Before kids, I wooed my husband with my cooking. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That’s the truth.com over here. I made elaborate meals (sometimes with three courses) for funsies. I laughed at friends when they told me that they had takeout or drive-thru meals for the fourth night in a row because “kids change everything.”
While we definitely have those kind of nights, I still enjoy cooking and strive to do so at least five nights a week. I won’t sit here and try to claim that I make gourmet meals every night. I don’t. But, I do have some go-to meals that don’t require more than just the ingredients and a sheet pan.
Here are my top four favorite healthy one-pan meals that can feed your whole family.
Harvest Chicken Skillet with sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and sautéed apples
I came across this Well Plated recipe a few years ago on my quest to make weeknight dinners simple. This is about as easy as it gets and combines all my fall favorites: sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and apples. I’ve also substituted butternut squash for the sweet potatoes. As a bonus, you can add in the bacon, like she does in her cast iron skillet version. Make sure to check out the end of the recipe, because bacon makes everything better!
Shrimp boil
Skip simmering for hours and pull out your sheet pan. That’s right. ONE PAN. No old newspapers. No plastic bags. No fuss, no muss, no clean-up! Take all your favorites from a shrimp boil — spicy andouille sausage, shrimp, corn and potatoes — and enjoy this southern favorite. This recipe is brought to you by one of my favorites from Damn Delicious.
Chili Dijon Pork Tenderloin with potatoes and green beans
This ain’t your mama’s pork recipe from Jen at Carlsbad Cravings. She always seems to come up with some pretty amazing flavor combinations. The recipe calls for Asian chili sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar and other spices. Not to mention it is soooo moist and tender; that 20-minute salt brine is a game changer.
Steak fajitas
This sheet pan recipe for steak fajitas rivals your favorite local Mexican restaurant. Skip the line and dive into a restaurant quality meal that takes only 30 minutes. Colorful peppers, garlicky flank steak and hints of lime all tucked into a soft, warm tortilla. This blog No. 2 Pencil also has recipes for similar takes on shrimp and chicken fajitas, too.
Parenting ain’t easy, but dinner should be. These one-sheet wonders help get dinner on the table in little to no time, are delicious, and the best part is the super easy clean-up! Are there any one-sheet recipes that are heavy in your dinnertime rotation? I’d love to hear more on Instagram @stephnthestrollersquad.
