Hobo foil packets are a whole dinner sealed in foil: a seasoned ground beef patty on a bed of sliced potatoes, carrots and onion, with a spoonful of creamy mushroom soup on top, baked until everything is tender. Each person gets their own packet, and there is almost nothing to wash up afterward.
How to make hobo foil packets: Mix ground beef with dry onion soup mix and shape four patties. Toss sliced potatoes, carrots and onion with olive oil and garlic powder. Divide the vegetables among four sheets of foil, top each with a patty and 2 tablespoons of cream of mushroom soup, seal, and bake at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Meat and vegetables in one packet. Nothing else to cook on the side.
- Easy cleanup. The foil is the pan.
- Everyone gets their own. Four packets, four servings.
- Oven or campfire. The same packets can be cooked over coals.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef. One pound, mixed with the soup mix and shaped into four patties.
Dry onion soup mix. One 1-ounce packet seasons the beef.
Potatoes. Four small potatoes, peeled and sliced.
Carrots. Two cups, diced.
Onion. One large onion, sliced, or 2 small ones.
Olive oil and garlic powder. Two tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder coat the vegetables, with salt and pepper to taste.
Condensed cream of mushroom soup. One 10.5-ounce can. You use 2 tablespoons per packet, so you may not need the whole can.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix (1 ounce)
- 4 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.5 ounces)
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the foil
How to Make Hobo Foil Packets
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Shape the patties. Combine the ground beef and dry onion soup mix in a bowl. Form four patties and set aside.
3. Mix the vegetables. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots, onion, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper until mixed.
4. Fill the foil. Spray a 12-by-18-inch piece of foil with nonstick spray. Put one-fourth of the vegetable mixture in its center, top with one beef patty, and spoon 2 tablespoons of condensed mushroom soup over the patty. Repeat to make four packets.
5. Seal and bake. Seal the packets well and place them beef side up on a large baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the center of each ground-beef patty reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Carefully open the packets to check.
How to Tell Hobo Packets Are Done
There are two things cooking inside each packet, and both have to be done. The vegetables must be tender and the beef must be hot enough. One does not prove the other.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Potatoes and carrots | Tender when you push a fork into them |
| Ground-beef patty | 160°F in the center on a food thermometer |
| Time in a 375°F oven | 35 to 45 minutes, as a guide only |
| Time over campfire coals | 30 to 45 minutes, depending on packet size |
Open one packet carefully to check. Steam rushes out, so unfold the foil away from your face. If the vegetables are soft but the patty is under 160°F, or the other way around, reseal it and keep cooking.
Tips for Success
How do I assemble and seal hobo foil packets?
Spray the foil, pile the vegetables in the center, set the patty on top and spoon on the soup. Bring the long sides of the foil together over the food and fold them down, then fold in the two ends so the packet is closed all the way around.
How long and at what temperature do hobo packets cook in the oven?
At 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes, beef side up on a baking sheet.
How thin should I slice the potatoes?
Slice them thin and evenly, and dice the carrots small, so they turn tender in the same time as the beef.
Do I use the whole can of soup?
Not necessarily. Each packet gets 2 tablespoons over the patty.
What size foil do I need?
Four pieces, each 12 by 18 inches.
Can You Cook Hobo Packets Over a Campfire?
Yes. For a campfire, wrap each packet in a double layer of foil and cook it over the coals, not in the direct flames. Allow 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the packets. The same two checks apply: tender vegetables and a patty at 160°F. A campfire is less even than an oven, so check more than one packet.
How Long Does It Take?
About 60 minutes: 15 minutes to slice, mix and wrap, and up to 45 minutes in the oven.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Do not leave packets out to cool for a long time first. Reheat leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. “Warmed through” is not hot enough.
What to Serve With It
If you like this beef and potato combination, the hobo casserole turns it into one big bake. For more packet dinners, try slow cooker Cajun steak packets, slow cooker foil packet sausage and pierogies or Cajun shrimp in foil. For other ground beef nights, there is the hamburger mushroom bake and Oklahoma fried onion burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I confirm that both the vegetables and ground beef are done?
Open a packet. The potatoes and carrots should be tender, and the center of the patty should read 160°F on a food thermometer.
How long do packets take over campfire coals?
About 30 to 45 minutes, depending on packet size, in a double layer of foil over coals.
Which side goes up?
Beef side up, on a large baking sheet.
How many packets does this make?
Four, one per person.
Final Notes
I open the thickest packet first and check both the potatoes and the patty, because if that one is done the others are too. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Hobo Foil Packets
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Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix 1 ounce
- 4 small potatoes peeled and sliced
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 1 large onion sliced; or use 2 small onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounces; 2 tablespoons per packet
- nonstick cooking spray for the foil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Combine the ground beef and dry onion soup mix in a bowl. Form four patties and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots, onion, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper until mixed.
- Spray a 12-by-18-inch piece of foil with nonstick spray. Put one-fourth of the vegetable mixture in its center, top with one beef patty, and spoon 2 tablespoons of condensed mushroom soup over the patty. Repeat to make four packets.
- Seal the packets well and place them beef side up on a large baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the center of each ground-beef patty reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Carefully open the packets to check.
