<p>Everyone has a blast when camping and at mealtime you don't really want to spend a lot of time prepping. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice eating healthy. With foil pack meals, you can get the entire family involved in the prep work and they're so easy to cook—and even easier clean-up!</p>Your campfire may have a rack or grill for you to use if you wish; if there isn’t any, then put the packets around the fire’s edge. Once the meals are cooked, opening the packs can be a bit tricky. Cut an “X” in the middle of the foil with a knife or scissors. These meals will be very hot so fold the triangles back carefully!
Check out these wonderfully delicious foil pack meals—we’ve even included two foil pack breakfasts!
Breakfast Casserole (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs, large
- Kosher salt & ground black pepper
- 1 lb. of frozen hash browns, thawed
- 2 c. of cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ c. of milk
- Butter for the foil
- 1 c. of ham, chopped
- Fresh, chopped chives (for garnishing)
Instructions:
Pour milk, pepper and salt and cracked eggs into a gallon-sized plastic bag; mix in ham, hash browns and cheddar cheese.
Spread butter on 4 foil squares. Spoon the mixture between the 4 foil squares; fold over and close tightly.
Put the packets over your campfire and cook for roughly 10 minutes. When dish is cooked, hash browns should be crisp and tender and the eggs set.
Sprinkle each packet with chives and enjoy!
Campfire French Toast (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 8 eggs
- 1 loaf of your favorite bread
- ¼ c. of milk
- 1 tsp. of cinnamon
- 1 tsp. of vanilla
- 1 lb. of strawberries, fresh
- ¼ c. of almonds, sliced
- Powdered sugar
- Your favorite syrup
Instructions:
First, wash all the strawberries. Then slice half of them and dice the rest. Set aside the strawberry slices.
The bread loaf should be wrapped loosely in parchment paper then aluminum foil allowing the slices to come slightly apart.
Scatter the strawberry dices on the bread being sure to let the dices fall between each slice. In the same manner, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the bread.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the milk, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla until foamy.
Fold the parchment paper and foil tighter around the loaf. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the whole bread loaf. Then wrap a piece of foil tightly on top to prevent leakage.
Cook over your campfire for 40 minutes; it needs to cook evenly so move it around periodically. Cook a bit longer if the loaf appears to be soggy.
When it’s cooked, remove the foil packet from the fire; let it stand for 10 minutes. Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar, sliced strawberries and syrup.
Chicken, Corn and Tomatoes (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- 2 ears of corn, stripped of kernels
- ¼ c. of extra virgin olive oil
- Ground black pepper & kosher salt
- 2 c. of halved grape tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp. butter
- For serving: fresh basil
Instructions:
First, you’ll need 4 12-inch squares of foil. On each square of foil place a chicken breast, tomatoes, garlic and corn. Sprinkle pepper and salt, dribble the oil then put a pat of butter on each.
Next, the foil packets must be folded over the chicken crosswise; then, rolling up the bottom and top edges, close tightly.
Cook over your fire (or on a high heat grill) for 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is completely cooked.
Top with basil and serve.
Steak, Peppers and Potatoes (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 3 bell peppers, each a different color
- 1 zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 2 sweet potatoes, medium
- 1 lb. of kabob beef
- 2 tsp. of minced garlic
- ¼ tsp. each of black pepper & kosher salt
- ½ tsp. of cumin
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 tsp. of chili powder
- Serve with: hot sauce, cheddar cheese or salsa (optional)
Instructions:
Prepping:
If desired, prepare your vegetables before your camping trip by dicing the zucchini and slicing the onions and peppers. For the sweet potatoes, make a small incision into each potato then microwave until they’re tender, about 5 minutes. Next, cut each potato in ½-inch rounds.
In a large bowl, mix kabob beef, potatoes and veggies. Then add in the olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt, cumin and chili powder and blend until the contents are coated.
Scoop everything into a large Ziploc bag and place in a cooler until mealtime.
Cooking:
Cut 4 or 5 15-inch foil squares Divide the mixture between the squares and seal the packets by folding over the edges. To close the packets, you might need 2 foil squares per packet.
Cook over the campfire until the meat is cooked thoroughly, roughly 20 minutes. Serve with hot sauce, cheddar cheese or salsa if you choose.
Shrimp and Tomatoes with Kale Couscous (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 1 5 oz. package of baby kale
- 2 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
- Ground black pepper & kosher salt
- 1 c. of couscous
- 1 lb. of small Campari or cocktail tomatoes, cut in quarters
- 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Instructions:
Rip off 4 foil squares each 12 inches wide; place 2 squares on one baking sheet and 2 on another. If you’re going to use your grill, heat it to medium-high.
Mix ½ c. of water with the couscous in a small bowl.
Arrange the baby kale on each of the 4 squares of foil. Then place some couscous, tomatoes, sliced garlic and 5 shrimp on top of each. Sprinkle each with a ¼ tsp. of pepper and ½ tsp. of salt then dribble olive oil over each.
Each foil must now be covered with another piece of foil; every foil edge must be folded up and over 3 times. Grill—or cook on your campfire—for 15 minutes covered.
Oktoberfest Feast (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. of kielbasa, sliced
- 1 red onion, small, sliced into wedges
- 2 tsp. of caraway seeds
- 1⅓ c. of sauerkraut
- 1 apple, sliced with core removed
- ¼ c. of beer
- Spicy mustard
- Rye toast
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix sauerkraut, sliced apple, kielbasa, red onion and caraway seeds. Spoon the mixture on to 4 sheets of foil then pour the beer over each one.
Wrap up the sides and close each packet tightly. Cook over the fire for 15 minutes. Serve on a plate with spicy mustard and rye toast.
Salmon with Lemony Asparagus (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 4 6 oz. salmon fillets, skin on
- 2 lemons, sliced
- Ground black pepper & kosher salt
- 20 trimmed asparagus spears
- 4 tbsp. of butter, separated
- Ripped fresh dill for serving
Instructions:
Place 2 pieces of aluminum foil on top a flat surface and place 5 asparagus spears on it. Top this with 1 salmon fillet, 1 tbsp. of butter and 2 lemon slices; fold up loosely.
Repeat the above step so that you have 4 foil packets.
Place the packets over your fire (or on a high-heat grill) and cook for 10 minutes. Asparagus must be tender and fish cooked thoroughly.
Scatter the dill on each open packet and serve to your hungry campers.
There are plenty more foil packet recipes out there, but this will give you a good head start. When you want a change from hamburgers, hot dogs and chili, try one of these savory, filling recipes. Your family will be begging for more!
