We recently went to one of my dad’s family reunions. We have one every year and have ever since I can remember. We used to go to my great-grandpa’s farm and camp out on the property there, but over the past decade and a half we’ve begun exploring other areas around the western US. It’s one of my favorite summer traditions. But it can be hard to feed that many people over several days. Our solution: each of my dad’s siblings and their immediate family members and then his parents and single siblings take a meal (usually we just do breakfast and dinner – BYO (bring your own) for lunches). This year my family had a dinner meal assigned to us. We came up with this Shepherd’s Pie Tinfoil dinner.
SHEPHERD’S PIE TINFOIL DINNER
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5 servings
- 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables
- 16 oz shredded frozen hash browns
- 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup (you can use a "cream of" substitute if you prefer)
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped green onions (if desired)
- tinfoil
- Thaw the hash browns so you aren't trying to mix in huge chunks of potatoes. Break up the frozen veggies in the package so they aren't in large chunks either.
- While the hash browns and veggies are thawing, cook up the ground beef in a frying pan on the stove. Medium heat until evenly browned, Add seasonings to taste and desire.
- Combine the hash browns, the frozen veggies, browned ground beef and the cream of mushroom soup in a large bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
- Put a single serving amount of veggie-potato-beef mix in the center of a square of tinfoil. How much you put in there will depend on how much you want to eat. I average about a cup to a cup and a half in each tinfoil square. Mr Napping likes closer to 2 cups in his.
- Wrap each tinfoil square up tightly and put it on coals or in the oven. Cook on coals for about 30 mins or in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Unwrap the foil packet and transfer contents to a plate, if desired.
- Sprinkle with cheese and green onions, and serve.
- It will be HOT! Be CAREFUL!
This recipe is tasty, easy and you can feed a large group with minimal additional prep work. It’s awesome for camping. Throw it all in a tinfoil pouch and into the coals. And it’s a great quick and easy dinner at home. It’s relatively inexpensive, which is a plus in a household of testosterone and hungry boys.
