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5 easy, delicious sheet pan dinners you’ll want to make this fall

Sheet pan meals: Dinner doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious

Lindsay Parrill
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Sheet pan chicken fajitas
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sheet pan dinners are amazing in autumn for lots of reasons. For one, healthy sheet pan dinners for family gatherings or just for two contain a plethora of delicious fall ingredients, filling your home with enticing scents and warm, fuzzy feelings is enough to make anyone want to grab a chef’s hat and run to the kitchen.

But sometimes all of those wonderful fall flavors come with complex cooking techniques and hours of labor. And let’s be real — sometimes (usually) we just don’t have time for all of that. But what if we told you that sheet pan meal prep was simple to make healthy, wholesome, and tasty dinners, would you believe us? Sounds pretty remarkable, doesn’t it?

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Sheet pan dinners are something of a miracle. And while you can make them year-round, there’s something about fall that makes these dinners taste even better. So grab your favorite sheet pan and let’s dive into our top sheet pan meal ideas for autumn dinners.

Chicken sheet pan dinner
Cooking Classy

One pan autumn chicken dinner

(From Cooking Classy)

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This autumn chicken dinner recipe from Cooking Classy is almost too good to be true. Savory, herby chicken thighs are paired with beautiful fall vegetables, crisp apple, and smoky bacon to create complex flavors that taste like they took all day to come together.

Sausage sheet pan dinner
Gimme Delicious

Sheet pan sausage and veggies

(From Gimme Delicious)

This tasty sausage and veggies sheet pan dish comes together in about 20 minutes and will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Italian seasoning turns this simple dish into something that feels special. It’s a healthy, low-carb meal that is not only incredibly nourishing, but totally delicious.

Sheet pan salmon
Dishing Out Health

Chili lemon salmon dinner

(From Dishing Out Health)

This is one of those dishes that truly tastes like it took hours to prepare. With this recipe for chili-lemon salmon with potatoes, green beans, and creamy garlic herb sauce, you’ll have a dish that’s easy enough for weeknights, and impressive enough for guests.

Pork chops sheet pan
Taste of Home

Sheet pan pork supper

(From Taste of Home)

There’s just something so beautifully wholesome about a pork dinner, and this recipe delivers on that craving for home-cooked goodness. We absolutely love the traditional flavors of this dish, including the classic pairings of green beans and potatoes. If you feel like adding a little more fall flavor, tossing some apple slices on the sheet pan will provide some sweet complexity and a perfect counterpart to the pork’s savoriness.

Steakhouse sheet pan
Food Network / Facebook

Steakhouse sheet pan dinner for two

(From The Food Network)

So, you got a little too excited and invited that sexy someone over for dinner? Awesome! Only, you’ve just realized you have absolutely no idea what to make and you’re stressing hard? Worry not, friend. Date night just got a whole lot easier with this steakhouse sheet pan dinner for two from The Food Network. The simplicity is almost laughable with a flavor that is most certainly not. This easy dish is as damned near miraculous as it gets!

Person chopping vegetables while looking at a recipe.
Dragon Images / Shutterstock

When and why did sheet pan meals become so popular in people’s kitchens?

You can find some of the earliest recipes for sheet pan dinners in cookbooks dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. However, sheet pan dinners really became popular in the early 2010s, and their popularity has continued to grow ever since. There are several reasons for this.

  • They are easy to make. Sheet pan meals require minimal preparation and cleanup. Simply chop up your ingredients, toss them with some oil and seasoning, and roast them on a sheet pan.
  • They are healthy. Sheet pan dinners are a great way to get a balanced meal on the table. You can include a variety of vegetables, protein, and complex carbohydrates on one sheet pan.
  • They are versatile. There are endless possibilities for sheet pan meals. You can make everything from chicken fajitas to salmon with roasted vegetables to pasta with sausage and peppers.
  • They are popular with food bloggers and social media influencers. This is a big one. With the rise of food bloggers and their influence online, sheet pan dinners are often featured on food blogs and social media, which has had a huge impact on their popularity.

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Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
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