Healthy One-Pan Dinners

You know what it’s like to get home mid-week, after a looooong day, and not want to cook a massive meal, leaving you with pots and pans and dishes and spatulas left to clean up afterwards. 

Somehow life feels like it has gone from 0-60 these past few weeks. We got home from vacation and jumped right into prep mode for the holidays. I’m training new staff, working longer hours than normal, trying to find time to buy, wrap and send presents, clean the condo and hit the gym. Sound familiar?

The last thing I want to do is clean an entire kitchen’s worth of appliances after dinner! 

What I do want? A comforting, healthy, easy dinner.

The sheet pan doesn’t get a whole lot of credit in the creative kitchen world, but it is a workhorse and it’s getting it’s 5-minutes of fame in this post.

The benefits of one-pan dinners are plentiful: less to clean up, easy prep, leftovers..

Sheet-Pan Sweet Potato Nachos

Ingredients:

2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small white onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted pepitas
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 avocado, mashed
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
Salsa

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and cumin. Place sweet potato rounds on sheet pan, overlapping as little as possible. Bake 25-30 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown and crispy around the edges. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil.
3. Top sweet potatoes with black beans and cheese. Broil on top rack until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and top with tomato, onion, cilantro, pepitas, a drizzle of Greek yogurt and dollops of mashed avocado. Serve with lime and salsa.

Roasted Veggies and Herb Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 pound small red potatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2-2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
1 tablespoon grass-fed butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

How-To:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, onion, carrot, parsnip, potatoes and garlic with thyme, rosemary, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter with parsley. 
4. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
5. Transfer veggies to a single layer on baking sheet. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of vegetables. Brush chicken with herb butter. Roast 35-38 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through, until chicken is cooked through (temps at 165 degrees).
6. Let rest 5 minutes. Plate directly from the pan, making sure to spoon pan juices onto the chicken.
   

Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced into 2 cutlets
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes, halved
1 small white onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced

How-To:

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes and onions with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Transfer veggies to baking sheet. Nestle chicken into tomato mixture. Roast 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil.
5. Top chicken with mozzarella. Return baking sheet to oven and broil until cheese melts and starts to color, 3-4 minutes. Top with basil.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 Poblano pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lime zest
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
8-12 small corn tortillas
1 lime, cut into wedges

How-To:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, toss shrimp, onion, and peppers with cumin, paprika, garlic powder, lime zest, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast until shrimp are cooked, 5-7 minutes.
4.  Remove from oven and turn oven to broil. Transfer shrimp to a plate, cover with aluminum and let rest.
5. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place on baking sheet. Return baking sheet to oven and continue to cook 3-4 minutes until veggies are charred. Remove from oven.
6. Unwrap tortillas (carefully). Spoon veggie and shrimp mixture into tortillas, top with Greek yogurt and cilantro. Serve with lime.