Hobo Dinner Packet

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Hobo Dinner Packet is a fun and easy way to cook up some ground beef and vegetables. Make these foil pack meals in the oven or on the grill!

Whether you’re making these on the grill, in your kitchen, or at your next tailgate party, these Hobo Packets are a delicious, must-try dish! This easy ground beef recipe is perfect for grilling out- beef and veggies come together to make a complete, make-ahead meal. Plus no plates to wash as you can serve them right in their foil.

Hobo Dinner Pack in foil with vegetables

Hobo Dinner Packet

You might be confused as to how a “Hobo Dinner” ended up on this blog. The homeless have rough lives, living on the road and off the land- why would I want their dinner?! Bear with me. If you enjoy a good grill-out, tailgating, or hiking through the woods, you might be interested in today’s recipe for Hobo Dinner Packets!

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Foil Packet Hobo Dinner with soup and vegetables

Foil Pack Meals seem almost tailor-made for outdoor cooking. You’ve got a healthy serving of veggies tossed in with a nice, juicy patty of beef topped with a bit of delicious mushroom soup. Each of those, individually, would take time to prep and cook up. These Hobo Packets cut down on the hands-on and prep time while also bringing all of those elements together into a single, tender dish.

Text on image Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack)

This Hobo Dinner is a delicious ground beef recipe that can be cooked up in all sorts of ways. Make it at home in your oven, out in the backyard on the grill, or over a fire while on a hike or camping trip. You can even prep these as make-ahead dishes- chop your veggies, make your patties, assemble, seal, and toss in the fridge. When the grill’s all warmed up, grab one, cook it up, and enjoy! This is a fun and easy recipe we know you folks are going to love.

Text on image Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack)

Enjoyed our Hobo Dinner? Try these ground beef recipes next!

  • Whenever we have some ground beef, we’re always eager to make some Simple Salisbury Steak! This is one of our standby, go-to dinner dishes that are perfect for a busy weeknight meal. Delicious, tender, and just perfect when you add that gravy- mashed potatoes are a must for this tasty dish!
  • For something delicious, simple, and oh-so creamy, make up some Hamburger Gravy. Ground beef and onions in a creamy brown gravy- what’s not to love?! Serve up over some potatoes, some biscuits, or on a “shingle” of bread or toast- goes great with a side of veggies.
  • In the mood for a bit of pasta? Try making some of our Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Noodle. Our recipe is as simple to make as the stuff from the box but tastes way better! No need to go with the store-bought when you have this simple homemade recipe nearby.

Text on image Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack)

What you’ll need for our Hobo Dinners

  • Carrots
  • Potatoes
  • Onions
  • Ground Beef – Aim for something around 80% lean, 20% fat. You want a bit of fat to keep things juicy!
  • Burger Seasonings – Try using your favorite burger herbs and spices here! We usually use some garlic & onion powders, salt & pepper, and some Worcestershire sauce and our Hobo Dinners were great.
  • Butter
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup
Of course, you’ll also need some aluminum foil to wrap your Hobo Packets up!

Ingredients for Hobo Dinner

How to make a Hobo Dinner

These Hobo Dinners make for an easy, make-ahead dish. The prep is simple and goes like this…
  1. Thinly slice your vegetables and mix up your meat with the seasonings before forming it into patties.
  2. Assemble your veggies, butter, patties, and soup on foil sheets before folding up and crimping into packets.
  3. Bake or grill your Hobo Packets until the veggies inside are tender and the beef is cooked through.

Sliced carrots, potatoes, and onions.

After getting your vegetables thinly sliced, move onto your beef. Add your meat and seasonings to a bowl and mix together thoroughly with your hands.

Ground beef and spices added to bowl

After getting your vegetables thinly sliced, move onto your beef. Add your meat and seasonings to a bowl and mix together thoroughly with your hands.

Formed ground beef patties

Really, all that’s left is assembly! First, prep 4 squares of foil that are about 12″x24″ and add some of your veggies. Top with some butter.

Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, and butter added to foil

On top of the veggies, place your burger patty…

Hamburger patty added to top of vegetables

…And, on top of the burger patty, put a couple of tablespoons of your soup. At this point, bring the sides of the foil up to the middle and fold them together. Crimp, seal, and then roll up the open sides to form the whole thing into a sealed Hobo Packet.

Cream soup added to top of burger

All that’s left is to cook your Hobo Dinner. This can be done in the oven, on the grill, or over a roaring campfire if that’s what you’re working with. If making in the oven, place on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes. Grills and campfires can be imprecise, so just keep an eye on your packets. You’ll know your Hobo Dinner is done when the veggies are tender and the burgers are cooked through. Open up your packets and dig in!

Foil Packet Ground Beef with vegetables

How long are Foil Packet Meals good for?

The real charm of this recipe is that you could easily prep a few of these Foil Meals in advance. If you’re an outdoorsy person, you could make a few of these before a hike or a camping trip. However, since we’re working with thawed meats, you don’t have to long before your meals will start going bad. Kept at fridge temperatures, these ground beef meals should be good for 2-3 days. You could try freezing them and letting them thaw before cooking- frozen, they should be good for another 4 months.

Hobo Packet in foil

Hobo Packet variations

  • Other Ground Meats – Try subbing out the ground beef for any number of ground meats. Consider using some ground turkey, some sausage, or maybe some ground pork?
  • Use your favorite veggies – You can try making these packets with all sorts of veggies! Any vegetable you’d enjoy roasting or cooking up might find its way into your own Hobo Dinner.
  • Bigger Packets – If you’re trying to pack for hungrier folks or you want to keep two meals in one packet, considering using a bit more foil and adding more fillings.

Hobo Ground Beef on a fork

5 from 1 vote

Hobo Dinner

Hobo Dinner Packet is a fun and easy way to cook up some ground beef and vegetables. Make these foil pack meals in the oven or on the grill!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 4 Carrots
  • 2 Potatoes
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 lb Ground Beef
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 8 tbsp Cream of Mushroom Soup

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Thin slice carrots, potatoes, and onions. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Mix until well blended.
  • Divide into 4 patties and flatten slightly.
  • Cut 4 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12x24".
  • Place 1/4 of potatoes, carrots, and onions in the center of each sheet in a thin layer.
  • On each sheet, place patty on top of vegetables along with 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • Top each patty with 2 tablespoons of soup.
  • Bring sides of the foil up to the middle to fold, crimp and seal longways. Roll ends up forming a sealed packet.
  • Place packets on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Notes

If using a grill or campfire, they both can be imprecise, so just keep an eye on your packets. You'll know your Hobo Dinner is done when the veggies are tender and the burgers are cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 656mg, Potassium: 1224mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 10548IU, Vitamin C: 27mg, Calcium: 94mg, Iron: 4mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Long pin collage wit text Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack) Make them in the Oven or on the Grill

Long pin collage wit text Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack) Make them in the Oven or on the Grill

Long pin collage wit text Hobo Dinner (Foil Pack) Make them in the Oven or on the Grill

About Jen Lunsford

A lover of food and frugal living. A wife to a wonderful hubby, momma to 5 fun kiddos. Welcome to my blog. You will find REAL TASTY RECIPES. Be sure to subscribe to my email list and follow me on social media, to never miss a recipe.

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5 from 1 vote

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1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    This really brings back some great memories. My mom would fix packets like this one and we would go to the beach. Dad would start a fire and mom cooked the foil pouches on the coals…yummy.

    Thank you for sharing your recipe.