These Pesto and Sausage foil packs are one of our favorite campfire dinners, complete with Italian-style chicken sausage, corn on the cob, green beans, red potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto! This recipe is perfect for the campfire, grill, or oven.
Pesto And Sausage Foil Pack Dinners
I know how popular foil pack recipes have been over the years and it’s been a while since I’ve shared a new one. However, I do have a few new ones to share this summer and I’m starting with our latest obsession: Pesto and Sausage!
The pandemic canceled our vacation plans this year, so we decided to do a family camping trip. I tested out all kinds of foil pack dinners that were super popular with the family and were so simple to make. The best part though? Not only are they downright delicious, but they’re also filled with good, nutritious ingredients. After long days of hiking and exploring, nothing beats cooking and eating these Pesto and Sausage foil pack dinners.
P.S. Not a fan of using foil when cooking? Read on for a few foil-free alternative cooking methods!
Pesto And Sausage Ingredients
These meal packets aren’t hard to make, but you’ll want to make sure you have the ingredients uniformly prepared (to recipe specifications) so that everything will finish cooking at the same time. Here’s a quick run-down on the main ingredients:
- Chicken sausage: To keep these foil packets on the healthier side, I’m using chicken sausage. I love Aidell’s® Italian-style chicken sausage for this recipe. Alternatively, you could use smoked turkey sausage.
- Red potatoes: The potatoes take the longest to cook, so make sure to prepare them correctly so they’ll be ready when everything else is done. I use baby red potatoes, and quarter them so they’ll cook faster. If you’re using regular red potatoes, you’ll want to chop them into small bite-sized pieces. Err on the side of cutting the potatoes too small to ensure they’ll be done along with everything else. Keep the pieces no larger than 1-inch in size.
- Green beans: Trim the beans, and then sliced in half to make them cook quicker and be more manageable to eat.
- Corn: And last, but not least, cut the corn off the cob and add in with everything else. If you don’t use corn on the cob, I’d recommend using frozen corn and stirring it in after removing the foil packs from the heat.
Seasonings
As far as seasoning these Pesto and Sausage meals, we’re keeping it pretty simple while loading in tons of flavor. Here’s what I use:
- Paprika
- Dried parsley
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder: I love using a roasted garlic powder for a richer, and deeper garlic flavor
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
Toppings: Pesto And Sun-Dried Tomatoes
True to the quick-prep theme of this recipe, I use a store-bought pesto sauce for this foil pack dinner.
I recommend using fresh basil pesto, not the preserved or jarred kind. Fresh pesto is typically near the fresh (not dried) pasta or in the produce section of the store. My absolute favorite is Rana’s® Basil Pesto.
Sun-dried tomatoes with herbs: These are my current fave sun-dried tomatoes. They’re already thinly sliced (julienne cut) and perfectly seasoned, and they add a lot to these foil pack meals while keeping the ingredient list short. I also use the oil from the jar to cook the veggies, so you don’t even have to grab extra oil on your grocery store run. Win-win!
Pesto And Sausage Tips
- When grilling these foil pack meals, grill over medium-high heat (425-450°F). At this temperature, they’ll cook in as little as 20 minutes, depending on the actual temperature of your grill and the size of your cut veggies.
- Seal the foil packets tightly. Since these packets need to be flipped, make sure the seal is good and tight.
- Make sure to toss the seasoning mix and sun-dried tomato oil thoroughly with all of the ingredients, so you get a nice even coating over everything.
- Use heavy-duty foil for the best results on the grill. There is no need to double-wrap these packets (and if you do, they will take longer to cook).
How To Seal Foil Packs
- Tear off four strips of heavy-duty foil, each one about 2 feet long.
- Divide the pesto and sausage mix equally on 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.
- The foil packs are ready to cook!
Alternative Cooking Methods
Cooking times vary depending on your heat source and veggie size, so check one packet at a time. Though remember, opening them releases steam, which slows cook time slightly.
- Stovetop (no foil): Add everything to a Dutch oven (or half to a large skillet) over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender. Add more oil if needed. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes off heat and drizzle pesto before serving.
- Oven (no foil): Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined extra-large sheet pan (15×21). Bake at 425°F for 30–35 minutes, flipping halfway. Stir in tomatoes on the pan, then drizzle pesto when serving.
- Oven (foil packs): Wrap mixture into 4 foil packs and seal them well. Bake on a sheet pan at 425°F for 30–40 minutes, depending on desired tenderness. Add tomatoes and pesto after baking.
- Grill (foil packs): Grill tightly wrapped foil packs over medium-high heat (about 450°F) for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway. Add tomatoes and pesto after grilling.
- Campfire (in foil packs): Cook foil packs in the hot coals of a campfire for 20–40 minutes, depending on the heat of the coals. Flip every 5 minutes. Ours were done in 20 minutes with hot coals. Add tomatoes and pesto before serving.
More Foil Pack Dinners
- Philly Cheesesteak Dinners
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Italian Sausage and Veggies
- Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice
Pesto and Sausage (in Foil Packs!)
Equipment
- Grill or oven or campfire
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil or large sheet pan and parchment paper
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (12-ounce) package Italian-style chicken sausage coined
- 2 cups baby red potatoes 3/4 pound, quartered
- 2 cups green beans 1/2 pound, halved
- 2 corn on the cob corn cut off
- 2 tablespoons oil I use the oil that the tomatoes are packed in
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- basil pesto I like Rana’s basil pesto
- Fresh basil optional
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- If you are using the oven, preheat it to 425°F. If grilling, heat the grill to medium-high (425–450°F). Tear off 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil and lightly spritz with cooking spray. If you aren’t doing this meal in foil packs, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut chicken sausage into coins. Cut baby red potatoes into 4–6 pieces, depending on the size; you want bite-size pieces. Trim green beans and cut in half. Cut corn off the cob. Add sausage, potatoes, beans, and corn to a large bowl.
- Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil (from the oil packed sun-dried tomatoes jar) and all the seasonings: paprika, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper (or to preference). Toss everything together until well combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the 4 prepared foil sheets. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and cut each tablespoon piece into 4 smaller pieces. Add the pieces of butter to the foil packs (1 tablespoon per foil pack). Seal the foil packs tightly so no air escapes, but do not double wrap foil (or the cook time will be off). 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.
- Grill for 20–25 minutes or until veggies have reached desired tenderness (flip foil packs halfway; I flip at 10 minutes). Bake foil packs: add foil packs to a sheet pan and bake for 30–35 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. See note 1 for other cooking methods.
- Carefully open the foil pack, expecting steam to be released. Add the sun-dried tomatoes to each foil pack—2 tablespoons of tomatoes per packet. Spoon over basil pesto to preference (I like 2–3 tablespoons per packet). If desired, top with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan.
Recipe Notes
- Stovetop (no foil): Place the entire mixture into a large Dutch oven (or half the mixture into a large skillet) over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the veggies are crisp tender (about 12–15 minutes), adding additional olive oil as needed. Lower heat if anything is burning or browning too much. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes after removing from heat, then drizzle pesto on individual serves.
- Oven (no foil): Line an extra-large sheet pan (15×21 inches) with parchment paper. Pour the entire mixture over it and bake at 425°F for 30–35 minutes, flipping the ingredients around once at the halfway mark. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, then drizzle pesto on individual serves.
- Oven (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place foil-wrapped packets on a sheet pan and bake 30–40 minutes. The time depends on your preference: at 30–35 minutes, everything should be crisp tender and cooked through. For very soft veggies, leave them in 38–40 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on individual serves.
- Grill (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place over a pre-heated grill (medium-high heat; ~450°F) and grill 20–25 minutes. Flip once in between the grilling process. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each serving.
- Campfire (in foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Cook foil packs in the hot coals of a campfire until the potatoes are tender, around 20–40 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes, depending on the heat of the coals. I found these cooked in about 20 minutes with hot coals. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! Can I use pre cooked sausage? And how long before cooking them can I prep them? Planning to make them for a camping trip
Yes; I use smoked sausage! I’d mix up the mixture a day in advance but keep it in a covered bowl. Add to fire right before cooking over campfire!
These were AMAZINGGGG! My picky eater husband gobbled this up and declared it a new regular in our household.
So delicious! Second recipe from your blog I’ve made – tried this one because the other has become a family favorite and this did not disappoint! This is my new favorite food blog
I am so happy to hear this Molly! 🙂 Thanks so much for your sweet comment!
great recipe, I love how the sausage gets infused with the other flavors in these foil packs and thank you for all of the options (suggestions) the campfire version, yay!
Thanks Sabrina! 🙂
These were so good and easy to make! We want to try and make them when camping too!!
So glad to hear that! Thanks Eden!
I love Aidells sausage. It’s so good. This looks like a great campfire dinner whether you’re actually camping or just having a fire in the backyard. Thanks!
You better believe I am making this asap!! I love the flavor pesto adds. Everything looks so juicy!
Hope you love them!
Foil dinners are the best! I just loved the seasoning you used in this recipe…it was sooo good!
So glad to hear that! Thanks Stephanie 🙂