This Beef and Vegetable Hobo Dinner is a quick, delicious, and mess-free weeknight meal, or a campfire dinner that’s easy to throw together.
The best part is that your family can even build their own. They can add the ingredients they love to their packet to make it special.
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Why this Easy Hobo Dinner Foil Packet Recipe is a Keeper
This foil-packet wonder is a classic for a reason. It’s endlessly customizable, requires minimal prep, and clean-up is a breeze. Just throw everything in a foil packet and you’re rewarded with a flavorful and satisfying meal.
- Easy Ingredients: For this easy recipe hobo foil packet dinners you will need 6 simple ingredients.
- Bring Camping: Bring these hobo dinner camping as an easy meal the while family will enjoy. Make ahead and store in a cooler and cook the grill.
- No Dirty Dishes: These hobo dinner do not create and dirty pans as everything is made, assembled, and cooked in the foil packet.
- Adaptable: Use your families favorite meat and vegetables to make this recipe a hit. You can make ahead of time and store in the fridge when ready to cook. Then place the foil packets in the oven when ready.
If you’re looking for more beef recipes, try these Crock Pot Beef Stew, Roast Beef Sliders with Dijon Sauce and Italian Braciole (Italian Rolled Beef).
Why do they call it a hobo dinner?
The name comes from the way the dish is prepared and cooked, mirroring how hobos would have prepared their meals during the Great Depression era.
Ingredient Notes to Make Hobo Dinners
These easy foil packets are a wonderful, quick dinner option.
- Ground Beef: You need a nice 80/20 hamburger to make these hobo packets.
- French Onion soup mix: This little envelope adds so much flavor.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for this Ground Beef Recipe
You can cook over a campfire, place the seal foil packet on the grill or can be cooked in the oven. Just make sure to use a heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Ground Meat: Try this recipe with all different kinds of meal. Try ground turkey, ground sausage or even ground veal in place of the ground beef for the patty. A chicken foil packet is a wonderful foil pack dinner.
- Vegetables for the Perfect Dinner: Try sweet potatoes or other root vegetables in this filling dinner. Or try purple or yellow carrots in this hobo dinner recipe.
- Season the Patty: Best Burger Seasoning will elevate the lean ground beef and enhance the foil dinner.
Special Equipment Needed for Camping Trip
- Grill: You can grill directly on the coals or use a gas grill or even place in the oven.
Camp Foil Packet Pro Tip
In place of the aluminum foil, you can use these handy foil packets. They will leak less and seal in all the flavors.
How to Make the Best Hobo Dinner
This grilled hobo dinner is economical, customizable and delicious. You will be making them all the time.
These are the basic steps for making the best camping dinners. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prepping the Easy Dinner
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. The cut up and peel the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Lay out each sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prepare to fill.
2: Form the Ground Beef Patty
Evenly split the ground beef into 4 equal hamburger patties. Lay each patty on the center of the foil sheet, season with salt and pepper. Then add the potatoes, carrots, and onions to the patty. Drizzle a little of olive oil on top of the veggies and then sprinkle with french onion soup mix.
STEP 3: Seal the Foil Packets and Place Packets in the Oven
Once you fold foil securely, place your hobo dinners in the oven and bake for a cook time of 30 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and open the beef patty and vegetable hobo foil pack.
Hamburger Foil Packet Dinner Recipe FAQs
There are a few easy ways to fold the aluminum sheet of foil, this video will explain them. Bring the opposite sides of the foil together to create a loose tent over the ingredients. Fold the top and sides to create a tight seal. Double fold the edges to prevent leaks.
You can place the packets directly on the campfire coals, place them on the grill or you can use your oven or even the air fryer for this foil packet recipe.
Yes, try steak or smoked sausage instead of ground beef for this family dinner.
Of course, you can assemble the pacekts and place the hobo dinner packets on a baking sheet in the fridge until ready to cook.
Expert Recipe Tips for Making This Campfire Foil Packet Meals Recipe
These hobo dinner packets are the perfect summer dinner. This tried and true recipe will become a family favorite.
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: You can easily double or triple this recipe. Make hamburger foil packets recipe for the number of people you need.
- Add Your Favorite Vegetables: Add your favorite veggies such as fresh green beans or bell peppers to these hobo dinners.
- Hobo Dinner on the Grill: This is perfect for the summer months, cook on a 400 degrees f grill and cook for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway between.
- Seasonings: You can also add other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. You could even cook with bbq sauce to the campfire meal.
- Sauce: Drizzle your favorite sauce, like teriyaki or barbecue sauce or a dollop of cream of chicken soup, over the ingredients before sealing the individual foil packets.
What to Serve with this Hobo Packets Recipe
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Beef and Vegetable Hobo Dinner
Video
Equipment
- 4 Large sheets of aluminum foil
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Ground beef
- 1 Packet French onion soup mix, divided
- 1 pound Baby gold potatoes
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Onion
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add half of the French Onion soup mix to the ground beef and gently mix. Form the beef into four evenly sized patties; set aside.
- Slice the carrots, potatoes and onions into thin slices. Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and add the remaining French Onion soup mix. Toss to combine.
- Place one patty in the center of each large sheet of tin foil.
- Add an equal amount of potato, carrot and onion to each foil packet.
- Fold the long sides of the tin foil sheets up and over the contents, and roll closed to secure.
- Roll up the remaining sides of each piece of tin foil to form a secure packet.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Carefully open the foil packets and serve.
Christina’s Notes
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: This recipe for hobo dinner packets can easily be doubled or tripled to fit desired amount.
- Add Your Favorite Vegetables: Add your favorite veggies such as fresh green beans or bell peppers to these hobo dinners.
- Hobo Dinner on the Grill: This is perfect for the summer months, cook on a 400 degrees f grill for 20 minutes, flipping halfway between.
- Seasonings: You can also add other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. You could even cook with bbq sauce.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
I was looking for a simple recipe and easy clean up. I had two preformed burgers burgers and followed the recipe. I was really good. I wish I would have taken a picture. It will be in my once a month rotation. I all my criteria and was tasty too. Quick, easy, delicious, and no mess cleanup.i have a bad back and do a lot f foil cooking.
I am so glad that you enjoyed it. I am with you about quick and easy!
This is an old Boy Scout meal. we used to make it every time we hap a boy scout campot