Pesto and Sausage (in Foil Packs!)

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 cancelled our vacation plans this year, so we decided to do a family camping trip and tested out all kinds of foil pack dinners. These were crazy popular with the family and they’re so simple to make. The best part though? Not only are they downright delicious, 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 alternative cooking methods that don’t require any foil!

Pesto and Sausage ingredients

These pesto and sausage foil pack meals 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 (not sponsored) 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 cook in time. 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 bigger 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 on the cob: 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 we 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, we use a store-bought pesto for this foil pack dinner.

I recommend using freshly made basil pesto, not the preserved or jarred kind. Freshly made 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 (not sponsored).

Sun-dried tomatoes with herbs: these are my current fave sun-dried tomatoes (not sponsored). 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 down. We also use the oil they are soaked in to cook the veggies in, 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 degrees F). At this temperature they’ll cook in as little as 20 minutes, depending on the actual temperature of your grill and 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 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

1. Tear off four strips of heavy-duty foil, each one about 2 feet long. 
2. Divide the pesto and sausage mix equally into the center of each foil piece.
3. 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. 
4. The foil packs are ready to cook!

Alternative cooking methods

The actual heat on stovetops, ovens, grills, and campfires varies greatly, but I have tested this recipe using all four methods and am sharing the timing I found to be perfect. Time can also vary depending on actual size of veggies, so my best advice would be to check just one packet at a time. Remember, every-time you open a packet to check, it releases all the steam and will take an extra couple of minutes in comparison to the other packets cooking.

• Stovetop (no foil): Place the entire mixture into a large Dutch oven (or half of the mixture into a large skillet) over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the veggies are crisp tender (about 12-15 minutes), adding in additional olive oil as needed. Lower the heat if anything is burning or browning too much. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes after removing from the heat, and then drizzle pesto on individual serving plates.
• Oven (no foil): Line an extra-large sheet pan (15 x 21 inches) with parchment paper. Pour the entire mixture onto it and bake at 425 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes, turning the ingredients at the halfway mark. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes right in the pan and then drizzle pesto on individual serving plates.
• Oven (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four sheets of heavy-duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place the foil-wrapped packets on a sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. The time really 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 each individual serving.
• Grill (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four sheets of heavy-duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place on a pre-heated grill (medium-high heat; ~450 degrees) and grill for 20-25 minutes. Flip once halfway through the grilling process. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each individual serving.
• Campfire (in foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four 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. We found these cooked in about 20 minutes with hot coals. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each individual serving.

More foil pack dinners

• Philly Cheesesteak Dinners
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork and Veggies
• Italian Sausage and Veggies
• Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

5 from 7 votes

Print

Pesto and Sausage (in Foil Packs!)

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

These Pesto and Sausage foil packs are one of our favorite campfire dinners, complete with 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.

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pesto and sausage

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 504 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 ounces; 340g) Italian style chicken sausage, coined
• 2 cups (~3/4 pound; 305g) baby red potatoes, quartered
• 2 cups (~1/2 pound, 206g) green beans, 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 (85g) sun-dried julienne-cut tomatoes packed in oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• fresh basil pesto, (I like Rana's basil pesto)
• Optional: fresh basil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder and onion powder
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. PREP: If you are using the oven, preheat it to 425 degrees F. If grilling, prepare the grill by heating to medium-high heat (425-450 degrees F.)

   Tear off four sheets of heavy duty foil and lightly spritz with cooking spray. If you aren't going to be doing this meal in foil packs, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. PREP VEGGIES: Cut the chicken sausage into coins. Cut the baby red potatoes into 4-6 pieces depending on the size; you want small bite-sized pieces. Trim the green beans and cut in half. Cut the corn off the cob. Add the sausage, potatoes, beans, and corn to a large bowl.

3. SEASON: Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil (from the oil packed sun-dried tomatoes jar) and all of the seasonings (paprika, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Add salt and pepper to personal preference; I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss everything together until well combined.

4. DIVIDE: Divide the mixture evenly among the four prepared sheets of foil. Cut the 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 (only one sheet of foil per pack 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.  

5. COOK: Grill for 20-25 minutes or until veggies have reached desired tenderness (flip the foil packs at the halfway point; 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.

6. GARNISH: Carefully open the foil pack, expecting steam to be released. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes to each foil pack -- 2 tablespoons of tomatoes per packet. Spoon over basil pesto to preference (we like 2-3 tablespoons per packet). If desired, top with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes

Note 1:

The actual heat on stovetops, ovens, grills, and campfires varies greatly, but I have tested this recipe using all four methods and am sharing the timing I found to be perfect. Time can also vary depending on actual size of veggies, so my best advice would be to check just one packet at a time. Remember, every-time you open a packet to check, it releases all the steam and will take an extra couple of minutes in comparison to the other packets cooking.

• Stovetop (no foil): Place the entire mixture into a large Dutch oven (or half of the mixture into a large skillet) over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the veggies are crisp tender (about 12-15 minutes) adding in additional olive oil as needed. Lower the heat if anything is burning or browning too much. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes after removing from the heat and then drizzle pesto on individual serving plates.
• Oven (no foil): Line an extra-large sheet pan (15 x 21 inches)  with parchment paper. Pour the entire mixture over it and bake at 425 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes, flipping the ingredients around once at the halfway mark. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and then drizzle pesto on individual serving plates.
• Oven (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four sheets of heavy duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place the foil-wrapped packets on a sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. The time really 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 each individual serving.
• Grill (foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four sheets of heavy duty foil and wrap them so the foil is completely sealed. Place over a pre-heated grill (medium-high heat; ~450 degrees) and grill for 20-25 minutes. Flip once in between the grilling process. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each individual serving.
• Campfire (in foil packs): Divide the mixture evenly onto four 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. We found these cooked up in about 20 minutes with hot coals. Add sun-dried tomatoes to individual foil packs and drizzle pesto on each individual serving.