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 dinner ideas are fabulously delicious!
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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
More Sheet Pan Recipes to Try
- All Sheet Pan Recipes
- Mediterranean Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
- Easy Sheet Pan Breakfast Recipes
- Sheet Pan Ratatouille: Classic Mediterranean Flavors
- Sheet Pan German Bratwurst, Potatoes and Cabbage
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