7 Simple Sheet Pan Dinners that Make Busy Weeknights Easy
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When hectic schedules dominate your week, Simple Sheet Pan Dinners are the home cook’s best friend. Easy to make, and a breeze to clean up. And these 7 dinner ideas are fabulously delicious!
How to Make Sheet Pan Dinners
Here are some general rules of thumb when making sheet pan dinners.
1. Stagger the timing. Rarely can you heap chicken and vegetables onto a pan and then walk away (although sometimes you can). Getting your timing down may take some trial and error. Generally, when using bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, cook the chicken alone first, then add the vegetables. When using boneless, skinless meat, you may (depending on your choice of vegetables) need to roast the vegetables alone before adding the chicken.
2. When using a combination of vegetables, cut them roughly the same size. This will ensure that they all cook as evenly as possible. The entry of various vegetables, too, may need to be staggered. Potatoes, parsnips, and carrots, for example, will cook at similar rates, whereas leeks or onions may cook faster.
3. Experiment. Take parts of recipes you like and combine them with others. If you don’t like cabbage, try roasting broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts instead. Want to bulk it up? Try chickpeas, cubed bread, white beans, or starchier vegetables such as potatoes and winter squash.
4. Don’t be afraid to use the broiler. A final pass under the broiler will crisp up skins and give some appealing color to anything in need of a little browning.
Sheet Pan Vegetable Ideas
When considering which vegetables to include in your sheet pan supper, think about which vegetables you’ve enjoyed roasted. Members of the cruciferous family (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) are easy and delicious. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, squash, parsnips, and carrots crisp and brown beautifully. Use what you like and, as always, for the best flavor, use in-season vegetables. Here are a few options that work especially well in sheet pan suppers:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Carrots
- Corn on the cob
- Eggplant cubes
- Summer squash
- Sweet potato
- Delicata squash
- Asparagus
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Leeks
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli rabe
- Butternut squash
- Radish
- Parsnips
Simple and Easy Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas
Pork Tenderloin Easy Sheet Pan Dinner
“This Pork Tenderloin Recipe is a flavor-packed easy sheet pan dinner. Tender green beans, crispy roasted potatoes and delicious glazed pork tenderloin all cooked simply on one sheet pan.”
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Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner with Moroccan Spice
“This Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner with Moroccan Spice is about to rock your weeknight dinner routine, in the very best way! It has broccoli, chickpeas and carrots with lemon and warming spice such as cayenne, cinnamon and cumin. Make it for a weeknight meal, or you can make it ahead on Sunday for Meal Prep, or it works well to pack it for lunches too. It is so easy to make, but deliciously flavorful!”
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Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Cabbage
“This sheet pan supper comes together quickly. Staggering the entry and exit of the chicken and cabbage allows each to cook fully and brown nicely.”
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Sheet Pan Meatloaf Dinner
“Individual mini meatloaves, green beans, and mashed potatoes, all cooked to perfection on one pan? Yes, it’s true! The potatoes are chopped and cooked with a little water in a foil packet so that they steam to tenderness alongside the meatloaves (then you just quickly mash them with milk and a little butter).”
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Sheet Pan Chicken with Broccoli, Chickpeas, and Parmesan
“This is speedy, crispy sheet pan chicken, with lots of boldly-flavored ingredients to keep the meal square and interesting.”
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Pork Chops with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola
“A quick balsamic vinaigrette doubles as a marinade for the vegetables and a sauce for the pork. Taking the roasting pan from stove to oven jump-starts cooking so the pork, potatoes, and onions finish at the same time.”
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Sheet Pan Flank Steak with Salsa Verde
“A super hot pan, preheated under the broiler, will help to brown the underside of the steak while the broiler chars the top and cooks the meat through. Broccoli is sturdy enough to hold up under direct heat; the stems will become crisp-tender while the florets get deliciously frizzled. Italian salsa verde, a bright mixture of parsley, capers, and crushed red pepper, is the zingy condiment this simple main needs. Serve with roasted potatoes or brown rice.”
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