Cooking on the road: spinach and smoked trout pasta

Figuring out what to cook is hard enough when you’re at home, let alone out on the road. After an adventurous day of exploring sometimes all you want is something simple, yet hearty and healthy - and that go-to can of baked beans just doesn’t cut it.

Luckily, we’ve teamed up with Your Food Collective to bring you the flavour inspiration for your next adventure!

We've come up with an awesome dish that ticks all the boxes - it’s healthy, easy to keep fresh and only takes 5 ingredients to make! Our star ingredient - smoked trout - is the perfect travelling companion as it lasts for over a month in the fridge.

This dish is very adaptable. Use whatever type of pasta you have on hand, and the spinach can easily be subbed out with other greens like rocket or seasonal herbs. And of course with a range of different flavours for the smoked trout - simply choose your favourite!

Spinach & Smoked Trout Pasta

For 2 generous serves, you need:

• Pack Lemon Pepper Smoked Trout Fillets, flaked

• Squeeze fresh lemon juice

• Bunch English spinach, roughly chopped

• 200g fettuccine

• Splash extra virgin olive oil

To make:

1. Cook pasta to packet directions

2. Place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl

3. Add flaked trout and spinach, stir through pasta

4. Finish with a splash of olive oil and a drizzle of lemon juice

5. Serve and enjoy :)

Shop the ingredients

Cooking on the road can be a bit of an art form. We caught up with vanlifers Karstan and Max to hear about how they juggle all things food!

How do you stay healthy whilst being on the road?

It’s actually really easy, we just keep it simple and it always depends on where we are travelling. For example, when we are close to major towns we eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and one of our most favourite things to do is support small local businesses by attending markets and fruit stalls. You feel good knowing where your food comes from and where your money is going J When we are out in remote locations we cryovac food and buy items that won’t go off easily: apples, oats, carrots and canned food like corn, tuna and beans. We also have a reliable Dometic fridge/freezer. This is an absolute luxury… and a lifesaver for our little one. We can now give her an ice block in the hot weather.

What about meal prepping? Is it something you like to do?

Meal prepping for us is all about keeping it simple. We try to eat wholefood and use good quality ingredients. Zuri will happily eat a whole mushroom, corn or capsicum and we are the same. We tend to have a lot of BBQ’s, make pasta, salads, cook in the fire – jacket potatoes are such an easy delicious meal. The process of preparing and cooking food on the road is so enjoyable and it tastes so much better when you know where it has come from.

When you have minimal storage, how do you get around planning your food for a weekend away?

Our biggest tip is bringing along items that can be used for multiple meals. Wraps can be for lunch and can also be toasted for dinner or as a breakfast burrito. Rice and fish with a tasty sauce like Kimchi (obviously a bonus if you can catch the fish). We will often just make random poke bowls with whatever we have left. Always have a simple back-up quick option like pasta and a nice ready-made sauce.

What's your go-to road trip snacks?

Nuts, fruit and whatever is on the side of the road. We enjoy supporting small local towns and are definitely a fan of a good old fashioned bakery!

What are some of your staple camping dinners when camping?

We are always changing what we eat and getting new ideas from other travellers, however for us we keep it very simple.

1. We love cooking over a fire – you can’t beat a good old fashioned BBQ.

2. Van-made skewers, we load them up with protein and veggies, so yum!

3. Burritos, loaded with plenty of filling, jalapenos and chilli sauce.

4. One-pot pasta - we cook spaghetti bolognese or a vegetarian meal all in one pot.

5. Salads/poke bowls – whatever is left in the fridge, we’ll usually crack an egg or two over the top.

To hear more about Karstan and Max's adventure's, head on over to our feature blog!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Glp5dntQbLA