Learn to make healthy, easy sheet pan meals for chicken, steak, shrimp, fish & sausage. You'll find 9 gluten free sheet pan meal prep recipes!
I am such a fan of sheet pan meal prep dinners. Everything roasting at once in the oven, it just makes clean up so easy. Furthermore, these easy sheet pan meals were made for weeknights. Chop the veggies ahead and all you have to do the night you plan to serve is toss everything on a sheet pan, add the oil and seasoning and pop it in the oven. This leaves you free to play with your kids, pack lunches for the next day, or, dare I say it, enjoy a glass of wine, while dinner cooks away all on its own. What could be better? Oven meal prep for the win!
We frequently include healthy sheet pan meals on our Super Fast meal plans. These meal plans let you prep 5 healthy meals in just 1 hour so, with their minimal prep, sheet pan meals are perfect. A happy result is that I've accumulated quite a few favorite sheet pan meal prep meals and I quite simply couldn't decide which to share today. So I'm sharing 9!
In addition to the recipes, I'm sharing some tips on how to create your own easy sheet pan meals. Once you get the hang of it, you can turn many favorite dinners into sheet pan meals.
I hope you love these meal prep sheet pan dinners as much as I do!
How to Create Easy Sheet Pan Meals
Sheet pan meals are well known for being easy, but it does take a bit of forethought to craft the recipes. Making sure all of the ingredients can cook at the same temperature for the same amount of time takes a bit of practice. Here are some of my tips if you'd like to try your hand at creating your own sheet pan dinners:
Match Cooking Time
Start with your protein and determine how long it will need to cook. Next, think of veggies that will cook in the same amount of time. Remember that you can “hack” the cooking time by changing how big you chop your ingredients. For example, if you want to cook chicken alongside a quick-cooking vegetable, you can choose chicken tenderloin strips or you can chop larger chicken breasts into a few pieces.
Perfecting the timing is admittedly the trickiest part. If you're not sure where to start, choose one of the protein & veggie combos in the sheet pan recipes below and mix it up with different seasonings or sauces if you like.
Choose Your Seasoning or Sauce
You can keep things very simple by simply tossing ingredients with olive oil, salt and pepper, or you can add a sauce at the end to bring everything together. Pesto, basil aioli, and chimichurri sauce all work well with sheet pan meals.
Want something even easier? Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning or a squeeze of lemon juice and Italian seasoning. Check the ingredient lists, but many seasoning blends contain only clean ingredients and make your sheet pan meal prep easy.
Prep Any Sides
If you want a truly one-sheet pan meal, consider adding a higher carb veggie like potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash or carrots. If you like though, you can also prep an easy side like quinoa, rice, etc. I like to choose one grain to prep for the week so I know it's ready to go when I need it. Or, if I haven't prepped it ahead of time, I cook a grain in my rice cooker, which is pretty much my favorite appliance ever.
Bonus: Want to know what sheet pan I recommend? Check out this episode of my podcast, Meal Prep Monday, The Only Two Pans I Use.
9 Recipes for Easy Sheet Pan Meals
And now, on to the recipes! I've divided them by protein with sheet pan dinners for chicken, pork, seafood, steak and vegetarian options.
One Sheet Pan Chicken
1. Lemony Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
This one sheet pan chicken dish is simple but delicious. Lemon and garlic add plenty of bright flavor with very minimal effort. I love the addition of fennel here but if you can't find it at your grocery store (or if it's simply not your thing), feel free to omit. You'll notice the recipe calls for fingerling potatoes – choosing this small variety is a great way to minimize chopping! Why not make your sheet pan meal prep easy?
The sheet pan includes plenty of carbs with the potatoes and carrots so this sheet pan dinner is a complete meal without any additional sides.
2. Sheet Pan Chicken, Green Beans & Red Peppers
Straight from our low carb meal plans, this sheet pan chicken with green beans and red peppers looks so bright on the plate. Even though our low carb meal plans are keto-friendly, I make sure they include plenty of veggies!
If you're not low carb, feel free to serve with some rice or quinoa for a simple side.
I love the Cajun seasoning here but you can easily sub your favorite herbs and spices.
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Sheet Pan Chicken with Green Beans and Red Peppers
Calories: 381kcal
Ingredients
- 1 # green beans
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 # chicken thighs
- 1 T Cajun seasoning
- 2 T olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Trim ends off 1# green beans + slice 1 red bell pepper.
Toss chicken thighs in 1T olive oil + 1T Cajun seasoning. Place on sheet pan and bake ~25mins.
Toss green beans and sliced red peppers w/ 1T olive oil + 1/2tsp salt.
Remove chicken from oven & add green beans + peppers to pan. Bake an additional 10-15 mins until chicken is cooked, 165F.
Notes
*Nutrition information is for 1 serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.4g | Protein: 34.5g | Fat: 22.1g
Want more tips on one sheet pan chicken meals? Check out my short video with tips here!
Pork Sheet Pan Meal Prep Dinners
3. Sheet Pan Sausage w/ Veggies and Toasted Quinoa
Use pre-cooked sausage and this sheet pan meal can be ready in just 20 minutes. Cut everything ahead of time so it's prepped and ready to go.
I also recommend making the quinoa ahead and “toasting” it while the veggies cook in the oven. You just heat it on the stovetop with 1 Tbsp olive oil until it begins to brown. So tasty!
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Sheet Pan Sausage w/ Veggies & Toasted Quinoa
Calories: 413.3kcal
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 2 yellow squash
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 # Sausage, pre-cooked* (turkey, chicken or pork sausage)
- 1 cup quinoa**
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
In a large pot bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil. Cover pot and lower heat to simmer. Cook ~20mins or until water is absorbed.
Slice 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash into 1/2-in rounds. Slice pepper into slices. Toss w/ 1 T olive oil & S&P
Cut 1# sausage into 1-inch rounds.
Place bell pepper, squash and zucchini on a sheet pan w/ sliced sausage (may need to use 2 sheet pans).
Bake veg/sausage ~20 mins until vegetables are soft and browning. Turn halfway through cook time.
Notes
*Read all ingredient lists; avoid added msg, sugar, gluten, etc.
**If you meal prep your quinoa ahead of time, try heating it up on the stove top with 1 Tbsp olive oil and some salt and pepper. This results in a delicious toasty flavor!
***Nutrition information is for 1 serving and uses chicken sausage. Nutrition will vary based on the sausage you choose.
Nutrition
Calories: 413.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.3g | Protein: 25.2g | Fat: 17.3g
4. Sheet Pan Ranch Pork Chops
This meal requires very little meal prep. If you buy pre-trimmed green beans, all you have to do for meal prep is mix together the ranch seasoning. Then on dish day, simply rub the seasoning on the pork chops while the oven preheats and toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. 25 minutes later you'll have a beautiful one-pan dinner and very little mess to clean up!
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Sheet Pan Ranch Pork Chops
Calories: 327.8kcal
Ingredients
- 1 # fingerling potatoes
- 12 oz trimmed green beans
- 4 thick cut pork chops
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 T olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Make ranch seasoning by combining 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 1/2 tsp dried dill and 1/8 tsp black pepper.
Rub ranch seasoning evenly on all sides of pork chops.
Toss fingerling potatoes + 12oz trimmed green beans w/ 2T olive oil + S&P.
Place vegetables and pork chops on sheet pan.
Bake ~25 mins or until pork is cooked through, 145 F. Turn vegetables halfway through cooking time.
Notes
*Nutrition information is for 1 serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 327.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.6g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 10g
Sheet Pan Meal Prep Seafood Recipes
5. Sheet Pan Salmon
This one has just 4 ingredients – it could not be simpler! Buy sliced mushrooms and chop your acorn squash ahead of time for an easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add whatever seasoning you like!
6. Sheet Pan Smoky Lime Shrimp w/ Green Beans & Cauliflower
Have you tried making sheet pan shrimp? I love cooking them this way because you don't have to bother with flipping each shrimp or worry about overcooking them on the stovetop. They do cook quite quickly so I like to add them halfway through the cooking process to give the veggies time to cook. This meal prep sheet pan meal is delicious served with rice or quinoa.
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Sheet Pan Smoky Lime Shrimp w/ Green Beans & Cauliflower
Servings: 4
Calories: 201.3kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 12 oz bag of cauliflower florets
- 12 oz trimmed green beans
- 2 limes
- 1 # shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 T olive oil, plus more for veggies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mince 3 garlic cloves.
Finely chop cilantro.
Make smoky lime sauce by combining 2 T olive oil, juice of 2 limes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 3 minced garlic cloves.
Place green beans & cauliflower on sheet pan (may need 2 pans). Drizzle w/ olive oil. Sprinkle w/ S&P.
Bake vegetables ~10 mins.
Add shrimp to pan and pour lime sauce over shrimp and vegetables, toss to coat.
Cook veg & shrimp ~10 mins until shrimp is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Top w/ cilantro.
Notes
*Nutrition information is for 1 serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 201.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.4g | Protein: 19.2g | Fat: 8g
Sheet Pan Steak
7. Sheet Pan Balsamic Steak w/ Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes
I love steak on the grill but there are two main obstacles to cooking it that way. First, the weather doesn't always cooperate. Second, it takes a bit more effort than simply tossing it in the oven as in this easy sheet pan meal. On busy nights, oven meal prep is where it's at!
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Sheet Pan Balsamic Steak w/ Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes
Calories: 672.7kcal
Ingredients
- 10 oz baby carrots
- 2 # sirloin steaks
- 1 # fingerling potatoes
- 1/2 cup + 2 T olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- S&P
Instructions
For balsamic marinade, combine 1/2c olive oil + 1/4c balsamic vinegar. Place steak in marinade and marinate 1-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Toss 10oz baby carrots & 1# fingerling potatoes w/ 2T olive oil & S&P.
Place carrots & fingerling potatoes on sheet pan and cook ~15 mins, turning halfway through cook time.
Push vegetables aside (or use a new sheet pan) and place steak on pan (discard marinade). Lightly sprinkle steaks w/ salt.
Cook steak and vegetables another 10 mins or until steak is cooked to desired doneness.
Allow steaks to rest 5 mins and cut against the grain.
Notes
*Nutrition information is for 1 serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 672.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.3g | Protein: 70.6g | Fat: 30.5g
Vegetarian Sheet Pan Recipes
8. Potato Nachos
These sheet pan potato nachos became an immediate favorite once they hit our meal plans! It's easy to see why. Loaded with vegetarian toppings, this recipe is just plain fun. If you have kiddos, make two pans and let them top one of them. You can serve these on their own or with a simple green salad.
9. Southwest Buddha Bowls
Sweet potatoes and southwest-spiced chickpeas roast alongside each other, coming together with a delicious almond butter sauce.
FAQ – Everything You Need to Know about Sheet Pan Meal Prep
Can you use parchment paper for sheet pan meals?
Yes, absolutely! I personally avoid non-stick pans and find that parchment paper makes sheet pan meal prep a breeze to cleanup.
How long do you bake sheet pan dinners?
The bake time for sheet pan dinners varies widely based on the protein and veggies you choose. That's why I recommend starting with actual recipes, like the ones above, if you're new to the meal prep sheet pan strategy. You can shorten the cook time by cutting your protein and veggies into smaller pieces.
What is the best pan for a sheet pan recipe?
I personally prefer stainless steel baking sheets for sheet pan meal prep. (I talk more about this here!)
Is it ok to use parchment paper instead of greasing a cookie sheet?
Yes! Parchment works well for this. If you find yourself using parchment paper frequently, you may want to invest in a reusable Silpat baking mat instead.
Want more easy meal prep dinners?
Want even more easy meal prep dinners? Check out three of my favorite resources below. OR, sign up for a Prep Dish free trial and see what it's like to have done-for-you meal prep meal plans delivered to your inbox each week!
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