🥕
Preserved Foods
Dehydrated Vegetable Soup Base
Build a shelf-stable soup kit that rehydrates into a real meal with just boiling water.
Medium👥 Serves 6⏱ Prep: 20 min🔥 Cook: 4–6 hours (dehydrating)⚡ 180 kcal/serving📦 Shelf: 1–2 years
Equipment
- ▸Dehydrator or oven at lowest setting
- ▸Cutting board
- ▸Knife
- ▸Vacuum sealer or Ziploc bags
Ingredients
- 2 cupsdiced carrots
- 2 cupsdiced celery
- 2 cupsdiced onion
- 1 cupdiced potato (thin sliced)
- 1 cupcorn kernels
- 2 tbspvegetable bouillon powder
- 1 cupdry pasta or rice (add at cooking time)
DehydratedShelf-StablePrep-AheadVegetarianIntermediate
Instructions
1
Dice all vegetables into uniform ¼-inch pieces for even drying.
2
Blanch (boil 2 min, ice bath) carrots and potatoes to prevent browning.
3
Spread single layer on dehydrator trays or baking sheets.
4
Dehydrate at 125–135°F for 6–8 hours (oven at lowest setting ~170°F for 4–5 hours).
5
Vegetables should be completely dry — no soft spots, no bendiness.
6
Combine dried vegetables with bouillon powder. Store in vacuum-sealed bags.
7
To cook: add 2 cups veggie mix to 4 cups boiling water, simmer 20 min. Add pasta last 10 min.
Field Tips
- The blanching step is essential for potatoes and carrots — skipping causes poor texture.
- Label bags with weight before and after drying to track moisture removal.
- Add a small desiccant packet inside each bag.
- Individual serving bags make emergency deployment much easier.
Variations
- ▸Add dehydrated ground beef or TVP for protein
- ▸Include dehydrated tomato powder for a tomato-based broth
- ▸Package with instant rice instead of pasta for gluten-free version
Storage Notes
Vacuum-sealed dehydrated vegetables last 1–2 years at room temperature, up to 5 years frozen. Store away from light and heat.