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32 Healthy Sheet Pan Recipes for Easy, Breezy Dinners (and Minimal Dirty Dishes)

Less time cooking, more time savoring

sheet-pan-dinners-healthy: spicy turkey enchiladas
PHOTO: LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL/Katherine Gillen

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 32 healthy sheet pan recipes that are equal parts easy, convenient and nutritious. In putting together this list, I chose recipes that represent as many food groups as possible, as well as recipes that cater to a wide range of dietary restrictions while still offering a range of nutrients. (Psst: My favorites are the ones that showcase the superior flavor of seasonal produce.)

50 Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes for Easy Dinners


1. One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Carrots

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, Paleo-friendly
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

healthy sheet pan recipes: one-pan salmon with potatoes and romaine

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
  • Serves: 4 people

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
  • Serves: 4 people

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. French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, low carb, gluten-free
  • Serves: 6 people

This sheet pan riff on French onion soup from Jocelyn Dilk Adams’s cookbook, Everyday Grand, is a truly divine substitute for the brothy stuff—especially when you want something a little more substantial. And don’t worry, Adams has not neglected the most important part: “Those epic cheese pulls and caramelized onions are still giving what they need to give,” she writes (and I agree).

5. Smashed Potato and Chorizo Sheet Pan Salad

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, gluten-free
  • Serves: 4 people

This smashed potato and chorizo sheet pan salad from Sheela Prakash’s cookbook, Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year, is not your typical sheet pan recipe. And it does not disappoint—namely because the tender potatoes are perfect vehicles for all the spicy, decadent chorizo juices that are released during cooking. Oh, and by the way, you needn’t fret if you don’t have queso fresco on hand: “If you can’t find it, a mild feta can be substituted,” writes Prakash.

6. One-Pan Steak with Beets and Crispy Kale

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, <10 ingredients, Paleo-friendly
  • Serves: 4 people

Is there anything better than a juicy steak dinner that doesn’t break the bank or make a mess of your stovetop? I think not. The meat only needs a few minutes under the broiler to cook to medium rare.

7. Oven-Baked Chicken Kofta Wraps

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: dairy free, Paleo-friendly, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6 people

Food blogger Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish, author of the cookbook The Defined Dish: Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes, says she loves the Middle Eastern dish of Kofta “served in lettuce cups with cucumbers, tomatoes and delicious lemon-garlic aioli.” And there’s no disputing that when this ground chicken, seasoned with a heady spice blend, is shaped into meatballs and served with Israeli salad-inspired fixings you have a refreshingly light and exceedingly flavorful meal. File this one under ‘lunchtime favorites.’

8. Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma with Lemon-Tahini Drizzle

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, low carb, <500 calories, high protein
  • Serves: 6 people

Another winner from Snodgrass, this easy sheet pan recipe boasts a healthy serving of protein. Plus, “[it’s] packed with some of my favorite warming spices, which are also used a lot in Middle Eastern cuisine, like cumin, cinnamon and paprika, making this meal rich and decadent,” writes Snodgrass. Expect a beautiful symphony of flavors here, and don’t skip the lemon-tahini sauce—its bright, tangy taste really ties the dish together.

9. 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
  • Serves: 4 people

“There’s a miso-glazed cod at our favorite Japanese place that we fight over. [It’s the] kind that tastes so good you assume it’s got a lengthy list of ingredients and is too intimidating to attempt at home. Turns out that the ingredients for the glaze are pretty minimal and ones you might already have in your pantry,” Anca Toderic writes in The Huckle & Goose Cookbook.  Indeed, 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. Plus. each serving contains a whopping 42 grams of protein.

10. Honey-Sesame Sheet Pan Cauliflower

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten free, Paleo-friendly, dairy free
  • Serves: 4 people

Because it’s high time cauliflower got some main course glory without having to masquerade as something else. “It’s sweet, savory and a little spicy from the Fresno chile. Served over a bowl of steamed rice, this is a veggie dish that any hungry foodie can get behind,” writes Snodgrass in her cookbook, The Comfortable Kitchen. Try it and I suspect you’ll agree.

11. Sheet Pan Chicken and Rainbow Veggies

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <500 calories, <30 minutes, high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

12. Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <500 calories, high protein, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 4 people

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. “It is important to make the meatballs uniform, round and slightly smaller than golf balls so that they cook evenly,” recipe developer and cookbook author Yasmin Fahr says. “Even if they’re not perfect, they will still taste delicious and, as we all hopefully know, looks don’t really matter.”

13. Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Veggies and Sausage

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <500 calories, low carb, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6 people

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.

14. Mediterranean Sheet Pan Eggs

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <500 calories, Mediterranean diet-friendly, vegetarian
  • Serves: 12 people

Here, a delightful recipe from Lisa Bryan’s Downshiftology: Healthy Meal Prep that cleans out the fridge and takes the stress out of hosting a brunch party. “This might just be one of my favorite ‘cooking for a crowd’ breakfast recipes, [because] it looks fancy and impressive, but it’s incredibly easy to make,” writes Bryan, adding that “you can easily customize the ingredients for seasonality or a brunch theme.” In other words, although the recipe calls for zucchini, arugula and feta, you can feel free to riff on that with alliums and less-than-prime veggies as needed.

15. Spicy Turkey Enchilada with Pumpkin Seeds

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, make ahead
  • Serves: 6 people

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.

16. 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
  • Serves: 4 to 6 people

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.

17. Sheet Pan Curried Butternut Squash Soup

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, one pot
  • Serves: 4 people

“By roasting your ingredients beforehand, you’ll unlock a ton of flavor that you just can’t get from simmering,” explains PureWow’s former Senior Food Editor Katherine Gillen of her unique technique, resulting in the surprising-sounding (yet oh so satisfying) sheet pan soup. 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.

18. Sheet Pan Tomato Basil Gnocchi

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe
  • Serves: 2 to 4 people

““This classic flavor combo brings a comforting yet fresh taste to this summer dish,” writes How Sweet Eats author Jessica Merchant, adding that “the tomatoes burst and sort of make their own sauce. Heck, you can make it any time of year.” Bottom line: picky kids don't stand a chance against this comforting vegetarian pasta…and I won't tell if you use store-bought pesto instead of making your own to reduce the prep time.

19. 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
  • Serves: 6 to 8 people

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.

20. Sheet Pan Honey Tahini Salmon with Chickpeas and Couscous

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, high protein
  • Serves: 6 people

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.

21. Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, high protein
  • Serves: 2 to 4 people

The tricky thing about sheet pan recipes is timing, especially when you're preparing components that cook at different rates. Here, I suggest roasting the veggies first until caramelized, then adding the chicken.

22. Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, make ahead, low carb
  • Serves: 4 people

Tender steak, colorful veggies and a kicky spice blend—sorry, Taco Tuesday, but I’ve got other plans for my tortillas this week. Finish them with a spritz of fresh lime juice and sliced avocado.

23. Sheet Pan Salmon

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten free, Paleo-friendly, Whole30
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

24. Bhindi Masala

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, sugar-free
  • Serves: 6 people

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.

25. Healthy Chicken Sausage and Vegetables

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: Whole30-friendly, <500 calories, high protein
  • Serves: 6 people

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.

26. Sheet Pan Veggies and Tofu

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: low carb,<500 calories, keto-friendly, vegan, Whole30-friendly
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

27. Asian Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <500 calories, dairy-free, high protein
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

28. Curried Sweet Potato and Chickpeas

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: vegan, gluten-free, high fiber
  • Serves: 2 people

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 I mean.

29. Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggie “Stir Fry”

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, low carb, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6 to 8 people

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, I’m permanently joining Team Sheet Pan.

30. Vegan Frittata

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegan, <500 calories, low carb
  • Serves: up to 15 people

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.

31. 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
  • Serves: 4 people

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.

32. Sheet Pan Jerk Salmon with Veggies

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten free, <500 calories, <30 minutes
  • Serves: 4 people

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.


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