Garlic Butter Sausage and Veggies are the easiest foil pack dinner with smoky sausage, tender potatoes, sweet corn, and green beans.
author’s note
The No-Dishes Dinner I Make All Summer Long!
The second the weather warms up, I start looking for excuses to make foil pack dinners. There is something about handing everyone their own little packet of food that instantly makes dinner feel more fun. My kids act like it is some special event every single time.
The first few times I made foil packs years ago, I kept them pretty simple. Just meat, potatoes, and whatever vegetables I had sitting in the fridge. But after making these over and over, I landed on the combination that I think works best: smoky sausage, sweet corn, tender potatoes, crisp green beans, garlic, butter, and a simple seasoning blend that makes everything taste like summer.
And this recipe checks every box I want on a busy night. Minimal prep. Almost no dishes. Plenty of veggies. And somehow everyone actually eats it without complaints.
I especially love that these Garlic Butter Sausage & Veggies packets work just about anywhere. Grill them. Bake them. Toss them on a campfire. The recipe always works.
Garlic Butter Sausage and Veggies Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps & Tips |
|---|---|
| Smoked sausage | Turkey, chicken, kielbasa, and andouille all work. |
| Baby red potatoes | Yukon golds also work great. Cut potatoes into small, even pieces so they cook at the same rate. |
| Fresh corn | Frozen corn kernels work in colder months if fresh corn isn’t in season. |
| Green beans | Try broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini instead. |
| Fresh garlic | Chop finely so it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn. |
| Butter | I use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt that ends up in each foil pack. |
Featured Comment
“This is my daughter’s number one favorite food. We eat it all the time.”
– Ashley
Tin Foil Packet Tips
- Fully seal the foil packets, but leave room for steam to circulate.
- Generously spray the foil to keep the veggies from sticking.
- Season to taste; after pulling the foil packs from the oven or grill, let them cool for a few minutes and then taste for seasoning — they might need a pinch more of salt and/or pepper to make the flavors come alive.
- Use heavy-duty foil–this ensures everything stays in these packets and they don’t easily rip or tear.
Quick Tip
What’s the difference between heavy-duty foil and regular foil? The thickness! Heavy-duty foil stands up to heat better and is ideal for foil pack cooking.
Garlic Butter Sausage & Veggies Alternative Cooking Methods
Cook times can vary depending on your stove, oven, grill, campfire, and veggie size. Check just one packet at a time since opening them releases steam and can add cook time.
- Stovetop: Cook everything except corn in a Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn separately or stir in frozen corn at the end.
- Oven (sheet pan): Spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan, top with butter, and bake at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Oven (foil packs): Seal in heavy-duty foil and bake at 425°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Around 35 minutes gives crisp-tender veggies.
- Grill: Grill sealed packets at 450°F for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once.
- Campfire: Cook packets in hot coals for 20 to 40 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.
Quick Tip
How To Seal Foil Packs
- Tear off four strips of heavy-duty foil, each one about 2 feet long.
- Divide the sausage and veggies mixture equally onto the center of each foil piece.
- To seal the foil packet, bring the short sides together in the middle and gently fold down to completely seal. Then, roll up the ends.
- These Garlic Butter Sausage foil packs are ready to cook!
More Food To Throw On The Grill:
Foil Pack Garlic Butter Sausage & Veggies
Video
Equipment
- Grill or oven
Ingredients
- 1 (13-ounce) package smoked turkey or chicken sausage, coined
- 2 cups baby red potatoes unpeeled, 3/4 pound or 12 ounces, quartered
- 2 cups green beans 7 ounces, trimmed
- 3 ears fresh sweet corn sliced into thick rounds
- 4 large cloves minced garlic about 2 tablespoons
- 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional but recommended
- Fresh parsley optional but recommended
Instructions
- If using the oven; preheat the oven to 425°F. If grilling, prepare the grill by heating to medium-high (450°F). Prepare 4–6 large (2 feet long) sheets of heavy duty foil; lightly spritz with cooking spray. Alternatively, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. (Clean up is just as easy!)
- Coin the sausage. Slice the baby red potatoes in half and in half again; if the baby potatoes are large, cut them down more—we’re looking for 1/2-inch cubed potatoes. Trim the green beans. Shuck the corn and slice into thick rounds; see note 1.
- Add the prepped sausage, corn, green beans, potatoes, and garlic to a large bowl. Toss with all the seasonings: paprika, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Toss until ingredients are well combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared sheets of foil. (I typically do 5 sheets of foil, which comes out to about 2 cups (315g) of the mixture.) Place 1 tablespoon butter in each packet or on top of the prepared baking pan. (Divide the pats of butter evenly over the top.) Seal the foil packs tightly so no air escapes but there is still room for steam to circulate. Do not double up foil (only 1 sheet of foil per pack).
- Grill: Grill for 25–30 minutes or until veggies have reached desired tenderness. (Flip the foil packs at the halfway point and check for doneness.) Bake in foil packs: Bake for 30–40 minutes (at 30 minutes veggies are crisp; 35 is perfect for me; 40 is very tender veggies). You can set the foil packs right on the oven rack or on a sheet pan for easier removal from the oven. Bake on sheet pan: Bake for about 30–35 minutes, flipping/stirring the ingredients once halfway. See additional cooking methods in the post above.
- Carefully open the foil pack, expecting steam to be released. Garnish if desired with fresh chopped parsley, any additional salt/pepper, and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the beans, potatoes, and sausage. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my daughter’s number one favorite food. We eat it all the time. But my kids are getting a little tired of the sausage do you think that we would be able to make this with chicken? Like cut up a chicken breast and cook it that way?
I’m sure that would work, you’d just need to adjust the cook time and watch it carefully. Or you could cook it this way: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/foil-pack-italian-chicken-and-veggies/
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Made this on a recent trip, and it was such a hit!
So thrilled this was a hit! Thanks Natalie!
I would like to freeze these packets but I’m confused on your notes on how to do this. Do I freeze before cooking? or freeze after cooking? but you say don’t add the butter if freezing, but the butter is already in the packet if your cooking before freezing. Can you clear this up for me?
So sorry for the confusion. I’d freeze the uncooked packets (not in foil, but something else)
This was delicious! We did the sheet pan oven method, it was perfectly cooked at 35 minutes. I love that everything was seasoned so well!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much! 🙂
The family loved it!
‘6 servings option’
*Changes made to recipe*
Used:
x2 Smoked Beef Sauage (24oz. total)
x1 Sweet Yellow Onion (1/4’ed and broken apart.)
1/2 Fresh garlic head/bulb ‘pressed’
Used half of Italian Seasoning called for
Sea Salt dusted lightly
Fine black pepper dusted heavy
Kinder’s Butter and Herb dust lightly
Meat Church’s The Gospel All-Purpose Rub dusted heavy
Used 2 tbsp of unsalted butter per pack
Delish! So happy to hear the family loved it! 🙂
So delicious!! We’ve been eating them At least once a week since I found your recipe thank you
So happy to hear this! Thanks Ron! 🙂