How I Fell in Love with Sheet Pan Cooking
This week we honor the sheet pan – an essential in every Texas kitchen making sheet pan cooking a favorite method to prepare meals.
Preparing a family meal can use up every bit of counter space in your kitchen. Meats go on the grill, veggies in a saute pan, and stews in a traditional Dutch oven. These tools and equipment work together like magic, creating an unforgettable delicious meal – as well as a mess of epic proportions!
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to cooking, I find myself more motivated by the result than the process. Indeed, I must admit that the idea of scrubbing greasy pots and pans sometimes gets in the way of wanting to make a family meal from scratch.
With this in mind, I was thrilled to learn about how sheet pans can be used in a multitude of different ways. The sheet pan is, in my opinion, an underrated kitchen tool – one which can be used to cook everything from appetizers to desserts, and all with easy cleanup.
In addition, sheet pan cooking recipes are super straightforward. Just throw all your ingredients onto the pan, and let the oven do the work. As soon as I realized just how much a sheet pan could do, I fell in love with this simple piece of cookware, and it has been my favorite piece of kitchen equipment ever since. The best part is that the sheet pans are available for every budget.
What’s a Sheet Pan?
A sheet pan is an item of kitchenware primarily used for oven cooking. It’s commonly found in both professional settings and traditional home kitchens. Usually made from aluminum or stainless steel, this kitchen workhorse is known to often survive years of use and abuse and still keep on going!
Many Texans lean toward backyard grilling as a go-to cooking method. But there’s something about the simplicity of sheet pan cooking that overpowers my deeply rooted Southern love for barbecues.
So, what is it about sheet pans that make them my preferred kitchen companion? The convenience of throwing an unassuming sheet pan filled with anything and everything into a hot oven makes meal preparation crazy simple – in other words, less mess means less stress!
Sheet pan cooking is super convenient after work on weeknights, when it’s most tempting to look for a quick and easy dinner fix (or order takeout!).
An entire meal can be assembled, seasoned, and cooked using a single pan, saving time for more important things – like spending time with family and friends. And that is why sheet pan dinners are preferred by many during the hectic weeknights.
Why I Love Sheet Pans
What’s not to love? Affordable, versatile, and practically indestructible, there’s very little a sheet pan can’t do.
This inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment both saves on preparation time and makes clean-up a breeze. Sheet pans are great due to their relatively “hands-off” approach.
Sometimes, all you need is your ingredients for quick sheet pan dinners. So, an excellent bottle of olive oil, some herbs, salt, and pepper, would be all you need and your savory meal is sorted!
Cooking Tips for Sheet Pans
The basic concept of sheet pan cooking is to toss seasoned ingredients onto a pan and roast them until tender. Follow these tips to start your stress-free, mess-free love affair with the humble sheet pan.
Tips
Poor-quality sheet pans can warp over time. Choose a pan made from heavy-duty aluminum. Investing in a heavy-gauge pan also prevents ingredients from burning quickly.
Ingredients and their cooking time matter – make sure to cut all meat and vegetables into even-sized pieces. It’s a good idea to cook the food in stages. Start with food that takes longer to roast, such as meat, and add the rest later on in the cooking process.
Keep an eye on the temperature!
Turn the sheet pan at least once to ensure even cooking.
Avoid reactive foods such as tomatoes, lemon juice, and other citrus fruits.
Use parchment paper or foil to prevent ingredients from sticking to the pan. This also helps make clean-up much easier.
Southern Sheet Pan Cooking Ideas
Sheet pan meals come with plenty of advantages for the family. Spend less time cooking with these super healthy one pan meal ideas :
1. Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Among the sheet pan chicken recipes, this Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is a classic favorite. Using a rub of your choice and some olive oil, roast a chicken using the spatchcock method, ensuring that the dark meat cooks through without the rest of the chicken getting dry. Cook the sheet pan chicken alongside brussels sprouts, carrots (how long do carrots last?), roasted potatoes, and garlic for a meal the whole family will love.
2. Soy-Glazed Salmon
Start by roasting your favorite vegetables. We’re talking asparagus (how long does asparagus last?), mushrooms, bell peppers – whatever! Add the salmon (What wine goes well with salmon?) filets five to 10 minutes before the end. The high oven heat crisps up the skin without drying out the salmon!
3. Parmesan Crusted Eggplant
If you’re looking for vegetarian recipes for your sheet pan dinners, then this quick and easy twist on the broiled eggplant (how long does eggplant last?) is a winner! Eggplant slices are topped with a mix of parmesan, breadcrumbs, and lemon zest. The best part is that the crusted eggplant will pair well with a garden salad on the side.
4. Veggie Frittata
Sheet pans aren’t just limited to roasted items. A simple sheet pan frittata can make for a great grab-and-go breakfast meal or snack for the kids!
Cook the veggies until tender before pouring in the eggs to ensure even cooking throughout the pan. Once cooked, you can enjoy the frittata on its own, serve it on toast, or even in a tortilla. The possibilities are endless!
5. Texas Sheet Cake
The ultimate crowd-pleaser is a Texas sheet cake – a thin, rich chocolate cake with fudgy frosting that solidifies into a candy-like blanket of chocolate, topped with a generous amount of pecans (how long do pecans last?). While the origins of the Texas sheet cake remain a mystery, this old-fashioned dessert is a favorite treat on birthdays, or for just about any other special occasion!
Want to go into sheet pan cooking?
6. Fish Tacos Baked With Avocado
Sheet pan fish requires five ingredients and can be prepared quickly and easily, are baked after being seasoned with a fragrant spice mixture and coated in breadcrumbs. Side with your favorite sauce or sour cream for an extra oomph.
These tacos are versatile enough to accommodate several different flaky white fish kinds. When you go to the market to get fish, the most effective course of action is to be adaptable and choose the kind that seems freshest on that particular day.
7. Pork with Cherry Tomatoes Cooked In A Sheet Pan
The rutabaga flavor may be described as a cross between cabbage and turnips. Rutabaga is a root vegetable. It should be started roasting in the oven first while the tomatoes and pork are prepared.
The tomatoes will burst as they simmer, resulting in a delectable sauce that can be combined with the balsamic vinegar (how long does balsamic vinegar last?) at the very end.
8. Teriyaki Tofu With Carrots And Broccoli
Preparing a savory vegetarian meal using only plant-based ingredients takes one sheet pan and thirty five minutes. The carrots are given a head start in the oven to ensure that they are cooked all the way through, and a finishing touch of teriyaki sauce is drizzled over everything to bring it all together. If preferred, serve the dish with brown rice (how long does rice last?).
9. Carrots and Pork Chops With Maple-Mustard Sauce
You only need one pan for this delicious supper that's perfect for a weeknight. The baked pork chops (What wine goes well with pork chops?) are given a flavor boost from a sweet and savory maple-mustard glaze. In contrast, carrots are given a taste boost and an anti-inflammatory boost with garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
Carrots in a rainbow of colors give visual appeal, but orange carrots are a palatable alternative that may be used in their place.
When cooking pork, it is important to use a thermometer with an instant-read function to ensure that the meat is cooked without drying.
10. Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers
Because it is so uncomplicated and can be prepared quickly, this hearty meal is sure to become a staple in your dinner rotation.
Be careful to warm your sheet pan before you begin cooking; putting vegetables in a hot pan helps start the charring and caramelization process.
It also prevents the vegetables from steaming. Also, remember that in this recipe, you are simply heating the sausage; you are not cooking it raw. However, if you replace fresh sausage, the sausage will need to be cooked longer.
11. Sheet-Pan Caprese Pizza
When the tomatoes are warmed and the mozzarella cheese is just beginning to melt gently, this delicious and light Caprese pizza is ready to be served. If you want something more substantial on this pizza, a couple of slices of prosciutto will go well with it.
A helpful hint for chefs is to wait until the dough has reached room temperature before attempting to stretch it; this will make the dough much simpler to deal with.
12. Lemon Garlic Salmon With Kale
Salmon and veggies are roasted on a sheet pan in this simple supper recipe for a substantial and delectable meal.
The sweetness of the squash balances the bitterness of the kale, and the meal is brightened by adding lemon zest (how long does lemon zest last?). It is important to ensure the kale is well distributed on the baking sheet so it can brown evenly.
13. Chicken Nachos
The chips in these chicken nachos are crispy and covered with hot and spicy shredded chicken, beans, and grated parmesan cheese. Additionally, bits of avocado, red onion, and cilantro is sprinkled on top.
Add slices of jalapeno at the end of the cooking process if you want a spicy kick. These speedy nachos may be made using shredded chicken breast (What wine goes well with chicken breast?) or chicken from a rotisserie if you have some leftovers.
14. Salmon And Asparagus In A Butter Sauce Flavored With Lemon And Garlic
Are you looking for a meal that will help you eat more fish and vegetables, which are both good for your heart?
Include a meal like this one with salmon, (What wine goes well with salmon?) garlic butter and asparagus in your regular rotation. This meal in a sheet pan is not only nutritious and tasty but also simple to prepare and requires little effort to clean up after.
15. Salmon And broccoli Roasted With Ginger And Sesame Oil
In this speedy Asian salmon dish, the sauce is used for glazing the salmon and combining it with broccoli (how long does broccoli last?)before serving. Rice noodles (how long do rice noodles last?) or brown rice mixed with sesame oil and scallions should be used as the base for the dish.
16. Sheet Pan Bibimbap
This Bibimbap uses separate areas of the sheet pan for the dish's vegetable, ground beef, and egg components to cook. Combine with hot rice and gochujang sauce, then toss to create a stunning array of flavors, colors, and textures.
17. Sheet Pan Sausage And Vegetables
A substantial supper that requires little preparation may be made using savory sausage and vegetables that have been roasted. The addition of andouille sausage brings the perfect amount of heat.
18. Citrus-Glazed Chicken
The chicken thighs in this delectable one pan marvel are coated in the bright, fresh tastes of an enticing glaze. This chicken dinner recipe can be your easy weekly meal if you enjoy the taste.
19. Chicken With Cashews
Cashew chicken can quickly become a family favorite if you are a fan of Asian-inspired dishes. It is super healthy dish which is easy to make, high in beneficial nutrients, and utterly delectable, and it contains a wide range of veggies.
20. Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
This dish of pineapple teriyaki chicken baked in a sheet pan may be prepared in only fifteen minutes, as the recipe's name suggests. It is ideal for a hectic day when you are busy yet want to cook something tasty for yourself and others.
In addition to being devoid of gluten, this healthy dish is packed with delicious veggies and fresh pineapple chunks.
21. Shrimp From The Mediterranean
If you don't want to dirty more than one pan with the sheet pan recipes, then you should try making this shrimp (What wine goes well with shrimp?) dish from the Mediterranean that can be prepared on a single sheet pan. Because it is both simple and delicious, I do not doubt that you will love doing it.
Recommended Roasting Times
The amount of time needed to cook anything is proportional to its size. When roasting in an oven set to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the following timings are a suitable starting point. Chicken breasts, steaks, and pork chops will take longer than smaller, thinner veggies.
Tips
20 to 35 minutes for chicken breasts and thighs, depending on their size and whether or not they have bones in them (a meat thermometer should reach 165 degrees).
15–25 minutes for steaks, burgers, and meatballs, depending on the item's size and the desired degree of doneness.
15–25 minutes for pork chops, depending on the thickness of the chops (a meat thermometer should reach 145 degrees).
Eight to fifteen minutes for fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops (What wine goes well with scallops?).
Cooking time for potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets is between 30 and 45 minutes.
The cooking time should be between 15 and 25 minutes for broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
10–20 minutes for vegetables such as zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
10–20 minutes is the recommended cooking time for asparagus, green beans, and snow peas.
Understanding Sheet Pan Concept
Putting your vegetables in a single layer on a sheet pan and roasting them until they are fork-tender is the core of the sheet pan supper idea.
The majority of sheet pan dinner recipes include a protein, such chicken or shrimp, and call for the pan to be removed from the oven many times so that vegetables may be added according to the sequence in which they should be cooked.
We wanted to create this sheet pan supper whole food plant based, which stands for plant-based, and we also wanted it to be ridiculously simple. When roasting the vegetables, they are all done at the same time.
Why Sheet Pan Recipes Are Preferred?
With sheet pan dinner recipes, you can assemble, prepare, and serve a full dinner in one fell swoop, from the main course down to the side dishes, although it seems like something too wonderful to be true.
When ingredients are allowed to cook together, mixing and developing as they roast, the outcome is layer upon layer of flavor in every mouthful. Not only is the preparation simple, but it also results in effortless preparation.
There is no need for complicated apparatus in this situation. It is preferable to use a big, robust sheet pan, but if you only have smaller pans and need to use two to make a whole supper, that is also OK.
The sides of a sheet pan are much lower than those of a casserole dish or roasting pan, which means that all of the edges of the food being cooked on the pan are subjected to direct heat, which results in excellent browning.
Final Thoughts
A sheet pan meal may be created with practically any mix of meats, vegetables, and spices. However, succulent chicken is roasted with sweet potatoes and bell peppers after being seasoned with lemon tahini (how long does tahini last?) sauce, garlic, rosemary, and a splash of Dijon mustard.
While the dinner is cooking, the rich marinade and savory juices from the chicken improve the flavor of the veggies as they caramelize to the point where they are excellent. The dinner is crisp and light, and although it is prepared with a very small number of components, it packs a powerful taste punch. This is one of the many advantages of cooking using a sheet pan.
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