Raise your hand if you want recipes with minimal prep, easy cooking and less cleanup? (Me! Me! Pick me!) Well, you’re in luck: foil-pack dinners are trending (again) and for good reason. These streamlined meals are just what we’re craving after the holidays – simple and nutritious recipes that are easy to execute, with minimal clean-up for these exhausting, dark-at-5-PM nights.
Think of foil-pack dinners as a fun twist on the one-pot meal.
And I’ll be the first to admit I’ve often thought of foil-pack dinners for camping recipes only. But not anymore. Below, five foil-pack recipes I’m planning on feeding my family right now, and hopefully all year long.
Related: 6 delicious easy sheet pan recipes for easy cooking and even easier clean up.
5 healthy-ish foil-pack dinners for easy weeknight cooking
A former, rather particular boss of mine doesn’t like foil touching her food. If you are of the same mind, you can line the foil with parchment paper and then wrap. (Although if you do make any of these over a campfire or grill, leave the parchment at home!)
1. Foil-Pack Chicken Fajitas
Hello Taco Tuesday, meet your new best friend: Foil-Pack Chicken Fajitas with this recipe from Healthy Delicious (also at top). These foil-pack dinners are so versatile and delicious – wrap up the filling in tortillas for the kids and ditch the carbs completely (or not) depending on if you’re watching that sort of thing.
2. Foil-Pack Teriyaki Salmon
The fish-veggie sauce in the Teriyaki Salmon Foil Packets at Life Made Sweeter couldn’t be easier. You can use your favorite store-bought sauce, or follow Kelly’s homemade recipe for even more terrific flavor. Either way, I love this quick-cooking idea for my weeknight salmon.
3. Foil-Pack Italian Sausage and Vegetables
No matter how you want to cook this foil-pack Italian Sausage and Veggies recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron, Chelsea has great tips for you. My vote: cook them at home using the oven, and save the recipe for camping for the summer. My kids and I all love the timeless combination of sausage, potatoes and peppers any time of year and this recipe is just our style. And it’s filling enough, there’s no need for bread or pasta — smart if you’re cutting back on carbs right now.
Related: 5 easy ways to get kids to eat more vegetables — no begging, bribing, or fighting required.
4. Foil-Pack Mediterranean Shrimp
Save yourself a pan and make the tasty Grilled Mediterranean Shrimp in a Packet via a recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living. Since each packet is an individual serving, you can customize each one slightly, depending on which veggies your kids like. Although I think I’m going to follow Jeanette’s lead since hers look incredible as is. Also, I personally am trying to eat more seafood in the new year and shrimp is always an easy choice for my family. But because wild shrimp can be expensive, a good alternative is to look for U.S. farmed shrimp, because our farming laws are a bit stricter than many international ones.
5. Foil-Pack Vegetarian Sweet Potato Hash
I was instantly drawn to Extra Crispy’s Foil Packet Sweet Potato Hash that she shared on My Recipes. I’m sure the family will love opening these for both breakfast and dinner. Of course you can add the sausage to it if you’d like, but I love this idea as a vegetarian option – the eggs, peppers and spice-roasted sweet potatoes make a wholesome meal without the added cost (or calories) of sausage. I would just suggest that you adjust the salt and pepper slightly to taste if you’re going meat-free.
You had me at “minimal prep, easy cooking and less cleanup.” I’ve been in a supper funk lately always trying to figure out what to make. These recipes look fantastic!