5 Surprisingly Easy Sheet Pan Dinners

Sheet pan dinners are one of our favorite preparations for weeknight meals because of their sheer simplicity: They require no more than a sheet pan, an oven, and your recipe ingredients. Each of these five recipes adds a little something special to classic preparations that make them adapt well to sheet pan cooking without adding a lot of extra time to the meal prep. Any of them are an easy solution to dinner this week. Open up a nice bottle of wine or make a pot of tea and smile as you cross dinner off your to-do list.

1. Fish Puttanesca En Papillote with Zucchini

Cooking fish en papillote, or wrapped in parchment paper, results in moist, tender fillets and is also very healthy because it requires a minimal quantity of butter or oil. Rather than cook fillets directly on the sheet pan, wrap them in parchment packets with flavor-enhancing ingredients and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. It’s fun to let everyone open their own packet at the table. (Take care when opening the packets, as they will be filled with steam.) No parchment paper? Aluminum foil makes an easy stand-in.

2. Yogurt–Spiced Chicken and Preserved Lemon Skewers

Skewers are not just suited to the grill and adapt well to sheet pan cooking. Here, preserved lemons add concentrated flavor. If you can’t find preserved lemons in the specialty foods aisle of your grocery store and don’t have time to make your own, simply roast slices of raw lemons. For this recipe, you will need 8 to 10 long wooden or metal skewers. If using wood, soak them in water for 15 minutes to prevent browning when they’re in the oven.

3. Baked Tofu with Green Beans and Shiitakes

Swap the wok for a baking sheet! This simple vegetarian ‘‘stir-fry’’ bakes in the oven, making cleanup a snap. The creamy peanut sauce is the key ingredient. Making it is as easy as stirring together a few ingredients—no stove top or blender required. Serve this dish over leftover rice, if you have some in the fridge, or make some udon noodles to serve alongside.

4. Classic Meatloaf with Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

In this easy recipe for an American classic, we’ve eliminated the need to pull out your loaf pans by creating two free-form meat loaves right on the baking sheet, alongside a hearty and colorful medley of root vegetables. Although this recipe calls for equal parts beef and pork, you can experiment with any combination of ground meats, including lamb, veal and turkey. Leftover meatloaf makes fabulous sandwiches.

5. Garlicky Shrimp with Asparagus Fries & Meyer Lemon Aioli

Simple roast asparagus spears are delicious. Add a crisp coating of grated Pecorino mixed with panko bread crumbs and this dish goes O-T-T! This simple preparation is in the top ten of our most popular recipes. A hot oven is imperative to ensure that the asparagus “fries” emerge golden and crisp but the shrimp don’t overcook. If asparagus is not in season, substitute zucchini, squash or mushrooms. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, substitute any citrus.