There are a few special complications to consider when planning how to stock your RV pantry. You may a limited amount of space for storage, a cramped kitchen, vehicle weight restrictions and other issues to overcome. We have heard from many of our loyal customers that they solve several of the challenges of RV cooking by stocking their camper kitchen with a variety of dehydrated soups and chilis.  

Here are a few of the top reasons to stock your pantry with dehydrated soup and chili mixes, whether you are a snowbird travelling in a luxury RV or a boondocker setting out for the backcountry in your camper van.

5 Reasons Why Dehydrated Soup and Chili Should Be in Every RV’s Pantry

1. No Prep Work.

The best tip for easy RV cooking is to keep it simple. Save your energy for all of the adventures you are having on the road, not cooking dinner. Who wants to be peeling, chopping, and sautéing in a small RV kitchen, while the rest of the family is out watching nature and having fun? All of the prep work has been done with our dehydrated Gourmet Soup and Chili Blends.

Just add water, heat, season to taste and serve.

2. So Compact!

RV kitchens generally provide a very small amount of cabinet space to pack food into. You need to be able to secure your food tightly in those cabinets to keep it from rolling around in the back of the RV during travel. The dehydration process we use preserves nutrition, while condensing food down into smaller sizes. You can pack more food in less space when you choose to fill your pantry with dehydrated soups and chili mixes.

Download our Dried Soup & Chili Comparison Chart here to see how many delicious meals you can get out of each zip pouch, bag, or jar size we offer.  

3. Weighs Less Than Canned Food.

Backpackers love our dehydrated foods because they offer excellent nutrition at a fraction of the weight. Even in an RV, it pays to look for ways to reduce the amount of weight you are hauling. Save money on gas! Plus, all RVs have a limit to the amount of weight they can haul (called the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR). Weight adds up fast, especially when you are travelling with a lot of outdoor equipment and gear (bikes, boats, etc.).

Because they carry no water weight, Harmony House’s dehydrated soup and chili mixes allow you to pack your RV pantry with a tremendous amount of food that weighs very little. For example, our Value Soup Variety Pack weighs less than four pounds total, but rehydrates to 60 cups of delicious, nourishing soup.

4. One Pot Meals Make Clean-Up Easier.

Easier clean up is another one of the keys to having a fun vacation in a camper. Meals that can be cooked in one pot are best for RV kitchens. Your gray water tank can fill up quickly with excess dishwater. Washing up in a dishpan outdoors is an alternative, but then you need to find an appropriate place to dispose of the dishwater. If you are boondocking, you have to be extra careful about where you do dishes because you don’t want to attract wildlife to your RV. If you are parked in a campground, the bath house might prohibit dishwashing. Our dehydrated soups and chili mixes minimize the amount of dishes you will have to do because they can be made in only one pot. Want to see how?

Watch: This Video Proves How Simple it is to Make Unbelievable Black Bean Chili.

5. Viva Variety!

No need to get bored eating the same foods over and over again. We offer a wide variety of dehydrated soup and chili recipes to choose from, and mix packs that help you stock your pantry with a lot of options. For instance, our Soup & Chili Mix Pantry Stuffer contains an assortment of new flavors and old favorites:

• Chickenish Soup Mix

• Beefish Stew Mix

• Split Pea Soup Mix

• Lentil Soup Mix

• Navy Bean Soup Mix

• Northern Bean Stew Mix

• Beefish Soup Mix with Mushrooms

• Black Bean Chili Mix

• Mixed Bean Chili Mix

• Italian Vegetable Soup Mix

• Corn Chowder Mix

• Vegetable Chili Mix

A Harmony House customer named Les from Phoenix, AZ shared how he and his family reduce food waste, while getting the most variety possible out of our dried Soup & Chili Mix Pantry Stuffer:

“A big pot of anything means a boring week of the same meal every day. These dehydrated mixes allow you to find the exact amount to make for any person at any meal, without anything left-over, and a different meal the next day. And it's easy to get recipe variety by slightly altering your seasoning, thickening agents, and by adding a bit of broth instead of water, or adding barley, rice, quinoa, or pasta. Or, put some or all through a food processor after heating and rehydrating for a creamy soup or casserole.”

Thanks, Les! If you have tips for using our dehydrated soups and chili mixes from your own RV cooking experiences, please share your ideas with us through the Harmony House Foods Facebook page.

More Help from Harmony House

Take heart! With some thoughtful preparation, and help from Harmony House Foods, RV cooking can be easy and and healthy too. Here are some other dried food tips we have put together for RV and camper owners:

5 Must-Have Dried Foods for your RV Pantry