My dad showed me how to make these little foil packet meals back when money was tight and we needed supper to stretch without feeling skimpy. He called them hobo dinners, and they were our way of turning a pound or two of ground beef and a few vegetables into individual feasts. This slow cooker version keeps the same spirit: just four simple ingredients, tucked into their own little trays, and cooked low and slow until the potatoes are soft, the carrots are tender, and the beef is perfectly juicy.
It’s the kind of practical, no-fuss Midwestern cooking that fills the house with good smells and the table with comfort.Ingredients1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced3 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mixDirectionsPrep Foil:
Tear 4 large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each about 12×18 inches. Gently press each sheet down into a shallow, individual foil tray shape with raised sides so juices will stay contained. Set the trays aside.Prep Veggies: Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Peel the carrots and slice them into thin coins. Keeping the slices fairly even helps everything cook at the same pace and get tender.Layer Veggies: Divide the sliced potatoes evenly among the 4 foil trays,
spreading them out in a single layer or slightly overlapping. Top the potatoes in each tray with an even layer of sliced carrots. These vegetables will sit under the meat and soak up all the flavorful juices as they cook.Season Beef: Place the ground beef in a bowl and sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the top. Use your hands to gently mix until the seasoning is worked through the meat, but don’t overmix or the patties can turn out dense.Shape Patties: Divide the seasoned ground beef into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a thick, flat patty about the size of your palm, then lay one patty on top of the vegetables in each foil tray.
Press lightly so the patty rests firmly on the potatoes and carrots but still holds its shape.Shape Trays: Bring the sides of each foil tray up slightly to make sure there are no tears or gaps along the bottom or corners. You want a shallow tray shape, not a tightly wrapped packet, so steam can rise but the juices stay mostly contained around each portion.
Load Slow Cooker: Set the foil trays side by side in the bottom of a large slow cooker, arranging them in a single layer as best you can. It’s fine if the trays touch or overlap a bit, as long as they sit mostly flat so the juices don’t spill out.Cook: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the hobo dinners on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. They’re done when the potatoes and carrots are very tender and the beef patties are cooked through and no longer pink in the center.Remove Trays:
Carefully lift the hot foil trays out of the slow cooker using tongs or a wide spatula, supporting the bottom so the rich brown juices don’t spill. Set each tray on a plate. Serve the hobo dinners right in their foil trays so everyone gets their own individual feast of beef, soft translucent potatoes, sweet carrots, and savory juices.Serve: Let the trays cool for a minute or two before digging in, as the steam can be quite hot. Spoon some of the cooking juices over the top of the patties and vegetables just before serving for extra flavor.
