Between planning the meal, shopping for the secondary ingredients, cooking all the components, and clean up; meal time can be stressful. Add in working late at the office, pickups after practice, and being tired from an already long day- it can be mighty tempting to opt for takeout for the third time this week. Fear not- we have an easy solution to fix your dinner dilemma.
Enter our hero, sheet pan dinners! Sheet pan dinners are a simple, easy, straightforward hack that's loved by all those who have busy schedules but would like to eat healthier.
A sheet pan dinner is exactly what it sounds like, a dinner made on a sheet pan. This meal only requires you to chop up a few key ingredients, season the pan, and bake it all together in the oven. There's no worrying about watching multiple pans or doing a bunch of dishes after dinner and meal prep.
How To Make A Sheet Pan Dinner
At this point, you might be thinking to yourself, "I want to make a sheet pan dinner tonight but where do I start?" Let us break it down for you. Sheet pan meals are made up of three main components: protein, a veggie (or a couple), and seasoning.
Start by choosing a protein to center your sheet pan meal around. Opt for lean meats like chicken, salmon, white fish, or turkey. If you don’t consume meat you can always use alternative meat products or skip the meat altogether and just stick to veggies.
Vegetables can be the trickiest part of the sheet pan meal as you work to put a flavor profile or theme together. Additionally, some veggies roast quicker than others which can add complexity to making your meal. The best plan of attack is to pair vegetables together that have similar cooking times. It’s even better if they cook at the same rate as the meat, but if not you can plan accordingly. If you choose veggies with different cook times, simply put the vegetables with the longest cook times in first, and add another pan with a shorter cook time about halfway through. That way you won’t overcook anything and everything will come out hot and ready at the same time.
Common Veggie Cook Times Cheat Sheet:
NOTE: All of the times below are estimated for roasting in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
15 to 20 minutes:
20 to 30 minutes:
30 to 45 minutes:
Salt isn’t merely a seasoning, it’s a staple in any dish so don’t skip the salt but it's not the only seasoning out there. Add garlic and parmesan cheese to your potatoes or carrots for an Italian feel. Try adding ranch seasoning to spice up your chicken. Lemon and capers could easily be added to salmon for a fresh, light flavor. You can also experiment with different oils or herbs to add new flavors to classic favorites. Think outside the box and don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new.
We Have A Little Something For You!
Ready to give pan sheet meals a try but maybe need a bit of inspiration? Let us give you your first sheet pan recipe to try!
Fresh Lemon Garlic-y Chicken Sheet Meal:
How To Make It:
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