These fun low carb sausage and shrimp packets are an easy meal for summer. Throw them over the grill and dinner is done! This post is sponsored by al fresco®.
Our little family has become quite the crew of avid campers recently. We tried camping a few times with the kids back when we lived in Massachusetts and we have decent experiences. But they simply don’t compare to camping in Oregon, where it’s practically an art form. Once you are outside of any large city or town, there are campgrounds virtually everywhere. Some better than others, of course, but we’ve managed to find a few that were spectacular. And even if they’re only so-so, you are so close to some amazing hikes and beautiful vistas, you still have a fantastic trip. Plus there is a lot less humidity and fewer mosquitos and black flies than back East so it’s quite a bit more enjoyable overall. But campgrounds book up FAST here and you have to grab your spot really early, sometimes even a year in advance!
So my kids are much more enthusiastic about camping than they used to be. They love sitting around a campfire, poking at it with sticks and telling spooky stories as the sun goes down. And last time, we even had some fun cooking right over the campfire, which inspired me to think a little more creatively for the future camping trips. Foil packets make for easy cooking and clean up, so they’re perfect for camping trips. Or perfect for any summer evening when you really don’t want much fuss or stress for dinner. You can cook them over a campfire, on a grill, or even in an oven.
Admittedly, I haven’t actually tried these sausage and shrimp packets over a campfire yet. But easy doesn’t even begin to describe these! I just layered the ingredients into the foil and topped them with seasoning and a bit of butter. 12 minutes later, dinner was done and I didn’t have dishes to wash afterward. I used al fresco® fully cooked chicken sausage because then I could be sure it was cooked through. The shrimp and the veggies cook very quickly and I didn’t want them to be overdone while I was waiting for some uncooked sausage to finish. Plus I love all the wonderful flavours of al fresco chicken sausages and they pair perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. I adore the Roasted Pepper and Asiago and I always have some on hand for that “uh oh, what am I going to do for dinner” moment.
My kids got such a kick out of these campfire packets and they are eager to try them on our next camping trip. This time, we will try cooking them over the campfire and see how they fare. I think you could even get them ready ahead of time and keep them in the cooler until you need them. It will be a fun experiment but I will keep an extra few packages of al fresco sausage on hand, in case the packets don’t survive the inferno!
Sausage and Shrimp Campfire Packets
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini sliced ½ inch thick
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ onion thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 12 ounces al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage sliced ½ inch thick
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or use any fish seasoning or Cajun seasoning
- ½ lemon cut into 4 slices
- Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium high. Tear off 4 sheets of heavy duty foil, about 12 x 12 inches.
- Arrange ¼ of the zucchini slices down the center of each sheet of foil, leaving plenty of space on the sides and ends for folding the foil (overlap the slices if necessary). Top with ¼ of the red pepper and onion slices. Season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange ¼ of the sausage and ¼ of the shrimp over each. Place 1 tablespoon butter in each packet. Sprinkle each packet with about 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning.
- Bring the sides of the foil together and fold over several times, then fold the ends several times each (seal the packets as tightly as you can). Place on the preheated grill and cook for about 12 minutes. You could also make these over a campfire but I suggest having them on a grill a few inches above the fire. Not sure they'd survive the heat right in the fire!
- Remove from the grill and let cool a few minutes, then carefully open and squeeze a wedge of lemon over. Sprinkle with garnish and enjoy right out of the packet or serve over cauliflower rice.
Mindy says
My husband & I are camping & thought this would be the perfect dish to make for dinner. It was delicious & easy, with minimal clean up. The only change I made was, I substituted Down Home smoked sausage for the chicken sausage, because that’s what we had on hand. My husband woke up talking about it this morning! We will definitely make this again.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Joycemazza says
I love your stuff IAM getting that seasoning slap you Mama it cracked me up when you talked about thank you for great recipes have a happy thanksgiving
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Lindsay says
Hey Carolyn-fellow Oregonian here 🙂 where have your favorite camping spots been??
Carolyn says
Oooh good question. We LOVE Lost Lake and went two years in a row.
Anamika says
Can i use above image in my health website?
I am very much bothered about copyrights. Few weeks one blogger emailed me to removed his image. So, i felt little ashamed.
Let me know.
Thanks.
Carolyn says
As long as you are not publishing the full recipe and linking back to me, yes you may. Thanks for asking.
Karen Kernohan says
Baked in the oven? We don’t camp anymore but would love to try this. I’m thinking 350 degrees for maybe 35-40 minutes?
Carolyn says
I don’t think it would take nearly that long. Shrimp cooks quickly. 25 minutes, probably.
Jenny says
Do you think chicken breast would work instead of the shrimp? I’m guessing if I dice it to about the size of a shrimp that would work best. I’m allergic to shrimp, but these sound wonderful and so easy! Thanks.
Carolyn says
Sure, I think that would be fine. Or skip it and do 2x the sausage!