Hearty and healthy for your hungry crew, this Hobo Dinner is absolutely the easiest, most mouthwatering meal EVER to make and clean up!
Seriously simple and uncomplicated, yet so totally satisfying, our Hobo Dinner recipe is a complete meal-in-a-pouch with virtually NO cleanup! Assembled in only 5 minutes and featuring meaty hamburger patties, fluffy potatoes, tangy onions, sweet carrots, melty cheese, and spectacular seasonings, this make-it-and-bake-it foil packet meal is the best!
A Meal by Any Other Name…
Simple-but-tasty hobo meals are known by many names: Grill Packets, Hobo Pouches, Foil Pack Dinners, Tin Foil Suppers, Campfire Meals, or even – in French – En papillote (in paper). Whatever you call them, these easy aluminum-foil-wrapped meat & veggie dinners are a casual, comforting, complete meal that will leave your crowd content.
Other Recipes that Enhance Hobo Packets
- This homemade Steak Marinade makes ribeyes spectacular – just imagine what it could do for a burger patty!
- No Bake S’Mores Cheesecake Bars are the PERFECT no-bake follow-up dessert for Hobo Dinners!
Ingredients
Meat: Ground beef (85/15 is ideal) formed into patties is the foundation around which these tasty pouches are assembled!
Veggies: Sliced baby potatoes, carrots, and a yellow onion give these hobo packets lots of hearty nutrition and flavor!
Cheese: We love to top the ground beef patties with a melty, marvelous cheese like cheddar or Monterey Jack!
Seasoning: Spice up your tin-foil pouches with olive oil, sea salt, Italian seasoning, and a garnish of freshly chopped parsley.
How to Make Hobo Dinners
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or grill to medium-high). Cut sheets of aluminum foil large enough to fold up to an 8×8 square in the middle (small dinner plate size.) In a large bowl, toss the chopped veggies and drizzle with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Divide the vegetables evenly between the two sheets of foil.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the salt, then form the meat into two 8-ounce patties. Place the patties in the center of the aluminum foil on top of the veggies.
STEP THREE: Fold the foil around the ingredients and seal the packets tightly. Place the sealed aluminum foil packets onto a baking sheet with the burger sides up.
STEP FOUR: Bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the burgers are fully cooked. (See “Tips for Success” for grilling instructions.)
STEP FIVE: Carefully open the pouches and add a slice of cheese on top of each patty, then place the baking sheet back in the oven (with the foil packets open) just long enough to melt the cheese.
STEP SIX: Remove your dinner from the oven and garnish with chopped parsley before digging in!
Tips for Success
- 85/15 ground beef is perfect for hobo meals – juicy enough for great flavor but lean enough not to be greasy. You can use leaner beef if you prefer. I usually have 93/7 blend on hand, and my boys love the beefy flavor.
- In place of the cheese, top the meat with a dollop of cream of mushroom soup – the packet will make its own gravy as it cooks!
- Ground turkey patties will work just as well as ground beef (though I would add a small butter pat to each for juiciness.)
- Many garden veggies will work, like squash, broccoli, asparagus, or roasted tomatoes, but always keep an onion for the best flavor!
- To Grill: Place the foil packets directly on the grill rack and cook over medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the ground beef reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
What is a Hobo Dinner?
What is this dish, and why is it called a hobo meal? This delicious dinner contains only simple recipe ingredients – meat and veggies – and requires absolutely no cookware! It can be made anywhere by virtually anyone and needs nothing more than some tin foil and a campfire. The result? Comforting. Home-cooked. Perfection.
Can You Make Hobo Dinners Ahead of Time?
Assembling Hobo Packets in advance is one of the best things about this amazing recipe! Whether you are prepping for tonight’s dinner, tomorrow’s neighborhood cookout, or this weekend’s camping trip, a hobo meal makes the work easy! Simply set all the ingredients on the tin foil sheets (line with parchment if you prefer to avoid contact with the aluminum), fold them up and seal tightly, then refrigerate for up to 2 days! When it’s time to cook, simply pop those hobo packets into the oven or straight onto the grill!
Other Super-Simple Supper Recipes
- Chicken Fajita Foil Packets
- Butternut Squash and Chicken Foil Packets
- Fish and Vegetable Foil Dinner
- S’mores Campfire Banana Boats
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
- One Pan Parmesan Chicken with Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces baby potatoes cut in half
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and sliced
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 slices cheddar cheese
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (see note for grilling instructions) Cut two sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough that they can be folded up into an 8-inch x 8-inch square in the middle.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots, onion, olive oil, and Italian seasoning together. Divide the veggies evenly between the two sheets of aluminum foil. (see note)
- Combine the ground beef and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Divide into two 8-ounce portions and form them into patties. Place the burger patties in the center of the foil on top of the veggies.
- Fold up the foil around the ingredients and seal well. Place on a large baking sheet with the burger patty side facing up. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the burgers are fully cooked.
- Carefully open the packets (there will be steam!) and top each burger with a slice of cheese. Place the baking sheet back in the oven, leaving the foil packets open, until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish before serving warm. (If you prefer, you can transfer everything to plates. I like the easy cleanup of eating out of the foil packs.)
Notes
- To more evenly divide the potatoes, you can prep them first. Add the potatoes, along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, to the large bowl and toss to coat. Divide the potatoes between the foil sheets. Then, toss the carrots and onions in the same bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil and 3/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and divide them between the foil.
- To Grill: Place the foil packets directly on the grill rack and cook over medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the ground beef reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
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