Hobo Dinner Foil Packets are so simple to make and everyone raves about them! Comforting veggies including potatoes, carrots, and onions are topped with a seasoned hamburger patty and grilled or baked to tender perfection.
This recipe reminds me of recipes my mother would bring to the field during fall harvest time. A complete and hearty meal made especially for hungry, hard working harvesting folks was always a welcome sight! This Hobo Dinner recipe delivers exactly that! Not only is this a complete meal in one simple packet, but it is so easy to prepare and even easier to clean up making it the perfect meal to serve to your hungry family!
The type of ground beef you choose can be so important to whatever recipe you are making. In this Hobo Dinner Foil Packets recipe I choose lean ground beef (instead of extra lean). My reasoning is two-fold;
- The little bit of extra fat helps to keep everything moist and tender. The last thing you want is for everything to become dried out!
- It adds great flavor to all the veggies and the gravy in the packet!
The patty in this recipe is topped with a dollop of creamy mushroom soup creating a delicious gravy to partner with the veggies.
I love to make these as individual foil packets but this recipe can easily be adapted to suit your appetite or your crowd!
- Larger Packets – if you have guests who have larger appetites, include 2 hamburger patties (side by side, not stacked) on top of the veggies.
- Use fresh veggies that are available in your garden or the local market at this time of year! While carrots, potatoes, and onions are favorites, I do love fresh green beans, bell peppers, and Brussels sprouts!
- You can substitute ground turkey in place of ground beef! In this case, you may need to add a tablespoon of olive oil to the meat patty mixture to help keep it moist.
- The packets can be cooked in the oven or on the grill. If using the grill you can use the second layer of foil to seal your packs and prevent any leaks.
- Parchment paper can be used in place of foil if baking in the oven.
One final note and my favorite thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until time to bake! Whether you are preparing a harvest dinner for hungry workers in your family, or you simply have a busy week ahead of you, these Hobo Dinner Foil Packets are super convenient, easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
- 4 small potatoes peeled and sliced
- 2 cups diced carrot
- 1 large onion or 2 small onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine ground beef and dry soup mix in a bowl. Form into four patties and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine all remaining ingredients except mushroom soup. Toss until well mixed.
- Spray a 12″ x 18″ piece of foil with non-stick spray.
- Place ¼ of the vegetable mixture in the center of the foil. Top with 1 beef patty. Add 2 tablespoons of condensed mushroom soup on top of each patty.
- Seal foil packets well. Place beef side up on a large baking sheet and bake 35-45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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i would like more recipes
I would like to check out lots of recipes
When you use the parchment paper– do you wrap it up like you would with the foil?
Yes, you can use parchment paper only if it is in the oven and we wrap it the same as with foil paper. Enjoy Liz!
cream of onion soup would be good also in place of the mushroom soup
I used cream of celery. )
We are thinking of making these for the Warming Shelter in April. Do you think they would be OK if we bake them mid-afternoon and keep them warm in a Nesco until 6 p.m.?
I haven’t made these and kept them warm for a long time so I can’t say for sure. I would suggest checking the right temperature for food safety and ensuring they remain at that temperature. Let us know how it goes Dar!
Great recipe! Easy to prep and my hubs loves it. He even eats the leftover liquid at the bottom with a spoon – that’s when you KNOW they like it!! :)
:) So glad your husband loved this as much as mine does!
I will definitely be making this tonight ❤️
Hi Holly.I was contemplating what to make for dinner.I had hamburger meat,potatoes,onions carrots.So I googled,what can I make for dinner,using hamburger?And your website can up.What a life saver!Your foil packet dinner,saved me.It was easy,and I tweaked it a little using some frozen broccoli.and cauliflower,I added that to the packet.It’s baking in the oven as I write this note.I downloaded,your recipes and are on the email list.I will definitely try other recipes from you.Thanks Aloha from Hawaii.Ann Insillio
I’m so happy to hear that Ann! Enjoy the recipes. We have some other packet recipes you may love too!
I live alone. cooking for one can be hard because I do not like to waste food. After I arrange several of these and freeze them can they be placed in the oven frozen? How long would I cook them frozen?
I haven’t tried it but other readers have said it works well! Let us know how it goes!
Instead of making them into individual packets I just put it all on a foil lined sheet tray and covered it with foil.
Neat idea Sherry! Thank you for sharing.
We had these all the time when I was a kid. We used potato slices, bell pepper rings, onion discs, salt & pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. There were two patties to a foil pack stacked with two vegetable layers. I must try the creamy mushroom dollop as we used either steak sauce (adults) or ketchup (us kids preference back then) . Unless you had a BIG appetite finishing one was rare. It was served with a salad on the side.
Such a yummy classic recipe! :) Enjoy!
The best is to avoid direct contact with aluminum (we are daily exposed to its harmful effects) therefore lining the foil with parchment paper might be a better option for your tasty meals :)
LMAOOOO
Can I use ground Turkey instead of beef?
Sure you can!
Oh my word, SO GOOD!!!
So glad you enjoyed them LoraLee!
I couldn’t find where to post a question so I just picked a post haha. My question is ” of you do them on the grill do you have to turn the packets or just leave them alone?
I would cook them potato side down on the grill. You could certainly flip them half way if you’d like but I think as long as they’re sealed well, they should cook just fine.
So good and so easy! I used cream of celery and the minced garlic in the tube instead of powder. I love anything that cooks all together in the oven. I will be trying all the tinfoil meals.
So glad your family loved it!
I have been making these for years. Everyone loves them. I add cabbage and use butter instead of the soup.
Cabbage would be a delicious addition!
I’m allergic to mushrooms! Do you think one of the cheddar cheese soups would work too?
I think any “cream of” soup should work just fine in this recipe!
Can you freeze these for future use ?
I haven’t tried it but other readers have said it works well! Let us know how it goes!
I cant tolerate onions what can I use instead of the onions
You can leave them out or add a bit of minced garlic.
You can use shallots or even green/spring onions in place of yellow onions.
Why can”t I make these packets and place them in my slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it Jean, but other readers have had success. Let us know how it works for you!
I made these last night, followed the directions exactly. They were delicious!!! Going to play around with different veggies next time, but all I had to use last night were potatoes and carrots. My picky son loved it!
So glad you guys loved it Cheryl!