If you’re looking to break into the homemade dehydrated backpacking meal scene, it is important to keep it simple. With little room for error, this dehydrated Hatch Green Chili Mac and Cheese is the perfect recipe to try.

After way too many store-bought meals left me feeling bloated and lethargic, I decided to start making my own meals. My goal was to create recipes I was excited to eat, not just because I was starved.

Three years later, the upfront cost of my dehydrator and upgrading my backcountry kitchen setup has been more than covered by not having to purchase over-priced backpacking meals at the store.

If you want to give it a try, this is the perfect creamy mac n’ cheese to test out. Let’s get into it!

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Making Your Own Hatch Green Chili Mac and Cheese Backpacking Recipe

The best part about this recipe is that all of the ingredients are easy to dehydrate, and there isn’t really room for error. You’re only dehydrating two ingredients and creating a sauce using pre-dehydrated, store-bought ingredients.

Most dehydrated mac and cheese fails because the cheese separates, the pasta turns to mush, and the entire meal tastes like glue. Not that I would know what glue tastes like…

This recipe solves all three problems.

First, we’re going to use small pasta shapes like ditalini or elbow macaroni and precook the pasta until al dente.

Second, our cheese powder mixture will use cornstarch as an emulsifier, keeping our cheese powder smooth and ready to enjoy.

Third, we’re using green chilies that will add a robust flavor, along with a variety of spices that enhance flavor without covering it up.

This recipe was made to improve upon the Farm to Summit Green Chili Mac and has become a crowd favorite in my community.

Related Read: Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Backpacking Meals

Equipment You Need to Dehydrate

You do not need much for this recipe, but you will need a food dehydrator.

If you’re just getting into dehydrating recipes, this recipe will work well with a smaller dehydrator. I had a stackable dehydrator when I first started, since it was the more affordable option, and it worked great! A basic, stackable dehydrator costs about $60 and would more than pay itself off after a summer of backpacking.

I use the Cosori Dehydrator because I like to dehydrate large batches of meals at once.

Other than a dehydrator, you will need:

• A pot for cooking the pasta in
• Non-stick dehydrator trays or parchment paper to line your trays
• A spatula for spreading the mixture
• Storage options
• A kitchen scale for measuring portions accurately(optional)

A scale helps ensure you pack the correct proportions for what you need on the trail. For storage, a freezer bag, sandwich bag, or even mason jars will work, but if you’re meal prepping for a thru-hike, investing in a vacuum sealer will extend the shelf life of your meals even further.

Important Ingredients for Green Chili Mac

Every ingredient in this recipe has an important job. While there is some wiggle room for swapping ingredients, be sure to consider what each ingredient does for the final product before making changes.

Small Pasta Shapes

Small shapes rehydrate faster and more evenly. Since this is mac and cheese, you cannot go wrong with elbow macaroni, but ditalini’s tube shape would also be good for holding your sauce, and its small size will rehydrate more quickly. Avoid anything larger.

White Cheddar Powder

This cheese powder is the base of your sauce. You can purchase this powder online or make your own by blending freeze-dried cheddar cheese. I personally like the white cheddar powder with this recipe, but you could also use sharp yellow cheddar cheese if that is what you prefer.

Whole Milk Powder

Whole Milk Powder adds to a richer taste for that decadent mac and cheese flavor. While you can use Nonfat milk powder, it doesn’t add the same creamy flavor. You can typically find Non-fat dry milk powder at the grocery store, but I have always had to order Whole Milk Powder online. Powdered butter would also work, but you would need a smaller amount.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is the reason your sauce is going to stay together. It helps thicken your sauce into a gooey, delicious mac and cheese.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast is a great addition to this recipe as a source of protein. If you do not have nutritional yeast, you can skip it in this recipe. It adds a cheesy, nutty flavor without being overpowering.

Roasted Hatch Green Chile Pepper

You can typically find flavorful green chilis in small, 4-oz cans. However, if you want to go with fresh roasted, you will not be disappointed in the smoky, slightly sweet heat that they add to your recipe. Fresh Hatch green chilis typically become available in late summer. Roast them under a broiler until the skin begins to char. Remove the skin and seeds, then chop into small pieces for dehydration.

Spices

I added garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and black pepper to my meal. They add a nice depth to the sauce flavor. For an optional dose of flavor and color, you could add a couple dashes of turmeric.

Optional Additions

Some additional ingredients you can add to this recipe to make it well-rounded nutritionally are some packaged chicken or dehydrated vegetables like broccoli. If I am using chicken, I will add it after the meal has been mostly rehydrated. When adding dehydrated vegetables, consider how much water they will need to rehydrate.

Dehydrating Hatch Green Chili Mac and Cheese

Hatch Green Chili Mac and Cheese is an easy recipe for beginners because you only need to dehydrate two ingredients. Everything else is a dry ingredient that you need to measure out and set aside for packaging up the meal.

The first step is to pre-cook your pasta until it is al dente or just shy of it. Follow the directions on the box for this.

After cooking your pasta, drain the water and set it aside until it reaches room temperature. You don’t want to put hot items into your dehydrator. Add the Hatch green chilis to the top of your pasta. I think adding the chilis directly on top of the pasta helps them absorb some of the flavor before dehydrating.

If you’re adding any additional ingredients like veggies, you can also spread those on dehydrator trays.

Set the dehydrator to 135°F and run it for 6 hours.

Check in on the pasta after 6 hours. The pasta should be brittle, and the green chilis should be leathery.

Let the dehydrated ingredients sit until they reach room temperature before packaging them up for the trail or storage.

Packing & Prepping for Backpacking

Depending on how you plan to reheat your meal, you should pack it accordingly. Thankfully, this recipe doesn’t have a ton of components, so it is pretty straightforward.

If you plan to rehydrate your meal in a Mylar Bag, you can add the pasta and sauce directly to the bag. If you plan to cook your meal in a pot, a compostable bag will work well if you plan to use it within a few months.

Rehydrating on the Trail

This meal works great for rehydrating in a pot of water or a Mylar bag. The cups of water you will need to rehydrate will depend on the meal size you are rehydrating. The cooking time/rehydration time will also depend on your elevation.

If you’re rehydrating in a Mylar Bag, about 250 mL of boiling water into the bag, stir, and set aside for 8 minutes before stirring again. If the water has been completely absorbed after 8 minutes, add a few more tablespoons. Stir again and let it sit for another 5 minutes before enjoying.

If you’re rehydrating in a pot, bring about 275 mL of water to a boil before adding the dehydrated pasta mixture. Let the pasta boil over medium heat/low flame, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it sit for 8 minutes. Place the pot back on the flame to heat slightly. If you’re adding a chicken packet, this is the time to do it!

Once the pasta is soft, you’re good to enjoy!

My current backcountry cooking setup is:

• MSR Titan Kettle
• PocketRocket Deluxe Stove
• GSI Compact Scraper
• Alpha Light Spork

Storage Options

This meal is great for long-term storage because it has an extremely long shelf life. Even put together with the dry sauce mixture, the dehydrated pasta and Hatch green chilies will last a long time.

A gallon Ziploc bag is great if you want to dehydrate a large batch of this Hatch Green Chili Mac. That will last you the entire backpacking season without adding any oxygen absorbers.

Mylar bags are great for long-term storage and help keep your dehydrated pasta crisp. Don’t forget to discard oxygen absorber before you rehydrate.

If you want to store the meal for longer, use freezer bags and store it in the freezer for up to 2 years, or use a vacuum sealer and bags for 3 years.

You might also like…

• Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Backpacking Meal
• Dehydrated Chicken Burrito Backpacking Meal
• Dehydrated Cuban Pork and Rice Backpacking Meal
• Dehydrated Peanut Butter Pad Thai
• Homemade Chili Mac Backpacking Recipe