Itacate  Campsite Lentejas - 1 Serving

I was expecting the lentils to be overly salty but I was pleasantly surprised. They can be salted to taste. There’s also enough for 2-3 people. Easy to prepare. Make sure you add enough water and mix well. A nice, easy to prepare meal for camping.

Made the Campsite Lentejas on a cold afternoon ride. It was a very warm and comforting treat. Besides being a great company with a solid mission, I really enjoyed the meal. I might even go as far as it is one of my favorite backpacking meals. I am a vegetarian and other than Mac and Cheese, so many non meat meals taste salty. This one has a perfect balance. Good flavor and rehydrated very well. The potatoes were perfect. I might recommend adding a little more water than the directions state or check on it half way through to decide if you want it more soupy. I recommend this meal for its flavor, ease of making and company mission.

I tried out Itacate's Campsite Lentejas and it was average in my opinion. I love that fact that it's vegan as there aren't too many vegetarian or vegan friendly options out there in terms of dehydrated meals. There was definitely enough in the bag for two adults to share, which was actually a bit surprising since the bag seems small and compact (great for fitting in a day or overnight pack). I also felt that this meal was filling and think it would be a great option after a long day of hiking and being outdoors. It takes only 5 minutes to rehydrate so it's a quick and easy meal. Make sure to mix all ingredients as some of the powder can get stuck in the bottom edges/corners. The only negative I have for this item is that it was lacking a bit in flavor. I would have liked it to have some more spices incorporated to add to the flavor. Overall, a good choice for those looking for a vegan campsite meal.

The Itacate Campsite Lentejas is not your typical backpackers meal where the first ingredient is salt and the meal is flavorless. The Campsite Lentejas is real food (and tastes like it!) and leaves you satisfied without immediately reaching for your Nalgene. At 490 calories with one pouch, its a hearty backpackers meal for one or a side to share. The instructions called for 1.5 cups (350 mL) of water, which seemed like a lot at first, but it quickly soaked it up leaving a thick soup behind after just 5 minutes. Just don’t forget to stir! I also tried the Itacate Aventura Arroz Con Leche, which also was incredible. Just enough sweetness and packed with flavor from the coconut mile, strawberries, and cinnamon. Plus, it only requires 0.75 cups (160 mL) of water making light work for water filtering. Lastly, as a brand, Itacate is one that deserves support. The purchase of their product supports organizations doing work to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in outdoor participation.

I was sent a packet of these lentils, plus their Aventura Arroz Con Leche. The package instructions suggest adding 1.5 cups of boiling water directly into the pouch, stirring, and letting sit for 5 mins -- which definitely seems like an easy way to get a meal on the trail. I didn't have a measuring cup with me, so I guessed at the amount of water. I ended up with too little, and had a powdery mess that had cooled down too much thanks to a cold day (see photo). This was fixed by adding a bit more water to my bowl. Overall the flavor was fine if a bit bland, and the final texture was pasty as lentils often are. The portion size felt generous; enough for 2 kids or as a snack for 2 adults. I wonder if I would have gotten a better result by adding the dry contents to a pot and boiling. Some hot sauce would help as well. The arroz con leche was very tasty, but the rice ended up on the crunchy side. In a camping situation I'd probably ditch the pouches altogether (they are bulky, and a bit annoying do deal with after the meal), and would be happy to include a few options from this lineup as treats - but at retail price they seem like a costly way to feed your campsite.

I am a vegetarian and my favorite hiking meal texture is Slop, or more affectionately, "baby food". I don't want to spend energy or thought chewing my calories, I don't want my dirty hands on my calories, I want to shovel energy into my body and crash. But it needs to taste good enough to motivate the shoveling. This meal does that. As promised, it hydrates near instantly into a thick stew that is pleasantly salty, lightly spiced and completely free of disappointing crunchy non-hydrated bits, without being completely homogeneous slop. It is spiced but not spicy whatsoever. It is a thirsty mix. For review purposes I measured water with a cup instead of my heart, and I found the recommended 1.5 cups of water to be inadequate. Closer to 2 is better I think. My one hesitancy is the calories per dry oz, which is about 120. I find that low for a main course for a long journey. I pack for a foodbag average of 140 cal/oz. However, it's not extremely low, and a dousing of any thru hiker's favorite oil would bring it up just fine. More oil might loosen it up without more water, too. It is also perfectly adequate for slower pace trips. I find the portion size good, other hikers may want another bar or two for dessert but what I DON'T want in the backcountry is hydrated leftovers, so to me this is a well-portioned main. I like this paste. It's pretty similar to other dried legume/bean products in use and texture, but the herbs mix sets it apart enough to consider for breaking up the monotony of the same dried beans for weeks. It would be good with tortilla chips. It is free from the rehydrating issues that sometimes affect dry meals. I'd like to see a mix like this come in a bulk bag for those of us who generally prefer to cook in pot and therefore waste a lot of unused cookbags.

I got this Itacate Campsite Lentejas to review and I was quite pleased. I took them up to the eastern Sierra Nevada's for a quick weekend getaway. The lentils tasted great to me and my Mexican born parents who grew up on homemade lentejas. They actually asked me to get some more in the future for them. You can add a little hot sauce for more of a kick, but otherwise, the tastiness level is just right. The only issue I had with the product was that it didn't seem to mix well very easily with the water. I spent quite some time stirring half way through the rehydration period and it still had dry sections in it. I would recommend putting more water than the recommended amount so that it mixes properly and also kneading the package. A problem that is easy to overcome for a great tasting product. The packaging is quite interesting and provides some quick education while you wait. I plan to use this product again in the future especially considering its lightweight(4oz) and nice calorie count, which is perfect for backpacking trips.

Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review. The meal cooks quick and easy and filled me up at camp. I would certainly purchase these for any upcoming trips I plan. The flavor was bold and right on point.

This is a very tasty and filling meal. One of the more flavorful rehydrated backpacking meals I’ve had.

I received these products for free from the REI Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review. The Itacate Campsite Lentejas were really solid! They rehydrated in 5 minutes, which is crazy fast for a backpacking meal (usually its 10-15 minutes) and it was well-hydrated and yummy. I love lentils, soup, and cilantro, so I figured that this meal would be a winner for me. No complaints! If I were to critique, I would say that the cilantro flavor and spices don't really come through, but for people sensitive to spice or who don't life cilantro much, this would be great for you! I will also say that I followed the directions and put in the right amount of water, and I found that the soup was really more like mashed potato texture, so you can put in more water if you want it to be a thinner soup. All in all, I would say that this is a really solid, inoffensive, yummy meal that was filling, and fast!!