Pesto and Sausage (in Foil Packs!)
Pesto and Sausage Foil Packs are a campfire favorite! Packed with chicken sausage, corn, green beans, red potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and a hint of pesto, they’re perfect for grilling, baking, or the great outdoors.
Servings: 4 servings
Cost: $8.91
Equipment
- Grill or oven
- 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 julienne-cut tomatoes packed in oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- Fresh basil pesto I like Rana’s basil pesto
- Fresh basil optional
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
Seasonings
Instructions
- If you are using the oven, preheat it to 425°F. If grilling, prepare the grill by heating to medium-high heat (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-sized 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 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.
- 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 cheese.
Notes
Note 1: The actual heat on stovetops, ovens, grills, and campfires varies greatly, but I have tested this recipe using all 4 methods and am sharing the timing I found to be perfect. Time can also vary depending on size of veggies, so my advice is to check just 1 packet at a time. 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 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 (15x21 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°) 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
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 16.9g | Fat: 33.8g | Cholesterol: 132.5mg | Sodium: 942.9mg | Fiber: 5.4g | Sugar: 8.7g