One-Pot Campfire Lemon Orzo with Tuna and Olives

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole dinner from one pot on the camp stove or fire grate, built entirely from tins and jars you can throw in the food box a week early. Orzo is toasted in olive oil until nutty, simmered straight in seasoned water so it thickens into its own creamy sauce, then finished off the heat with olive-oil tuna, salty kalamatas and a big squeeze of lemon. No cooler required, no draining, one pot to wash in the dark.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups dried orzo
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp salt, plus black pepper to taste
• 2 cans (5 oz each) tuna in olive oil, undrained
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 whole lemon

Instructions

1. Set a large pot or camp Dutch oven on the stove burner or a fire grate over medium flame (steady flames, not roaring coals). Add the olive oil and the dry orzo and toast, stirring almost constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the grains smell nutty and about half of them are golden brown.
2. Add the sliced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and stir for 30 seconds, just until the garlic is fragrant — do not let it darken. Pour in the water, add the oregano and salt, and bring to a full boil, scraping the bottom to lift any toasted bits.
3. Cook uncovered at a lively simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring every minute and scraping the bottom so nothing catches, until the orzo is tender with a slight bite and the liquid has thickened into a loose, creamy sauce. Slide the pot to a cooler part of the grate if it is boiling too hard.
4. Take the pot off the heat. Flake in the tuna along with its oil, add the olives, the zest and juice of the whole lemon, and plenty of black pepper. Fold gently so the tuna stays in big flakes.
5. Cover and let stand 3 minutes to finish absorbing, then stir in a splash of water if it has tightened up. Taste for salt and lemon and serve straight from the pot.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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