The Best No-Recipe Formula for Making Easy Veggie-Packed Sheet-Pan Dinners
We hate doing dishes, too, so we want to show you the smartest way to make dinner on one sheet pan. Some savvy juggling will guarantee your ingredients end up perfectly cooked at the same time.
Sheet-pan success is all about three things: uniformity, staggered timing and layering. Cutting foods into evenly sized pieces means even cooking. To make things easy we've divided our veg into slow- and fast-cooking groups. Roots like potatoes, beets and carrots need more time in the oven, so they go in first. Softer vegetables, such as leafy greens, tomatoes and onions, cook more quickly, so they get stirred in later, and the protein goes on top. And voilà-everything's done at once.
Related: 16 Easy Sheet-Pan Dinner Ideas
This is a great way to use up garden veggies or whatever's in your produce drawer. Pick at least one item from each category and choose your flavor adventure.
Root Vegetables
1 lb. total, peeled, if desired, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- Beets
- Carrots
- Celeriac
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Turnips
Pictured Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Other Vegetables
4 cups total (6 cups dark leafy greens)
- Asparagus, cherry tomatoes
- or snap peas, halved
- Brussels sprouts or mushrooms, halved or quartered, if large
- Onion, 1-inch wedges
- Dark leafy greens (kale, collards, bok choy), chopped
Proteins
1 1/4 lbs., trimmed if necessary
- Chicken: Cutlets or boneless, skinless thighs
- Pork: Tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick slices, or boneless chops
- Steak: Skirt or flat-iron
- Sausage or smoked sausage
- Fish: Cod or salmon fillets
- Dry sea scallops
- Shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined
Pictured Recipe: Sheet-Pan Shrimp & Beets
Spices
1 tsp. total
- Dried herbs: Dill, rosemary, sage, tarragon or thyme
- Ground coriander, cumin, fennel or dry mustard; garlic powder
- Spice blends like Cajun seasoning, chili or curry powder, garam masala, Italian seasoning
Flavor Boosters
3 Tbsp.
- Chopped bacon or fresh herbs
- Shredded or crumbled cheese
- Toasted nuts or seeds
- Vinegar or citrus juice
Pictured Recipe: Sheet-Pan Steak & Potatoes
Instructions
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Serves 4: 4 oz. protein & 1 cup vegetables each
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Step 2
Toss ROOT VEGETABLES with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp. each salt and ground pepper. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Toss OTHER VEGETABLES with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp. each salt and ground pepper. Stir into the root vegetables.
Step 4
Sprinkle PROTEIN with SPICES and ¼ tsp. each salt and ground pepper. Place on top of the vegetables. Roast until the protein is cooked and vegetables tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Step 5
Transfer the protein to a serving platter. Stir FLAVOR BOOSTER into the vegetables and serve alongside the protein.
Pictured Recipe: Sheet-Pan Pork & Cherry Tomatoes
Try These Flavor Combos:
Steak Lovers
Potatoes + asparagus + skirt steak + rosemary + garlic powder + blue cheese
Cherry Bomb
Rutabaga + cherry tomatoes + pork tenderloin + sage + coriander + balsamic vinegar
Thigh Master
Sweet potatoes + Brussels sprouts + chicken thighs + thyme + cumin + sherry vinegar
Beet It
Beets + kale + shrimp + tarragon + dry mustard + sunflower seeds