Repcipe Wednesday: Hobo Dinners

Not sure if I'm just in a nostalgic mood lately, but I seem to be posting recipes that have been on my "rotation" for years and years! I've been making my Turkey Chimis for over 10 years and today, my Hobo Hamburgers are another Rooney Family staple. I've been making these for over 10 years as well!

There are a zillion "foil wrapped" dinner ideas out there that include all sorts of meats and random veggies, but I really believe mine is the best :) Nothing random (AKA: peas!), nothing complicated (AKA: a fancy way you have to wrap the foil) and it has more flavor that most of the other "foil wrapped" options I've tried.

5 Reasons This Recipe Rocks

1. You can make it a day or two in advance and just pop it in the oven about 45 minutes before you're ready to eat.

2. Virtually NO CLEAN UP!!! You can eat your dinner right out of the foil pouch and toss it when you're done!

3. No need for "side" dishes--it's like a one-pot meal--everything you need is in the pouch..meat, veggies..a little cheese...what more do you need?! :)

4. You can really customize it however you want. Switch to ground turkey, swap out veggies, different sauce, etc. But like I mentioned, I really think my version is the best :)

5. These are also great for camping...you can make them ahead of time and throw them on the grill whenever you're ready! Did I mention: NO CLEAN UP!?!

Here you go!

Hobo Hamburgers
**Makes 4 "pouches" that serve 4 people (or at my house, 2 adults and 3 little kids!)

1 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (i use Panko, but any kind works)
1 cup grated cheese (i use sharp cheddar)
1 teaspoon seasoning salt OR (1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped


1 medium onion, sliced into rings
Any kind of potatoes, sliced into thin rounds (i use about 3-4 red potatoes)
Your favorite BBQ sauce

1. Cut 4 pieces of foil approx 12 inches x 12 inches. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined (i use my hands!)

3. Shape mixture into 4 patties...this doesn't have to be perfect! Just get them all about the same size and thickness so they will cook evenly. I like to make mine fairly flat so they cook faster.

4. Lay each patty onto the foil. Top each patty with: a layer of BBQ sauce, onion slices, 3-4 potato slices, more BBQ sauce)

5. Carefully bring the edges of the foil together to seal the pouch. There are several ways to do this (don't even Google how Martha Stewart does hers!!), but I just make sure it's sealed well, but also not so tight where it doesn't let the contents of the pouch "steam" in the oven. Mine usually end up looking something like this:

6. Place pouches on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and meat is cooked though. Cooking time really depends on your oven and how thickly or thinly everything is sliced.

7. Let cool for about 5 minutes, put pouches on a plate, open them up and dinner is served!!

XO ~ Casey