7 Ways of Using Dried Food in Recipes (2024)

Now that you have dehydrated a variety of foods at home – what will you do with it? Here are a few creative ideas to get you started using dehydrated food.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to enjoy your dried foods is to eat them out of hand.

They’re convenient as take-along snacks when running errands or camping.

But there are other creative ways you can use your dried foods that you worked so hard to preserve.

Here are some ideas and recipes for what you can do with your dried foods.

7 Easy Ways of Using Dehydrated Food in Recipes

Yogurt and Oatmeal Topping

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Dried fruits like grapes, plums, and apricots make excellent toppings for plain or vanilla yogurt.

You can chop them up small if you prefer, and maybe sprinkle some nuts on top.

You can also stir them into oatmeal or any hot cereal.

Soups and Stews

Dried vegetables are great in soups and stews.

Using dehydrated food this way is extremely easy.

Dried green beans, tomatoes, peas, corn, etc. can be added to simmering broth or water – there’s no extra work involved. The vegetables will absorb the liquid and plump up, so definitely use more liquid.

For quicker cooking time, rehydrate the vegetables first by pouring boiling water over them and soaking them for several hours.

Dump the rehydrated vegetables and their soaking liquid into the stewpot.

Spanish Rice

Another great way of using dehydrated food is in Spanish rice – specifically, dehydrated vegetables. Here’s a very, very simple recipe.

4 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped dried onion
1/3 cup chopped dried bell peppers
1/3 cup chopped dried tomatoes
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes.

Pizza

Rehydrate your dried vegetables and use them as pizza toppings (drained and patted dry first).

Pork and Apples

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You can make a quicker, pared down, version of traditional Mennoniteschnitz un gnepp.

Rehydrate dried apple rings by soaking in boiling water for about an hour.

Then, brown boneless pork chops in a skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Place chops in baking dish, cover with rehydrated apple slices, and pour the apple soaking liquid around the pork chops. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour.

You could also grab a copy of A Cabin Full of Food and go all traditional with a ham, dried apples, and soft dumplings – it’s still easy! Plus you’ll find loads more recipes for dehydrated foods – check it out on Amazon and peek inside at the table of contents.

Dried Onions

Really – you can make your own dried onions instead of buying them at the grocery store.

And they’ll be much better and fresh – not to mention less expensive. Dried onions can be minced and sprinkled on rice, noodles, beans, and pretty much anything that needs an onion flavor. You don’t even have to rehydrate them first.

If you’ve never used dried onions, it’s easy to get started. Add a tablespoon or two to baked beans prior to baking, or sprinkle over a roast before you cook it. And if you want to make onion chip dip – dried onions are a must!

Cranberry Sauce

You can make a nice, simple cranberry sauce using dried cranberries. It’s a bit different than the Cranberry Fruit Sauce in A Cabin Full of Food. Try this recipe for 6 servings:

1 cup cranberry juice
3 ounces dried cranberries
Half a cinnamon stick
3/4 cup sugar
1 sweet apple, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch

In a saucepan, simmer the cranberries in the juice, cinnamon, and sugar for 5 minutes. Stir in the apple pieces and continue to simmer, stirring, for 5 more minutes. Take about 1/2 a cup of the liquid from the saucepan and stir the cornstarch into it. Stir the cornstarch mixture back into the cranberries and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate.

Goes well with turkey or pork roast!

Last update on 2024-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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