Zoup! Good, Really Good® provided me with product for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Foil Dinners
Campfire cooking is a quintessential part of the summer, and foil dinners of hearty ground beef, tender potatoes, sweet carrots, and aromatic onions, all bathed in a mushroom gravy, are a classic favorite.
These easy-to-make foil dinners are not only delicious but also require minimal effort and cleanup, making them perfect for outdoor adventures. I’ll show you how to make the perfect foil dinner cooked over the campfire, share tips for simplifying and getting mega flavor with minimal effort, along with everything you need to know to ensure your meal is cooked to perfection, even when cooking in campfire coals.
Let’s take camping food to a new level of delicious, without adding difficulty. With a little bit of prep, the right ingredients, and a few techniques, you can have gourmet camp meals that take very little effort at the campsite.
These foil dinners are bursting with flavor. The ground beef is perfectly seasoned, then slathered in a rich mushroom bisque, then topped with chopped onions, seasoned carrots, and potatoes, then cooked until everything is tender and delicious. It creates a medley of flavors with just a hint of campfire smokiness that takes it over the top. It is the perfect hearty camping food that is easy, customizable, and so fun!
What You Need for Hamburger and Potato Foil Packets
- Ground Beef: The type of ground beef you choose is really important for these foil dinners. Instead of extra lean, choose a full fat or simply lean ground beef, the extra fat in the beef will help keep everything moist and tender as it cooks in the high heat of the fire. Using a fattier ground beef will help keep your packet from drying out. In addition, fat = flavor, which means you will have a more flavorful dinner!
- Cubed Potatoes: I chose to use Russet potatoes, but really any variety would work. The real key here is cutting the potatoes to a small enough size that they can cook through in your foil packets at the same rate in which the ground beef cooks. If you want larger chunks of potatoes, simply start the cooking process BEFORE you put them in your foil dinner packets. To do this, just place them in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 5-8 minutes to get them par-cooked! This will help them cook perfectly in your campfire.
- Carrots: Dice them to the same size as the potatoes, for even, delicious cooking.
- Onion: I used a yellow onion, but white onion works as well, simply dice evenly.
- Olive Oil or Melted Butter: This is added fat to keep things from drying out, but also helps add flavor, and allows your seasonings to better coat your vegetables.
- Salt and Pepper: Adding flavor with seasoning, use your preferred amounts.
- Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth: Do not use just any beef bouillon or beef base, you will not get the same results with a different product! Zoup!’s Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base adds so much flavor and is perfect for camping because you do not have to pack a whole line of seasonings. It is packaged in economical, 8oz recyclable and reusable glass jars that each create 10 quarts of broth – a little goes a long way! You can purchase this at select retailers across the country, through Instacart, and online at ZoupBroth.com and Amazon.com. The product is lower in sodium and higher in protein than the competition, and is a super-premium, clean-label product made in small batches. It has no artificial flavors or ingredients, no preservatives, no inexpensive fillers, and no added sugar.
- Mushroom Soup: I used the Portabella Mushroom Bisque by Zoup! Good, Really Good® because I love their products, and you really can’t go wrong with this bisque. It’s made with a delicious blend of button, baby bella, and portabella mushrooms, plus herbs and seasonings. Zoup! also offers traditional broths and bone broths, including chicken, beef, and veggie, plus super-premium, shelf-stable soups available in nine, flavor-forward recipes, like Chicken Potpie and Butternut Squash with Brown Butter and Sage. The Portabella Mushroom Bisque is one of these shelf-stable soups and makes adding a delightful gravy to your foil packet so simple!
Tools You’ll Need:
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Tongs or a heat-proof glove for handling the foil packet
- Wood, fire starter, matches or a lighter!
How to Make Campfire Foil Dinners
Prep Ingredients:
Start by chopping your carrots and potatoes into even sized pieces. 1-centimeter cubes are best for campfire cooking.
Tip: If you want to cut them into larger pieces, put them in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave for 5 minutes to start them cooking and help them be a little more tender. This will ensure they cook through in the campfire and are done at the same time as the ground beef.
Package for camping by covering chopped vegetables with water in an airtight container, and set aside.
Chop onions into 1-centimeter sized pieces, and package up for camping.
Make Fire:
Prepare your campfire by building a medium-sized fire and allowing it to burn down to hot coals. It is best if the majority of the fire is coals. However, if you want to still have a flame, make space in the hot coals at the bottom of the campfire, and double wrap your foil dinners in foil.
Season Ground Beef:
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth, stir until well combined.
Season Potatoes and Carrots:
Drain water off chopped potatoes, and in a zip top bag or bowl, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth. Toss everything together until well coated. I like using a zip top bag, as it makes this part easy.
In a bowl, toss carrots with a little salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil, to evenly coat.
Assemble Foil Dinners:
Tear off 8 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (about 18 inches long each) and place it on a flat surface.
Divide the meat between the pieces of foil, about 1/4 pound of ground beef on each piece, placing the spoonfuls in the center of the foil. Gently press the ground beef mixture into a patty shape, about 1/2 an inch thick.
Pour about 1/4 cup of Zoup! Portabella Mushroom Bisque over each of the ground beef patties.
Top with onion, 1/4 cup carrots, and 1/4 cup potatoes.
Fold the foil over the mixture, sealing the edges tightly to create a packet.
Cook Foil Dinners in Coals:
Place the foil packet directly onto the hot coals of the campfire.
Cook for about 20-30 minutes, flipping the packet halfway through cooking, until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. To make things easier, use an instant read thermometer, when ground beef reaches 155 degrees F, remove the packets from the coals.
Carefully remove the foil packet from the fire using tongs or a heat-proof glove.
Let the packet cool for a few minutes (5-7) before opening it to avoid steam burns.
Garnish and Serve:
Top with fresh chopped parsley as a garnish, season with additional salt and pepper as desired, and enjoy your delicious foil dinner straight from the campfire!
Grill Instructions:
These foil packs can also be grilled at medium heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and ground beef reaches 160°F.
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth, stir until well combined.
- Drain water off chopped potatoes, and in a zip top bag or bowl, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth. Toss everything together until well coated. I like using a zip top bag, as it makes this part easy.
- In a bowl, toss carrots with a little salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil, to evenly coat.
- Tear off 8 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (about 18 inches long each) and place it on a flat surface.
- Divide the meat between the pieces of foil, about 1/4 pound of ground beef on each piece, placing the spoonfuls in the center of the foil. Gently press the ground beef mixture into a patty shape, about 1/2 an inch thick.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of Zoup! Portabella Mushroom Bisque over each of the ground beef patties.
- Top with onion, 1/4 cup carrots, and 1/4 cup potatoes.
- 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.
Tips for Success
- Use Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth. One of the hardest parts of making food while camping is not having access to your whole pantry and spice rack. With Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth you are getting all the flavor you need, and only have to pack one ingredient. And you can even double dip with it as it creates a delicious sipping broth in addition to adding rich, homemade flavor to recipes. So use it for all your camping needs. It is paleo and keto friendly, plus completely free of GMO’s, gluten, and the eight major allergens. And you know it tastes good because it was created by the team behind Zoup! Eatery, which served soup face-to-face to customers for over two decades! Do not substitute this ingredient! Order it on Amazon here and use code 20PEAZYMEALZ for 20% off your first order of Zoup! products (valid through June 13, 2024).
- Substitute Carefully: While these are easy to customize, and you can make substitutions, keep in mind when you do, you need to account for the amount of oil/fat in the packet. For example, if you substitute ground turkey or chicken for the hamburger/ground beef, you will want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to the meat mixture to help keep it moist, as it is not as fatty.
- Even Cooking: Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Pre-cook or Cut Small: To help the potatoes and carrots cook at the same rate as the meat, consider partially pre-cooking them at home or cutting them into smaller pieces. The campfire can be tricky, and you don’t want burnt meat and undercooked veggies, so cut veggies to 1-centimeter cubes, or partially cook before you head to the campfire.
- Season Generously: Season the foil dinner generously with your favorite seasonings to enhance the flavors. The Zoup! Good, Really Good® Culinary Concentrate™ lineup includes beef, chicken and savory vegan bases, which means you can mix things up if you want and still get mega flavor with only 1 ingredient.
- Heavy-Duty Foil: Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent tearing and ensure the packet seals properly. It will also protect your food while cooking. Double wrap if needed.
- Instant Read Thermometer: I am such an advocate for an instant read thermometer when cooking to ensure you cook things properly. It makes it so easy to know when these packets are done too, as you can poke through the foil to check for doneness. If you don’t have one, check for doneness by carefully opening the foil packet and checking that the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.
- Don’t Make Too Thick: This recipe makes 8 foil packets, and each one is a serving size, however, if you have someone with a larger appetite, you can either serve them 2 packets, or make a larger packet. To help it cook properly you do not want it to be too thick, instead make a larger packet by placing extra meat beside the original hamburger patty, not on top.
- Mix Things Up, Customize: You can use fresh veggies that are available in your garden or the local market in addition to carrots, potatoes, and onions! These are really great with bell peppers, green beans, Brussels sprouts, etc.
- Cook Your Way: While I love making these for the campfire, there is no bad time for a foil dinner. These packets can be cooked in the oven or on the grill as well, instructions in recipe card. If using the grill, I suggest wrapping in a second layer of foil to prevent any leaks. If using the oven, you can sub parchment paper for the foil.
Cooking foil dinners over a campfire is a fun and delicious way to enjoy a meal outdoors and with the help of Zoup! you can have mega flavor with minimal ingredients, making this the best solution for camping! Visit ZoupBroth.com to learn more and follow @ZoupGoodReallyGood on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and @ZoupGoodReallyGoodBroth on Pinterest.
Campfire Foil Dinners
Equipment
- 1 Campfire
- 8 Foil Sheets
- 1 Tongs Metal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 2 cups Potatoes Cubed, 1-centimeter size
- 2 cups Carrots Cubed, 1-centimeter size
- 1 Onions medium, diced
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil divided, or melted butter
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth divided
- 16 ounces Zoup! Portabella Mushroom Bisque or mushroom soup of choice
Instructions
Campfire Instructions
- Start by chopping your carrots and potatoes into even sized pieces. 1-centimeter cubes are best for campfire cooking. If you want to cut them into larger pieces, put them in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave for 5 minutes to start them cooking and help them be a little more tender. This will ensure they cook through in the campfire, and are done at the same time as the ground beef. Package for camping by covering chopped vegetables with water in an airtight container, and set aside.
- Chop onion into 1 centimeter sized pieces, and package up for camping.
- Prepare your campfire by building a medium-sized fire and allowing it to burn down to hot coals.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth, stir until well combined.
- Drain water off chopped potatoes, and in a zip top bag or bowl, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth. Toss everything together until well coated. I like using a zip top bag, as it makes this part easy.
- Drain water off carrots. In a bowl, toss carrots with a little salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stir to evenly coat.
- Tear off 8 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (about 18 inches long each) and place it on a flat surface.
- Divide the ground beef mixture between the pieces of foil, about 1/4 pound of ground beef on each piece, placing the spoonfuls in the center of the foil. Gently press the ground beef mixture into a patty shape, about 1/2 an inch thick.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of Zoup! Portabella Mushroom Bisque over each of the ground beef patties.
- Top with 1/8th of the onion, 1/4 cup carrots, and 1/4 cup potatoes.
- Fold the foil over the mixture, sealing the edges tightly to create a packet.
- Place the foil packet directly onto the hot coals of the campfire.
- Cook for about 20-30 minutes, flipping the packet halfway through cooking, until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. To make things easier, use an instant read thermometer, when ground beef reaches 155 degrees F, remove the packets from the coals.
- Carefully remove the foil packet from the fire using tongs or a heat-proof glove.
- Let the packet cool for a few minutes (5-7) before opening it to avoid steam burns.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley as a garnish, and enjoy your delicious foil dinner straight from the campfire!
Grill Instructions
- These foil packs can also be grilled at medium heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and ground beef reaches 160°F.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth, stir until well combined.
- Add chopped potatoes to a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Beef Base with Bone Broth. Toss everything together until well coated. I like using a zip top bag, as it makes this part easy.
- In a bowl, toss carrots with a little salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil, to evenly coat.
- Tear off 8 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (about 18 inches long each) and place it on a flat surface.
- Divide the meat between the pieces of foil, about 1/4 pound of ground beef on each piece, placing the spoonfuls in the center of the foil. Gently press the ground beef mixture into a patty shape, about 1/2 an inch thick.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of Portabella Mushroom Bisque by Zoup! Good, Really Good over each of the ground beef patties.
- Top with onion, 1/4 cup carrots, and 1/4 cup potatoes.
- 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 and ground beef reaches 160 degrees F.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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