My Favorite Sheet Pan Dinners

What is a Sheet Pan Dinner?

A sheet pan meal, or a sheet pan dinner, is an easy, one-pan dinner recipe you make on a sheet pan! It’s one of my favorite ways to prepare dinner for my family. No fuss. Minimal prep time. You can make many of these in about 30 minutes!

What’s a sheet pan? A sheet pan (you’ll also hear it called a baking pan, baking sheet or sometimes a rimmed cookie sheet, which is why it can be confusing), is usually a rectangular, flat aluminum pan with a rim around it.

A half sheet pan (that’s what I use) measures about 17″x12″. They’re super versatile and no kitchen is complete without one! Note: a cookie sheet can be another pan entirely, because some, unlike a baking sheet, do not have a raised rim.

Can I use parchment or foil on my sheet pan dinner? Short answer: usually. For recipes where oil or butter is needed to crisp up bread, rice or tortillas, you can use foil to keep your pan clean but follow the instructions and butter the foil instead. Do not use parchment on those recipes.

In most cases, parchment paper or aluminum foil are great for making clean-up quick! You can use parchment to line your sheet pan unless you’re going to use the broiler. Parchment paper will catch fire under a broiler, so opt for foil in that case.