Sheet-Pan Meals That Will Make Dinner Easy

Sheet pan recipes are popular with anyone who doesn't have much time to cook or doesn't want to expend a lot of effort, but still wants a great meal. Everything cooks on just one rimmed sheet pan, so there's less cleanup and mess as well. Though the steps are simple, the flavor possibilities are endless, like Indian chicken and potatoes or Mexican shrimp and asparagus. Next time you need an uncomplicated, easy-to-prepare dinner or breakfast, try one of these sheet pan dishes. 

Related: 28 Delicious Dump-and-Bake Casseroles That Can Be Prepared in Minutes

Everyone loves shrimp scampi full of garlic and butter, and while it's quick to cook, it's all hands-on time. Making it on a sheet pan, along with roasted squash and garlic bread, means you can cook a full, mostly hands-off meal on one pan. The garlic mixture that the shrimp are tossed in does double duty as the garlic bread topping, too.

Recipe: Food Network

Related: 27 Olive Garden Copycat Recipes

Fajitas are a crowd pleaser, but making a large quantity can take a lot of time. To make them on a sheet pan, simply toss the cut-up chicken, peppers, and onions with seasonings like cumin and oregano before roasting them in a hot oven. Smoked paprika gives them a bit of smoky char flavor that you'd get from a grill.

Recipe: Damn Delicious

Related: 21 Cheap and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Bone-in chicken tends to stay moist and tender when you roast it. In this recipe, chicken thighs and drumsticks are baked over a bed of red potatoes, carrots, and onions. Garlic, thyme, and lemon flavor everything as the chicken juices drip into the vegetables. 

Recipe: Taste of Home  

Related: 50 Cheap and Easy Chicken Recipes

This homey recipe is simple, inexpensive, and great for fall. Slices of kielbasa, potatoes, and cabbage all roast together and get nice and caramelized before being drizzled with mustard and garlic vinaigrette. 

Recipe: Budget Bytes

Who said sheet pan meals are only for dinner? You can make a big batch of huevos rancheros on a sheet pan in assembly line fashion to make brunch for a lot of people more convenient. The sauce is simple, with canned tomatoes and a whole can of chipotle peppers for a real kick. Broiling the tortillas first makes them nice and crunchy all at once.

Recipe: The Oregon Dietician

Related: 26 Easy Breakfast Casseroles to Start Your Morning Right

This recipe is gorgeous and deceptively simple. Thick, curry-rubbed pork chops roast along with small, halved sweet potatoes at a high temperature to get them both nice and crispy on the outside. A simple, lemony yogurt sauce, fresh radishes, and pomegranate seeds top the whole thing, giving it bright color and freshness.

Recipe: Epicurious

Related: 55 Big-Batch Meals That Will Last for a Week

As with many sheet-pan recipes, timing is important when you're cooking two very different things like potatoes and fish on the same pan. Cook the potatoes for a while, then add chopped Swiss chard, olives for a briny bite, and cod on top. It'll all be perfectly cooked at the same time. A lemon, mustard, and shallot dressing is bright and tangy over the fish.

Recipe: Real Simple

Related: 30 Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes for an Easy Fall Meal

Italian sausage and peppers is a classic combination. By using pre-cooked and sliced sausages, you ensure it gets nice and browned and the peppers and onions don't overcook. A little oregano, basil, and garlic give everything more flavor, and a little red wine vinegar gives it punch. It's great served on rolls or over pasta.

Recipe: Well Plated

This Greek chicken recipe couldn't be more satisfying and simple. The traditional flavors of lemon, garlic, and oregano are combined with olive oil. Chicken thighs and potatoes go for a quick dip in that marinade before being roasted together so the chicken fat sizzles around the potatoes.

Recipe: Dinner at the Zoo

Related: Where to Find Great Greek Food in Every State

A date night-in is a great way to save money, and you can even cook a complete steakhouse dinner on one sheet pan. It's got more components and steps than other recipes in this list, but it's still much easier than making everything in separate pans. Potatoes au gratin is cooked on one side of the pan, creamed spinach goes in small oven-safe bowls on the other side, and steak and shrimp sear right in the middle. 

Recipe: Food Network

A healthier, easier version of fish and chips can be made on a sheet pan. The fish gets a quick marinade in buttermilk before being coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs while the potato wedges roast. The coating on the fish gets crispy as it bakes, and everything is seasoned with Old Bay for that oceanside flavor. 

Recipe: Well Plated

A 2-pound, whole pork tenderloin will cook in the same amount of time as the potatoes in this recipe, so you can slap it all on one pan and forget about it until it's done. The quick sauce for the pork is full of flavor with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Making a little tray out of aluminum foil for the pork keeps the juices in and the potatoes from getting soggy.

Recipe: Creme de la Crumb

You can make a whole, short order breakfast on one sheet pan with this recipe. It cleverly starts with baking the bacon, so that you can cook everything else in the bacon fat. American fries with peppers, onions, and eggs-in-a-hole complete the meal. 

Recipe: Food Network

Unlike many sheet-pan recipes, this one for salmon and asparagus calls for a low oven temperature — just 275 degrees. Cooking it low and slow ensures that the salmon stays moist, but it still only takes about 15 minutes to bake. Roasted asparagus is a classic side and goes well with the mustard and tarragon.

Recipe: Epicurious

Related: 100 Cheap & Easy Dinners

This 5-ingredient recipe is a real kid pleaser. All you do is spread pork chops, halved red potatoes, and green beans on a sheet pan, then sprinkle the whole thing with store-bought ranch dressing mix. Fresh minced garlic gives it extra flavor, but it isn't even necessary. Feel free to use any vegetable you have on hand, not just green beans.

Recipe: Damn Delicious

Frozen shrimp are a great ingredient to have on hand for quick meals because they defrost and cook so quickly. Try them in this all-in-one-pan recipe with Mexican flavors. Potatoes are roasted, then shrimp, asparagus, and broccolini tossed in a fresh, spicy combination of lime juice, butter, and chipotle powder are cooked on top. A garnish of cilantro is a fresh addition. 

Recipe: Taste of Home

Related: 23 Light and Easy Comfort Food Recipes for Warm Weather

Chicken and potatoes is a typical pair for sheet pan meals, but this one has an Indian twist that keeps things interesting. The chicken pieces are marinated with Indian spices like garam masala and turmeric along with yogurt to tenderize the chicken. They get roasted on top of potatoes and cauliflower, then topped with sliced red onion and fresh herbs. 

Recipe: Smitten Kitchen

This recipe wears two hats: dinner and football food. A bed of shredded red cabbage is cooked beneath fresh bratwurst links. It gets tossed with a little vinegar before topping the brats in a pretzel bun. Dijon mustard and fresh apple slices make the sandwiches something special. 

Recipe: Real Simple

Related: 35 Finger Foods for Game Day With the Family

Who says meatballs have to be round? It takes a lot of time to shape perfect meatballs, so you might as well just plop the meatball mix on a pan, freeform-style. You'll end up with more browned and crispy bits of meat that way, which is always a win. These bright, lemon zest-seasoned chicken meatballs roast on the top rack while carrots roast on a sheet pan below.

Recipe: Epicurious

Cherry tomatoes join the mix of Italian sausage, peppers, and onions in order to make a rustic, chunky pasta sauce in this recipe. At the end of roasting, packaged, pre-cooked gnocchi tossed in olive oil and Parmesan are added, making it a true, one-pan meal, complete with starch. 

Recipe: Food Network