‘Round the Table: Sheet pan supper is easy eating

Slow cookers are cool and skillets are sweet, but sheet pan suppers can’t be beat!

Maybe it’s a little over the top to cheer for sheet pan cooking, but, once you try cooking an entire meal in one pan, then you’ll cheer too.

The simple, affordable sheet pan is really a blank canvas when it comes to making delicious dinner for your family.   Imagine tossing protein, vegetables, seasoning all on one, humble pan, inserting it into the oven and in 30 minutes (give or take) you’ve got dinner on the table. Clean up is minimal and if you’ve lined your pan with foil, then cleanup is almost non-existent. In fact, sheet pan cooking makes clean up so easy that I’ve thought about putting the pan on the table, with a few forks and napkins and saying “dig-in”.  It hasn’t come to that, I still put plates on the table, but it has crossed my mind.

While Sheet Pan Suppers seem to be the most popular, I am quite fond of Sheet Pan Breakfasts. Imagine Sheet Pan Breakfast Pizza or Sheet Pan Frittata; there really is no better way to serve a crowd at breakfast.

This giant pancake is enough to serve a crowd breakfast; we like blackberries but really, just about any fruit will work.

 With breakfast for a crowd heavy on my mind, I turned to my sheet pan for pancakes. Yes. I made a huge sheet pan sized streusel topped blackberry pancake and it was simply amazing.  All that is wonderful about pancakes, without the mess, the time and the hassle of standing over the stove flipping pancakes for a crowd.

Blackberry Pancake

Yield: 15 servings

  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 4 cups of Krusteaz Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancake Mix
  • 3 cups of cold water
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries
  • Streusel topping (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Line a 18×13” baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the parchment paper with melted butter.

Mix the pancake batter according to the package directions. Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle the fruit evenly over the top of the pancake. Top the fruit with the streusel topping.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the pancake is light brown.  Remove from the oven; cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Streusel topping

  • 1 cup pancake mix
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup quick cooking oats
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon  (optional)
  • 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Mix the pancake mix and brown sugar together, add cinnamon if using.  Using the tips of your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the pancake mix mixture until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs; mix in the oatmeal. Add the nuts, if using and toss to combine.

Hamburger Steak

Hamburger steak, roasted with onions, mushrooms and potatoes make a delicious dinner with easy cleanup.

I’ve always loved hamburger steak for dinner, so with Sheet Pan Suppers hot on my mind, hamburger steak seemed like a good choice. Simply layer the ingredients on the pan, slide it into the oven; toss a quick salad and dinner is on the table before you know it.

Yield: 4-6 servings

  • 1 large onion, peeled, halved and sliced
  • ½ pound Baby Bella mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 pound of fingerling potatoes, scrubbed well and halved
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 envelope beefy onion instant soup mix, divided
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • ½ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Line a 18×13” baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Place the onion, mushrooms and potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Add the olive oil and ½ of the instant soup mix and then toss to combine.  Arrange the vegetables on the prepared baking sheet.

Add the ground sirloin, the remaining soup mix, the breadcrumbs and the egg to the mixing bowl and stir with a fork until combined.  Form the meat mixture into 6 patties and arrange the patties over the vegetables.  Season with pepper. I find the soup mix gives me all the salt I need in this recipe, but add salt if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the steaks are browned and the vegetables are soft.  Let the meal rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Fajitas

You can have fajitas on the table in less time than it takes to get a table at your favorite Mexican restaurant!

Shrimp Fajitas on a Sheet Pan are easy and delicious. Scoop juicy shrimp and crisp tender peppers into warm flour tortillas for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Finish with squeeze of lime and a dollop of sour cream or guacamole for a dinner that is packed flavor and vegetables.

Yield: 4 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • ½  medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • Taco seasoning, to taste
  • 1 lime, quartered

Garnishes

  • Flour tortillas
  • Salsa
  • Sour cream
  • Guacamole

Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Line a 18×13” baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Place the shrimp, vegetables and cilantro in a mixing bowl; toss with the olive oil. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the chili powder, cumin and taco seasoning (I used 1 Tablespoon). Arrange the shrimp and vegetables on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle evenly with the seasoning mix

Bake for 8 minutes; turn the broiler to high and broil for 2-3 more minutes or until the shrimp and vegetables are sizzling.  Remove from the oven and immediately squeeze the juice from 1 of the lime quarters over the fajitas. Pass the remaining lime at the table.

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