Camping Edition: One Pot Pasta

Okay, so apologies in advance: no photos for this entry, but it was so perfect I just had to share. For our first night camping, we knew we wanted to have something with fresh vegetables  before our cooler ice melted. Jill and I had independently stumbled upon the concept of "One Pot Pasta and Sauce" and we just knew it would be perfect for camping.

This recipe was easy to prepare even in primitive camping conditions and did not take long at all. We ate well and even had left overs for pasta salad the next day! It could probably be amended to be even more camping friendly-- we're thinking canned tomatoes next time-- but I am sharing the recipe as we made it because it came out so good.

Ingredients:
-1 376 gram box of whole wheat pasta
- 12 or so cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 large onion, sliced
- several cloves fire-roasted garlic, chopped
- about 1 cup baby spinach leaves or roughly chopped spinach
- oregano
- basil
- salt
-pepper

In keeping with the camping theme, I am deliberately not including measurements on the spices because really, who brings measuring spoons camping? Okay, probably some people, but not me or anyone else I know.

To Make:
1. Fire roast your garlic! Put a whole garlic bulb on the grill over the campfire, not directly over the flame but close enough to get hot and singed. The outer layers of papery skin will get burned to black; this is fine. Let it roast, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes.
2. Fill a fire-safe sauce pan with water. You can even use water from a non-potable source as long as it is flowing and you're in an area free of industrial contaminants. Boil the water, either over your camp stove or, like we did, right over a hot fire. Especially if using non-potable water be sure to bring it to a rolling boil for a few minutes before adding other ingredients.
3. Add tomatoes and onions to the boiling water. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the spinach and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes more.
4. Add the pasta. Boil, uncovered, until the pasta is done, about 7 minutes.
5. Carefully pour out extra water until desired liquid level is achieved. Stir in oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve!