Friday Foods – #VanLife Nacho Pasta

This week’s installment of Friday Foods is a bit different. Rather than pulling a tried-and-true recipe from our favorite cookbook, A Fork in the Trail, we’re sharing a recipe Heidi and I concocted while living in the #YourLead van. It’s not gourmet, but it’s a fun twist on two favorites of ours, nachos and mac & cheese. Plus, it’s been tested and approved!

When living in a van, you don’t exactly have a spacious kitchen or pantry, so you need to be resourceful with the ingredients you buy. Can an item be used in a variety of recipes? Will it spoil quickly? Will you get sick of it after eating it three days in a row?  No? Sold! It gets a coveted ride in the van. 

#VanLife Nacho Pasta

Makes 2 servings

2 cups pasta (any shape—get creative!)

1 cup black beans

1 cup chickpeas

1 tomato

1 avocado

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup pepper Jack cheese

1/4 cup Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup salsa

At Camp

Bring a salted pot of water to boil and add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, drain the black beans and chickpeas into a leakproof container (this follows Leave No Trace principles!). Dice the tomato and avocado.

When the pasta is ready, drain it carefully into the leakproof container. Top pasta with remaining ingredients; then relax and enjoy!