The One-Pan Dinner Formula & 7 of the Pepper Community’s Favorite Recipes

Out: Dishes...all of them In: Taking the stress out of cooking AND fun cheesy giveaways!

Author

Saanya Ali
January 07, 2026

I’m going to out myself here, but maybe typing it out will shame me into doing something about it…

It is January 7th, and I’ve left a pot “soaking” in the sink since my belated New Years dinner party three nights ago.

To be fair, the dishwasher has yet to stop running load after holiday load, and since the whole family allegedly has to keep eating every day (three whole times a day), the stack of dirty dishes keeps piling higher and higher.

Cooking is the fun part…cleaning makes me feel like the soggy mess of guck that gets stuck at the bottom of the dishwasher.

Enter: One Sheet Dinners

They are my knight in shining aluminum for moments like this when the idea of dirtying another three pots and a baking sheet makes me want to cry. The best part is that thanks to the incredible Pepper community, I’ve found so many that I love and don’t have to think about before making over and over again for the whole family.

What's Cooking on Pepper This Week 🌶️

We pulled this Week's Top Sheet Pan Wins:

If you’re looking for more one pan recipes, it’s as easy as searching One Pan here in the search bar at the top and out come so many ideas! There’s even a One Pot collection that you can add to.

Also keep reading for more of our faves!

🌶️ Pro Tip from your Pals at Pepper! The comment sections are gold. People share their timing tweaks, substitutions that saved them, and which kids ate what.

We heard you love cheese! 🫕 🧀 

This is the final call to enter to win! We’re partnering with Borden Cheese to give away 10 (!!) FREE (!!) ULTRA CHEESY Borden Cheese gift packages. Enter using this form!

Borden is a heritage cheese company that’s been around since 1871, and is 100% farmer owned and crafted. Follow them at Borden Cheese for an additional 5 entries!

🌶️ Pro Tip from your Pals at Pepper! Add two slices of Borden cheese to any sandwich or on top of any sheet pan dinner to boost your protein by 6g!

The Master Formula

Every successful sheet pan dinner follows the same structure:

[PROTEIN] + [HARDY VEG] + [QUICK-COOKING VEG] + [FAT] + [SEASONING] = Dinner

Protein: Chicken thighs, salmon, sausage, pork chops, chickpeas. Needs to be something that can handle 20-40 minutes of heat without drying out. (Chicken breasts tend to dry out, so be careful!)

Hardy Vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, butternut squash. These need 30-40 minutes and can go on the pan first.

Quick-Cooking Vegetables: Zucchini, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, green beans, broccoli. These need 15-20 minutes and get added halfway through.

Fat: Olive oil, melted butter, or whatever oil you have. This is what helps everything brown and keeps it from sticking to the pan.

Seasoning: The more the merrier! Salt and pepper are baseline. Garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, Dijon mustard, or anything else you and your family love.

A Few Top Tips To Keep in Mind:

1. Use parchment paper or foil

Your sheet pan will thank you. Cleanup becomes "throw away paper" instead of "scrub for 20 minutes."

2. Don't overcrowd your pan

If everything's touching, it steams instead of roasts. You want space between items. Use two sheet pans if you need to.

3. Cut things the same size

This is the secret to everything finishing at the same time. If your potato chunks are huge and your carrots are tiny, they won't cook evenly.

4. Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

They're cheaper than breasts, stay more juicy and moist, and have more flavor. The skin gets crispy. The bones add flavor. This is the hill I'll die on.

5. Pat protein dry before seasoning

Wet protein won't brown properly. Use paper towels to dry off your chicken or salmon before you season it.

6. Add delicate vegetables last

Zucchini, spinach, or cherry tomatoes will burn or turn to mush if they cook too long. Add them in the last 10-15 minutes.

7. Crank the heat

Most sheet pan dinners work best at 400-450°F. Lower heat means everything steams. Higher heat means you get browning and crispy edges.

What Sheet Pan Should You Actually Buy?

Not all sheet pans are created equal. These are my favorites:

Final thoughts…

If you’re like me and have picky eaters at home, I find that keeping sauces and seasonings on the side, separating items on the pan so they can pick and choose what they like, and letting them choose one vegetable to add always helps when it comes to making them excited to sit down to dinner.

Personally, I love using one pan dinners as a way to meal prep for the week because they make the day to day so much easier. They reheat well for 3-4 days, and all you have to do is make a container of rice or quinoa to pack with it!

What's your go-to sheet pan combination? 

Head to Pepper and share what you're making this week. The community is full of people testing variations, sharing timing tweaks, and reporting back.

Can't wait to see what you cook!

Xx,

Saanya