Green Bean, Bacon, Mushroom Skillet

Green beans are good and so are mushrooms. Onions and bacon makes them even better. I mean, bacon makes everything better, right?! This green bean skillet is so good, it disappears very quickly. Try to load each fork bite with a little of everything. The combination of flavors is simply delightful.

This is a quick and easy side dish that compliments just about anything. Serve it alongside any protein you’ve grilled or baked in camp. It also goes well with other side dishes. Serve it alongside a casserole you baked in a Dutch oven. It’s fresh and tasty and the recipe can be sized up to feed a crowd. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet that is big enough, you can use a Dutch oven on a camp stove or over coals.

Feel free to adjust the size of your cuts depending on how chunky you want your bacon, onion, and mushrooms and, of course, salt and pepper to your liking. If you wanted to add a little heat to this, try adding some red pepper flakes or a dash of your favorite hot sauce.

The first time we made this, everyone grabbed a fork to taste it and before we knew it, the skillet was empty. Once we started, no one could stop.

Equipment
Cast-iron skillet or a Dutch oven.

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, cut into strips
1/2 medium white onion, diced or half moon slices
12 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prep
In a cast-iron skillet, on medium heat, fry bacon until just starting to brown. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add green beans on top of the onions and bacon; do not stir. Let them cook about 2 minutes, then stir. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently until the green beans are just starting to blister and mushrooms are cooked through, but still fairly firm. Add 1 tablespoon butter and stir in until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves about 4

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Dutch Oven Zucchini and Onion Frittata

Sitting in a cook shelter by a warm fire watching snow falling is magical. It was getting late and we needed to finish unpacking and getting set up. Some of our students would start arriving soon; the rest would arrive early in the morning. We needed to be ready, but all we could do was sit by the fire, sip our hot tea, and talk in hushed tones as we watched the snow fall.

It was early April in 2008. Donna and Chris and I were teaching outdoor skills to Girl Scout adult volunteers at Camp River Ranch. We had arrived Friday night to set up because class started first thing Saturday morning. As we were setting up, waiting for our students to arrive, it started to snow! It was a light snow, just dusting the ground, but it was snowing! In April! Undaunted, we added a couple more pieces of wood to the fire and sat in the cook shelter and watched it snow, utterly distracted by it all. At some point, we did finish setting up and then we silently trudged through the snow to our open-air cabin and crawled into our warm toasty sleeping bags.

It snowed off and on all weekend. Sunday morning, we made this frittata for breakfast. Donna had actually made it at home in a cast iron skillet and loved it. She was confidant we could adapt it to the Dutch oven. I had never made a frittata. I didn’t even know what a frittata was! Chris is Italian so she actually knew what a frittata was but I don’t think she had actually ever made one. But, between the two of us, we adapted it to the Dutch oven and it was amazing!

I discovered that a frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelet or crustless quiche. You sauté your meats and/or vegetables in a cast iron skillet, add your beaten egg mixture and cheese and then you move it into the oven to bake.

So, Sunday morning, we walked our students through it (we made a double batch in 2 Dutch ovens). They sautéed the onions and zucchini in my 12-inch Dutch ovens, added the remaining ingredients, and then we put the lids on and moved them to coals. The zucchini were perfectly al dente. The eggs poofed like a soufflé! It was warm, flavorful and so yummy on a cold, snowy Sunday morning! I was sold and I have loved this recipe ever since.

We made it again just a couple weeks ago while teaching outdoor cooking skills to more Girl Scout adult volunteer leaders. This time we were at Camp Robbinswold and the weather was beautiful! Once again, it performed to perfection! It was definitely a hit!

Equipment

12-inch Dutch oven (in camp) or cast iron skillet (at home), knife and cutting board, mixing bowl, wisk, measuring cups and spoons.

 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 sweet yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning

9 small zucchini (2 pounds), washed, dried, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 ½ cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

9 eggs, beaten

 

Prep

Slice the onions and zucchini. Over medium heat, either over coals or on a stove, warm olive oil in the skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions, stirring to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and stir gently to mix with the onions. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the zucchini softens, about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and drain off any liquid from the pan. Spread the onions and zucchini evenly in the bottom. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until well blended. Pour over zucchini mixture, cover and bake in a 325°F oven, using 16 coals on the lid and 7 coals underneath, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle on remaining Parmesan cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Serves 8

 

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