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You know those nights when everyone’s hungry and you’re one eye twitch away from serving cereal? My easy Hobo Dinner Foil Packets, packed with hearty veggies and juicy beef, are the answer!
A Reader’s Review
I love foil cooking. At my age 73, in bad health. This is so good & no mess or worry. Thank you. I appreciate all your recipes.
Why You’ll Be Obsessed with This Foil Dinner
- One-Pan Energy: No skillet, no casserole dish, no sink full of dirty dishes. Just foil, flavor, and five minutes of feeling like you’ve got it together.
- Super Customizable: Whether your kid only eats potatoes or your partner wants double meat, you can build each packet exactly how they like it!
- Oven, Grill, or Campfire: These bad boys go wherever you go. Bake them at home or toss them on the fire at your next camping trip!
Hobo Dinner Foil Packet Ingredients
- Swap the Beef: You can substitute ground turkey, chicken, or sausage for a tasty twist.
- Fresh Veggie Fun: Use veggies you have on hand. Mushrooms, bell peppers, or Brussels sprouts would add extra flavor and texture.
- Creamy Upgrade: Stir in some cream of mushroom soup before cooking for a creamy, savory surprise.
How to Make Hobo Dinner Foil Packets
I’m a huge fan of simple and delicious, and these foil packet dinners are just that! They are customizable and so fun to take on a camping trip. Here’s how to put them together.
- Combine Veggies: Cut four sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. In a medium-sized bowl, toss together baby potatoes, carrots, onion, olive oil, and Italian seasoning. Divide evenly between the four packets.
- Meat Mixture: Combine lean ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, then shape into four patties and place them on top of the vegetables.
- Fold and Cook: Fold the foil over and seal each packet. Place the packets on the grill or over the coals of a fire. Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Carefully open the foil packets and top with shredded Colby Jack cheese.
Hobo Dinner Foil Packet FAQ’s
- How Do I Prevent Them From Leaking? Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to ensure your packets stay intact during cooking.
- What Size Should I Make My Packets? Make sure the packets are roughly the same size for even cooking.
- How Can I Tell When They’re Done? To check doneness, insert a meat thermometer through the foil to ensure the burger reaches 160°F and the veggies are tender, then remove from the grill, oven, or fire.
Oven and Campfire Instructions
- Oven Baked Foil Packets: Cook packets at 375 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking sheet for 40-45 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Campfire Foil Packets: Use a double layer of foil for this method to prevent the flames from burning through. Add the packets to the fire right over the coals and avoid the direct flames. This will take 30 to 45 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the packet.
How to Store Leftover Foil Dinners
A great thing about this recipe is that you can assemble it ahead of time and store it in your fridge until you are ready to cook it!
- In the Fridge: Store leftover foil packets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them cool completely before sealing to keep everything fresh.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or toss in the air fryer for a quick option that crisps up the edges.
More Foil Dinner Ideas
I’m telling you, these foil dinners are a total lifesaver! They’re easy to clean up, taste amazing, and your kids can help put them together—so they’re way more likely to eat them, too!
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Hobo Dinner Foil Packets
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound baby potatoes cut in half
- 3 sliced large carrots sliced into one inch cubes
- ½ sliced onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
- Cut four sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. In a medium-sized bowl, toss together 1 pound baby potatoes cut in half, 3 sliced large carrots, ½ sliced onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Divide evenly between the four packets.
- Combine 1 pound lean ground beef, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and salt and pepper. Shape into four patties and place them on top of the vegetables. Fold the foil over and seal each packet.
- Place the packets on the grill or over the coals of a fire. Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Carefully open the foil packets and top with 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I freeze these foil packets then take them out the night before I want and cook them in the oven? Do you know any uncooked recipe I can just assemble and freeze and the cook in the oven after thawing? ?
Yes, they’re perfect for that! So easy for meal prep! You’ll have to also check out these chicken and rice meal prep bowls, or Korean beef meal prep bowls. Both are great for assembling, freezing, and then reheating whenever you want a quick and easy meal.
A restaurant in our local town, had them as a Thursday, HOBO dinner special. They changed the HOBO selection every Thursday. They may offer a hamburger hobo one week, the next week it maybe was a pork chop hobo and then the next week a Chicken hobo. They were DELICIOUS!!!!! But they no longer offer them. They made theirs in an aluminum foil pie pan covered with aluminum foil, when they brought it to the table. They also included cabbage as a vegetable in the hobo.
I didn’t care for the hamburger one because sometimes it was to greasy. But the pork chop and chicken was really good.
Tried it with ground beef – Ick! All the greasy mess at the bottom of the foil packet made the rest of it too gross to eat.
I use a lean ground beef to eliminate that problem. Costs more – tastes better. Loved my hobo packets.
I have an infrared grill. Can I make these on my infrared grill? I’m new to infrared cooking. Thanks!!
350 is 350
What temp should it be on the grille?
Cook it on high heat!
Putting a layer of sliced onions in the bottom of the packet will prevent the contents from burning on an open fire or grill.
That’s a great tip! Thank you!
You mentioned adding cream of mushroom soup as an add on. How much soup do you use?
You can just use one can and warm it up and use it as a sauce! You can warm up more if you would like, it just depends on how much you would use.
I love foil cooking. At my age 73, in bad health. This is so good & no mess or worry. Thank you.I appreciate all your recipes.
I am 88 and I’m minus a gallbladder, so I have to use leaner meats. I also like to cut down on dish washing, so I fold the foil back to make a sort of bowl/plate. Works great for me.
Thank you for a wonderful variety for foil meals. I use a lot of thinly cut vegetables to meet my seven-a-day!
Can I cook the Grilled Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken in foil in the oven? I do not have a grill. I am new to your site. I look forward to trying the recipes. Thankyou.
Yes! That will work well. Foil packets are easy to make and cook in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the hobo dinner foil packets right on a cookie sheet and cook for 40 to 45 minutes long.
Can I make these ahead and freeze them?
Yes, that will be great!
Onion soup mix for the burgers and a thick onion on top of the burger. Also I use a roaster to cook my food it gives you a different taste?
If I were to make these the night before camping, will the potatoes go brown/black? Or will the oil prevent that?
You can always cook the potatoes ahead of time and add them to the foil packet already cooked. This will help save time when cooking and prevent it from browning.
Can you cook the hobo dinner in oven, don’t have a grill
Yes, it can be cooked in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place the packet on a greased sheet pan. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked inside.
Could you do this recipe with turkey burgers instead?
can I cook these in the oven ?
What temp and how long
Yes, these cook well in the oven. Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes.