3 Easy Sheet-Pan Recipes for When You Can’t Be Bothered
As always, they’re pretty unfuckupable.
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Ah, the tyranny of dinner. It’s just a relentless task that’s always lurking on the edge of my mind, slowly leaching all the fun out of cooking. (I also am in a temporary stage of cooking two meals because my kids aren’t down with the level of spice that I like, and it’s honestly easier to have something slightly different for them, hence the occasional self-inflicted rage.)
My feeling is that if I’m going to cook, which I do regularly, then I want it to be fast and delicious and have enough for lunchtime leftovers the next day. It also can’t be particularly fussy or high-maintenance, because I’m also making the aforementioned kid dinner at the same time. So how do I do this on a regular basis? I credit it all to my best friend: the sheet pan.
If you’ve been here for a minute, you know I talked about my love of the sheet pan before; in fact, it’s one of the eight essential kitchen tools I 11/10 recommend! But while I included it in that story, I realized I didn’t share any of the recipes I use it for—and that gatekeeping stops today. I’m happy to share some of the sheet-pan recipes that are staples in my repertoire and the shortcuts and cheats I use to make said recipes even easier.
While there’s sometimes a little bit of prep involved, the fact of the matter is you’re going to plunk everything onto one pan and cook it all together, so it’s also a great option for nervous cooks and folks who have trouble timing all of their dishes to finish cooking at the same time, and also I think this is the way to go for entertaining, as it allows you to actually have a drink with your guests rather than saying hello and then frantically attending to the stove.
As always, if you have an unfuckupable recipe that involves a sheet pan that you would like to share with this lovely community, please be so kind as to leave details or a link in the comments so that other folks (including me) can discover and try your go-to dishes.
Sheet Pans I Like: As I’ve written about before, I like Nordic Ware’s Natural Aluminum Half Sheet Pans ($25 for two), which are also beloved by Wirecutter and Bon App. It also has a three-piece pack with one half-sheet, a quarter-sheet, and a jelly-roll pan that’s awesome. I also like Great Jones; it has a half-sheet with a nonstick ceramic coating called the Holy Sheet ($40), which is quite lovely.
RECIPES!
Half Baked Harvest's Chicken Tzatziki Bowls
My love for Tieghan’s recipes is no secret, but while I’ve made literally hundreds of them, I think this simple sheet-pan dinner is at the top of my list. The first few times I made it, I followed her recipe exactly, and honestly, it’s wonderful. That said, there are days when I don’t have the time or inclination to make my own ginger tahini dressing or tzatziki, and at this exact moment in time, I’m 99% sure making homemade naan is not in the cards for me. But! But but but! The excellent news is you can cheat a little bit for those parts to make this come together even more quickly.
HK’s Notes:
-The recipe says you can marinate the chicken for 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. I rarely remember to prep something 24 hours in advance, but I also think the chicken is better when it marinates for more than 15 minutes. If you have the time to prep this part of dinner a few hours ahead of when you’re going to make it, you will get an added flavor benefit that’s totally worth it.
-I hate cubing chicken, but the task is significantly better if you just use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. I have a pair in my kitchen tool drawer that I only use for raw meat; I snip the chicken into whatever size chunks I want and then immediately dump the scissors into the dishwasher. I will cut the chicken right into the bowl I’m marinating it in, and that way I don’t have to bleach my cutting board or worry about any raw-chicken yuck anywhere.
-I do not usually make my own tzatziki or dressing. I’m lucky enough to have a wide variety of delicious restaurants in my neighborhood that make their own versions of tzatziki, garlic sauce, hummus, and pita, so I will often pick that up to round out the meal.
-Do not sleep on the Persian cucumber, avocado, dill, lemon situation. It’s insanely good, and because of the lemon, it keeps the avocados looking good and tasting amazing the next day.
-Peperoncini are another star addition to this dish. Once again: Do not sleep on them!
-Has your smoked paprika been sitting in your spice drawer for a thousand years? Yeah, I get it, but that’s not going to be ideal for this. I very much recommend buying a fresh jar, if you can.
Bon Appétit’s Sheet Pan Chicken Meatballs With Tomatoes and Chickpeas
I’ve been making this recipe for almost five years, to the point I could probably do it with my eyes closed. Does it require an ingredient you might not have on hand? Yes. But harissa is so easy to find. Pease do not let this deter you.
HK’s Notes:
-The recipe says that any harissa will do; that is a stone-cold lie. I usually use Dea’s Harissa, which is made in France (originally made in Tunisia!) but available on Amazon and also in many local grocery stores.
-The feta-garlic-parsley sauce is incredible, but sometimes I want something lighter/faster. When that’s the case, I use Straus Family Creamery Organic Greek Yogurt instead of the feta and just grate the garlic into that instead. (This is the yogurt I use for the marinated chicken in the previous recipe; it’s honestly remarkable.)
-Watch your cook time, especially with the broiling. Maybe it’s just my oven, but I don’t think it takes quite as long as the recipe calls for.
Alison Roman’s Perfect, Crispy Pancakes (but in sheet-pan format!)
I want to start by saying you should make Alison Roman’s very aptly named Perfect, Crispy Pancakes exactly the way she makes them first, just out of respect for the recipe. I’m sure she would be horrified to know that this recipe is being used to make sheet-pan pancakes, but can it be our little secret? Here’s the thing: I prefer one-off pancakes. However, sometimes you’re feeding a crowd or can’t be bothered to do the individual pancake thing, and for those moments, the sheet pan is your best friend.
(I also swear by sheet-pan bacon for hands-free, flat bacon that’s perfect for BLTs.)
So how do you sheet-pan Roman’s recipe?
I took a cue from another great sheet-pan pancake recipe I love from Justin Coit and simply make the batter, then line the sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper, and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. I bake my sheet-pan pancakes at 425 for 11 to 15 minutes, depending on how my oven is acting that day.
HK’s Notes:
-I think most pancake recipes work here, as long as they have 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of liquid.
-I also think pancake recipes with buttermilk are superior.
-You can add sliced strawberries, blueberries, or chocolate chips to the batter after it’s in the pan, if that’s your vibe.
-My oven is old, so I rotate the pan about halfway through cooking.
-Do not pour super-duper hot butter into an egg-buttermilk mixture; let it cool a smidge.
-This will sound odd, but I think Alison Roman’s batter is better on day two, so if you have the thought-planning abilities to make it in advance, that is a cool move.
As always, thank you for being here, and thank you for sticking around. If you have any questions or concerns, or want me to touch on any topics in particular, I’m all ears. Leave a comment on Hi Everyone’s Bulletin or DM me on Instagram—I’m @hillarykerr—my inbox is always open!