If you’re looking for an easy side dish to make that’s delicious and requires no clean up, these baked foil packet potatoes — with peppers and onions — are for you! It’s so simple to make and includes three vegetables that pair well with any protein, from beef to chicken to pork to fish. Since tin foil is used as your cooking vessel, little clean up is required after this side dish is prepared and served. This recipe is also totally adaptable, both in its cooking method and the contents included.
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If you’re grilling, you can add this veggie-filled tin foil packet to the grill top, as you are grilling your meat. You can also bake the foil packet potatoes in your oven if you are simmering, braising or roasting your protein on your stove top or in the oven.
I also love that Packet Potatoes are a different spin on the typical potato side, whether they are mashed, baked or fried.
What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Foil Packet Potatoes?
For this basic recipe for foil packet potatoes, I only include three different vegetables, butter and seasonings, but you can certainly add additional vegetables and different flavors, depending on what you have on hand. I use:
- Large Russet Potato
- Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Butter
- Seasonings of Choice (I use onion salt, salt, and pepper.)
- Tin Foil
What Kitchen Tools Are Needed?
Amazingly, you only need these items to make this side dish recipe. No mixing or measuring is required, so there’s no need to dirty a mixing bowl, measuring cups or spoons. And the recipe is grilled or baked and served in disposable tin foil, so no baking dishes are needed.
How Many Portions Does This Recipe Make?
I’m a big fan of stretching ingredients for meals and love that one large russet potato can easily feed at least four with this side dish recipe, with the addition of the sliced onion and bell pepper. If you need to feed more, add an additional potato, onion, and bell pepper, but just know the packet will be doubly heavy. You can either double the foil you use or prepare two packets.
Can Other Items Be Added To These Packet Potatoes?
I really think this recipe for foil packet potatoes is perfect as is, but you can certainly vary the ingredients depending on your personal taste preferences and the veggies you have on hand. Just make sure that the vegetables are cut in uniform pieces so that they will cook evenly and adjust as needed if the vegetable texture is different. Other veggies you can include/variations are:
- Sweet Potato
- New Potatoes (check out THIS post for a yummy, 3-ingredient potato salad with new potatoes)
- Red, Yellow, or Orange Bell Pepper
- Poblano Pepper (check out THIS post for a ton of different stuffed poblano recipes)
- Yellow Squash
- Zucchini Squash
- Asparagus (check out THIS post for my roasted asparagus)
- Mushrooms
Are There Other Variations For Potatoes In Foil Packets?
The beauty in using simple ingredients is you can always “fancy” up a recipe, depending on your own tastes. Here are some additions and changes you can make to the basic recipe for foil packet potatoes..
- Switch out butter for an olive oil drizzle.
- Vary the seasonings. You can do anything from basic salt and pepper to another seasoning blend. Or, throw in a fresh sprig of rosemary — something I’ll be doing this summer since our herb garden is currently going wild!
- Sprinkle a ranch dressing seasoning packet on top prior to baking/grilling.
- Sprinkle an onion soup packet on top prior to baking/grilling.
- Top with shredded cheese during the last several minutes of baking/grilling.
- Top with bacon bits during the last several minutes of baking/grilling.
- Top with chopped scallions during the last several minutes of baking/grilling.
- Or, serve with separate bowls of shredded cheese, bacon bits, chopped scallions and sour cream so that everyone can add their preferred toppings themselves.
Important Tips When Grilling/Baking Packet Potatoes
This is a very easy recipe to make and the result is delicious. When you’re preparing the potato packets, here are my top three tips.
- Slice the potatoes and onions as thinly as possible in uniform slices for even cooking.
- Do NOT turn the packet over when you are grilling or baking it. Not turning the packet will result in a crispy texture on one side and a tender texture on the other.
- If you prefer your veggies to be browned, you can remove the top foil layer during the last ten minutes of cooking.
Foil Packet Potatoes
This easy to make side dish recipe consists of potatoes, onions, bell pepper and seasonings. No clean up is required after baking or grilling since the Packet Potatoes are cooked in a tin foil packet.
Ingredients
- 1 Large Russet Potato
- 1 Large Sweet Onion
- 1 Large Green Bell Pepper
- 4 Tbsp Butter divided into small pats
- Onion Salt
- Salt
- Pepper
- Heavy Duty Tin Foil
Instructions
-
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
-
Tear off approximately 32" of tin foil from its roll.
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Wash and scrub potato. Slice the unpeeled potato into thin slices and arrange on one half of the tin foil.
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Peel and slice the sweet onion into thin slices and separate into rings. Place the onion rings on top of the potato layer.
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Seed and slice the green bell pepper into thin slices. Place the green bell pepper slices on top of the onion layer.
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Sprinkle the Onion Salt, salt and pepper liberally over the vegetables.
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Arrange the pats of butter on top.
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Fold the empty length of tin foil over the tin foil side holding the vegetables.
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Roll the three open tin foil sides closed to seal the packet.
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Place the packet in the oven, directly on an oven rack, and bake for approximately one hour.
-
Leave the tin foil packet closed until you are ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
If you are cooking foil packet potatoes on the grill, cook time will vary depending on the grill’s temperature. A longer grill time will result in crispier potatoes on the bottom.
I especially love this as a well-rounded, comprehensive side during the summer grilling season. Add a slice of (preferably, home grown) salted tomato for the perfect touch of acid to round out your dish!
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