Sheet pan recipes have been popular for some time now, especially with cooks who love to eat and hate to wash dishes (read: everyone). That said, not all sheet pan meals are created equal, particularly if you’re trying to steer clear of calorie-laden, casserole-style decadence. Here, you’ll find 30 healthy sheet pan recipes that are equal parts easy, convenient and nutritious.
30 Healthy Sheet Pan Recipes for Easy, Breezy Dinners (and Minimal Dirty Dishes)
We're *not* standing at the stove—or sink—all night
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Published Dec 19, 2023
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Carrots
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, Paleo-friendly
Garlic, onions and carrots are roasted to sweet perfection alongside juicy chicken thighs in this simple, oh-so satisfying sheet pan dinner recipe. It’s like making a classic roast chicken, but without the hassle of having to truss and carve a whole bird.
2. One-Pan Roasted Salmon with Potatoes and Romaine
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, high protein
Presenting the pinnacle of cooking efficiency. Here, a main course (salmon), a hearty side (potatoes) and a twist on the traditional salad (romaine hearts) roast side by side to create a one-pan meal that checks all the boxes.
3. One-Pan Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, vegetarian
Pleasantly crisp asparagus and impossibly juicy cherry tomatoes get a protein boost from baked eggs (with runny yolks, of course). The end result? A colorful vegetarian meal you’ll crave for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4. One-Pan Steak with Beets and Crispy Kale
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, <10 ingredients, Paleo-friendly
Is there anything better than a juicy steak dinner that doesn’t break the bank or make a mess of your stovetop? We think not. The meat only needs a few minutes under the broiler to cook to medium rare.
5. Oven-Baked Chicken Kofta Wraps
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: dairy free, Paleo-friendly, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
Refreshingly light and bursting with flavor, this Middle Eastern dish features ground chicken seasoned with a heady spice blend. It's shaped into meatballs and served in lettuce cups with Israeli salad-inspired fixings. File this one under ‘lunchtime favorites.’
6. Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma with Lemon-Tahini Drizzle
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, low carb, <500 calories, high protein
Another Middle Eastern gem, this easy sheet pan recipe boasts a beautifully balanced symphony of flavors and a healthy serving of protein, too. Psst: Don’t skip the lemon-tahini sauce—its bright, tangy taste really ties the dish together.
7. Sheet Pan Miso-Glazed Fish with Broccoli and Coconut Rice
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly, high protein
This simple sheet pan recipe, featuring miso-glazed (and budget-friendly) cod, roasted broccoli and fragrant rice, makes cooking fish at home an absolute breeze. Each serving contains a whopping 42 grams of protein.
8. Honey-Sesame Sheet Pan Cauliflower
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, Paleo-friendly, dairy free
Because it’s high time cauliflower got some main course glory without having to masquerade as something else. Serve it atop a bed of white rice, crowned with Thai basil.
9. Sheet Pan Chicken and Rainbow Veggies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, <30 minutes, high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Economical boneless, skinless chicken breasts and veggies get dressed up in a sesame-soy sauce to make savory magic. Get ready to hear your picky kids asking for seconds of something healthy for a change.
10. Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, high protein, beginner-friendly
Creamy ricotta is the secret to extra tender chicken meatballs, which can be paired with pasta, stuffed in a sandwich or tossed in a soup…if you can resist the urge to devour these meaty, bite-sized morsels as is. (Good luck.)
11. Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Veggies and Sausage
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, low carb, beginner-friendly
You scream, I scream, we all scream for a giant platter of veggies dripping with lemon butter sauce. It's low-carb as is, but feel free to add it to pasta, couscous or a grain of your choice.
12. Mediterranean Sheet Pan Eggs
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, Mediterranean diet-friendly, vegetarian
Waste not, want not: This highly customizable sheet pan frittata promises a major mealtime reward for cleaning out the fridge. The recipe calls for zucchini, arugula and feta, but feel free to riff on that with alliums and less-than-prime veggies as needed.
13. Spicy Turkey Enchilada with Pumpkin Seeds
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, make ahead
Go ahead and swap store-bought rotisserie chicken in for leftover turkey, but don’t skip the crunchy pepitas. Their texture and toasty flavor really elevates the final dish.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, make ahead, low carb
Tender steak, colorful veggies and a kicky spice blend—sorry, Taco Tuesday, but we’ve got other plans for our tortillas this week. Finish them with a spritz of fresh lime juice and sliced avocado.
15. Sheet Pan Salmon
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, Paleo-friendly, Whole30
This sheet pan salmon recipe is the epitome of French simplicity. Follow the cooking times carefully and you’ve got a foolproof way to feel like Julia Child without having any dishes to wash. Ooh la la.
16. Bhindi Masala
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, sugar-free
This exciting and exceptionally easy recipe promises to turn a humble veggie into a total flavor bomb. For the uninitiated, bhindi fry is stir-fried okra that's stuffed or seasoned with a spice mix.
17. Sheet Pan Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Radishes and Olives
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, high protein
Hot take: Roasting a whole bird doesn't need to be intimidating (or time-consuming). This beauty is made possible by spatchcocking, which calls for removing the chicken's backbone to split and flatten it. This reduces the cooking time and increases the surface area for extra crispness.
18. Healthy Chicken Sausage and Vegetables
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: Whole30-friendly, <500 calories, high protein
Crispy kale, creamy butternut squash and flavorful chicken apple sausage combine to make a hearty, comforting meal-prep dinner you’ll want to eat all winter long.
19. Sheet Pan Veggies and Tofu
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: low carb,<500 calories, keto-friendly, vegan, Whole30-friendly
Attention all vegan and plant-curious friends: This winter vegetable and tofu dish is a filling, palate-pleasing winner that will earn a spot in your regular rotation at first bite.
20. Asian Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, dairy-free, high protein
If you’re a sucker for a good salmon dinner, this tantalizing combination of ginger, sesame, soy and aromatic cilantro is the no-stir fry you’ve been pining for. Swap in other produce if you're not into broccoli and carrots.
21. Curried Sweet Potato and Chickpeas
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: vegan, gluten-free, high fiber
In case you missed it, curry powder and garam masala are two spice rack staples that can impart exotic, swoon-worthy flavor to most any vegetable. Try it on sweet potatoes and chickpeas and you’ll see what we mean.
22. Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggie “Stir Fry”
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, low carb, beginner-friendly
Once again, the wok gets a run for its money with a veggie and protein-packed no-stir fry that’s big on flavor and short on effort. Suffice it to say, we’re permanently joining Team Sheet Pan.
23. Vegan Frittata
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, <500 calories, low carb
Nutritional yeast packs on the cheesy, umami-laced flavor and tofu makes a fine substitute for eggs in this clever vegan take on the classic frittata. Say hello to your new favorite, low-cholesterol breakfast food.
24. Sheet Pan Chicken with Cranberries and Sweet Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, gluten-free, special occasion-worthy
Fans of a traditional Thanksgiving feast will swoon over this recipe, which replaces turkey with its arguably fancier cousin, Cornish game hen. Let the oohs and ahhs roll in.
25. Sheet Pan Jerk Salmon with Veggies
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, <500 calories, <30 minutes
Here, seasonal veggies and spicy jerk seasoning unite to create a super quick and healthy salmon dish that’s anything but snoozy. The seasoning is store-bought too, so it doesn't get easier than this.
26. Sheet Pan Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, one pot
Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock and boom: This autumn stunner is vegan. Top your bowl with anything from cheese and croutons to a swirl of coconut yogurt to crunchy pepita brittle.
27. Sheet Pan Buttermilk Chicken Thighs with Plums, Shallots and Honey
- Time Commitment: 8 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead, <10 ingredients
Don't let the cook time deter you: Most of it accounts for hands-off marinating. Sub in apples or grapes for plums in the off-season, and add leeks to the shallots if you feel so inclined.
28. Sheet Pan Tomato Basil Gnocchi
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe
Picky kids don't stand a chance against this comforting vegetarian pasta. We won't tell if you use store-bought pesto instead of making your own to reduce the prep time.
29. Sheet Pan Honey Tahini Salmon with Chickpeas and Couscous
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, high protein
You won't need to wait for a pot of water to boil to prepare the couscous. Instead, it cooks right on the sheet pan next to the fish in a layer of chicken stock. Ingenious.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, high protein
The tricky thing about sheet pan recipes is timing, especially when you're preparing components that cook at different rates. Here, we suggest roasting the veggies first until caramelized, then adding the chicken.
