Just use caned food (ravioli and the like) yea it’s heavy, but so is an MRE. The can itself does not weight much; it’s the food that’s heavy. And it’s a long-lasting & durable way to store food.

And like an MRE it’s ready to eat food, nice to heat it, but not really needed to do.

I don’t think can food really takes up more space then an MRE.