Philly Cheesesteak Foil Packs are a fun campfire meal loaded with onion, peppers, potatoes, and mushrooms, topped with ground beef and melted Provolone cheese.
Philly Cheesesteak Foil Packs
We camp as often as we can in the summer—it’s one of our favorite family activities. My husband packs and loads the car while I prep meals and snacks (like these Oatmeal Energy Balls).
Our go-to campfire meals are Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches and Tin Foil Sausage and Veggies, but I wanted to switch things up. Since Philly Cheesesteak Pasta is a family favorite, I turned those flavors into foil packs—and they’ve been a total hit!
They’re flavorful, filling, and pick up the best smoky flavor over the fire. No campfire? They also work great on the grill or in the oven.
Ingredients
- Ground beef. Go with lean ground beef (93/7) so the packs aren’t too greasy.
- Yukon gold potatoes. Cut into small 1/2-inch pieces so they cook faster. No need to peel—Yukon skins are soft and tasty.
- Yellow onion. Finely chop so the flavor spreads through the whole pack.
- Green pepper. Cut into small 1-inch pieces. Slice into strips, then cut each strip into 3 chunks.
- Mushrooms. Buy pre-sliced to save time. If using whole ones, slice them into thin 1/4-inch pieces.
Philly Cheesesteak Foil Pack Tips
- Tightly close the foil packs, but leave a little space inside for steam. Since you’ll flip them, make sure they’re sealed well so nothing leaks out.
- Use just one layer of foil—doubling it can mess with the cook time and heat.
- Spray the foil so veggies (especially onions) don’t stick.
- Let packs cool for a few minutes, then taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Pick heavy-duty foil—it’s thicker, stronger, and won’t rip as easily.
- Grill over high heat (525–550°F). They’ll cook fast—around 15 minutes depending on the size of the veggies and meat.
Campfire Cooking Tips
- Campfire cooking can be different each time depending on how hot the coals are and the weather. The foil packs might cook in 10 minutes or take up to 20–30 minutes.
- Set the packs right next to or on top of the hot coals. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, then cook 5 more minutes before checking if they’re done.
- Only open one pack at a time—every time you open one, steam escapes and cooking takes longer. Check a different pack each time instead of the same one.
Philly Cheesesteak Foil Pack Variation Ideas
- Swap out Provolone cheese for a sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- Instead of using ground beef, use 1 pound of sliced smoked sausage (turkey, beef, pork, or chicken).
- Slightly reduce or omit the cayenne pepper if you’re not a fan of spiciness.
- For dairy-free foil packs, leave off the cheese and serve with additional ketchup instead (sounds weird, but if you love ketchup, it works here).
- Replace Yukon golds with Russets (peel first) or red potatoes (unpeeled).
Quick Tip
How To Seal Foil Packs
- Tear off four strips of heavy-duty foil, each one about 2 feet long.
- Divide the food mixture equally into 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 Philly Cheesesteak Foil Packs are ready to cook!
More Campfire Favorites
- Tin Foil Jambalaya with instant rice
- Pesto and Sausage with sun-dried tomatoes
- Baked Potato Foil Packs with cheese, bacon, and chives
- Salsa Verde Chicken & Rice with cream cheese
- Garlic Butter Sausage & Veggies with sweet corn
Philly Cheesesteak Foil Packs
Philly Cheesesteak Foil Packs are a campfire favorite! Packed with veggies, seasoned ground beef, and gooey Provolone, they’re easy, fun, and loaded with flavor.
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 large baby gold potatoes 11 ounces, 2 heaping cups, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large green pepper chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup thinly sliced brown mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef 93/7
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 6 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- If using a grill, preheat to 525–550°F. If using an oven, preheat to 400°F. Set out 4 large sheets (2 feet in length each) of heavy-duty foil. Lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Scrub potatoes clean and dry them—no need to peel Yukon golds. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized, 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the green pepper into bite-sized, 1-inch pieces (discard seeds and ribs). Finely dice the yellow onion. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Add all these veggies to a large bowl and add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Toss to completely coat all the veggies, then evenly divide this mixture among the 4 pieces of prepared foil.
- In that same bowl used for the veggies, add ground beef. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; add to preference). With your hands, knead the ingredients together until incorporated.
- Divide the meat mixture evenly into 4 parts (just eyeball it) Coarsely crumble each portion of beef over the veggies in each foil packet. Completely seal the foil packets (if they aren’t completely sealed, they’ll leak out when they’re flipped), leaving some room for air circulation in each packet.
- Grill: Place the packets in the middle of the grill and cook at high temperature for 10 minutes. Flip the foil packets and cook another 5–10 minutes or until veggies are tender. My grill at 525° takes 15 minutes. I like these best on the grill or campfire.Oven: Place the packets on a large sheet pan lined with foil and bake for 28–38 minutes. (My oven takes 30 minutes.) If you check the packets and they aren’t quite done, they will need even longer because all the steam has escaped and they’ve cooled down. Avoid checking packets frequently and only check one at a time.Campfire: Place the sealed packets very close to (or even directly on) a pile of hot coals. Start by cooking them for 5 minutes, flipping them over, and cooking another 5 minutes before giving a check.
- Remove foil packs from heat and carefully open them (watch for the release of steam.) Immediately place 1 and 1/2 pieces of Provolone cheese on top and return the foil packet to the heat source for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt on top (30 seconds to 1 minute in the oven, 1–2 minutes in closed hot grill, and let it melt on its own for campfire cooking (don’t put it back on the fire). Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Storage: While you can make these packets a few hours in advance, if they’re made too far in advance, the potatoes will start to change texture and discolor. I don’t recommend freezing prepared (unbaked) packets.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 1157mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 266mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I would love more recipes. My husband in the past prepared a hobo meal with tilapia. I just can’t remember what all he used. Do you have such a recipe
I don’t have one with Tilapia but here’s the hobo foil packet recipe I have: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/hobo-foil-packets/
Only change I made was 1/8 instead of 1/4 tsp cayenne and increased cheese to 2 slices per packet. Absolutely delicious!!! We had fresh French bread with it to sop up all the juices. Definitely a keeper!!
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much Linda! 🙂
I have never done these but so looking forward to trying all of these this summer. Thank you for sharing.
I can’t wait for you to try! Thanks!
Can I freeze these foil dinners so I can take them camping?
I’m sorry I’ve never tried freezing foil dinners! Hopefully someone else can chime in here!
Delicious! The recipe at the bottom is correct, but the descriptive paragraph above says ” 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. I did this the first time and it wasn’t edible because of the 1/2 tsp pepper. Just wanted to let you know. =)
Can I make these in advance and freeze them?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried making these in advance and freezing; not sure how the potatoes would hold up!