked, put them into a dehydrator until dry.

It is a good idea to periodically stir the lentils and break up clumps to help them evenly dry out.

When fully dry put the bean/vegetable mixture into a sandwich zip lock baggy.

Put the pasta in another sandwich zip lock baggy. Place the bean baggy, the pasta baggy, the chicken stock tub/cube, the salami, and the parmesan cheese into a gallon size zip lock baggy.

At camp, dice and fry the salami. Add the bean mixture, the chicken stock tub/cube, and about 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and let stand until the bens are rehydrated. Bring back to a boil, add the pasta and additional water as required. Again, the objective is a moderate amount of water – enough to cook the pasta and prevent burning, but not too much since the final product is a one-pot soup. Cook until the pasta is done.

When done put in bowls and serve with the grated parmesan.

Tested at home, took 10 cups of water, 20 minutes on the stove to rehydrate the beans and vegetables and 10 minutes to cook the pasta.

Variant if there is a vegetarian in the crew:  Dice the salami but keep it separate.  Have the meat-eaters include it in their bowls of soup. The vegetarians can add more cheese to their bowls.