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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Love thE HOBO RECEIPT
Good recipe, however; I cooked it for the 45 min and the potatoes weren’t fully cooked and the meat was still a tad pink. Requires about an hour.
excellent recipe.
4 Stars!!
It’s good! I really like the soup that’s added, it add a nice taste to the meal. The only thing I didn’t like was that you didn’t cook the beef prior to baking. I just didn’t feel like there was enough beef for the amount of potatoes and carrots. Overall great recipe. I’ve actually replaced my old recipe with this one.
Kelly,
WHY would you need to bake the beef patties before placing on top of the veggies?? With everything enclosed in the foil packet, it all gets cooked together. “Pre-baking” the beef patties would just be to much & you’d end up with hockey pucks!
ANYWAYS,
Just made this recipe & it turned out great!
Made the house smell so delicious my mouth was watering by the time it was done cooking!
You don’t cook the meat beforehand. This is a wonderful recipe.
This recipe was really good. I used ground turkey instead of beef and it was great! Thanks.
Would like foil hobo meal recipe
Is there a dairy free substitute for the soup? We love hobo packets and the soup sounds like it would help keep in moisture! Thanks for this.
That’s a great question Meredith. We have only made this recipe as listed, but you could try making homemade cream of mushroom soup with dairy-free milk. Let us know how it turns out!
Could I bake this on a foil lined cookie sheet and also cover the top with foil?
That’s a great idea Mariah! Let us know how it turns out.
Though we call them zip packs they are one of my favorite summer meals. The variations are endless and depend only on what you like or have on hand. I first discovered these handy meals in Girl Scouts MANY years ago and later found that my 4 kids enjoyed them when we camped. Easy prep, no cleanup, my style! I recently made them with chicken thighs, pineapple, bell peppers and onion and finished with some teriyaki sauce. AMAZING and our grands loved it as well. What’s not to like!
No matter what you call them, they are a summer staple! So glad you stopped by Susan!
Hobo looks amazing!
They are so delicious Kristina!
The hamburger hobo pack and the barbeque chicken hobo pack sound delicious.
They taste delicious too Linda! Let us know what you think :)
What if you can’t find any dry onion mix??
You can make your own onion soup mix or add a bouillion cube or some seasonings to your liking.
My dad doesn’t like anything with Mushrooms. So I’m thinking of topping them with Cream of Cheddar Soup instead!
That’s a delicious idea!
Try Cream of Potato, chicken or tomato soups. They should be yummy.
I Love your recipes they are tasty.
Thanks Emilia. So happy you enjoy them!
using a recipe from you for the first time
Let us know what you think of it Linda!
Just now using a recipe from you for the first time
So glad you’re here Michelle, I hope you love it!
I always get excited when recipes come my way!!!!! Really love these. Especially grill packets in the Summer! Check them out!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Terry!
I made this recipe exactly as written, cooking it in my oven. As someone who rarely uses salt, I found it too salty for my taste. I personally would not add any additional salt to the recipe when making it in the future. I also think that the onion soup mix could be spread over 6-8 burgers, which would also reduce the salt taste. Other than that, It was delicious! The veggies came out perfect. Still a bit crunchy, but not under-cooked. The burger was cooked through, and very juicy. I might add mushrooms in the future and a tad more soup as a personal preference. All in all, this was so easy to prep and cook. Probably took me 5-10 minutes before I put it in the oven.
Glad you enjoyed them Debbi-Anne! Mushrooms would be a great addition.
I’m looking forward to trying some of these recipes. Hobo Dinner on the grill looks very good.
Thank you Brenda! I hope you enjoy the recipes you try!
Love this it helps my supper plans
So glad you are enjoying the foil packs Kendra!
I made this today for our lunch…the potatoes and carrots were so tasty. I added a lot more herbs and seasonings then in recipe. The hamburger patty was very blah..tasted like it was boiled, but next time I’m thinking maybe using Chicken instead.
Chicken sounds like a great alternative to this recipe Mary! I am sorry the hamburger was too bland for you.