Month-of-One-Pan Meals: Recipe Starters

Welcome to my annual Month-of Recipes on this blog. Go rummaging in the attic here and you’ll find past recipe months for appetizers, chicken, soup, mini-desserts, and more. The way it works is, for each day in February I post a recipe that fits the category. This month is one-pan meals, excluding pizza, most casseroles, and slow cooker recipes.

One thing I love about one-pan/one-pot meals—beyond the clean-up, because, since DH does the cleaning, I don’t really care—is the time saved. We have played Crossword Scrabble Cubes before dinner for decades. With this meal prep method, I can pop dinner in the oven (or on the stove) and enjoy the game. Oh, yeah, once in a while I need to get up and add something to the pan, but mostly, one and done is the way it goes. We finish Cubes and get out the plates. I live a great life!

Sheet pan dinners follow some basic general principles. You select your protein and compatible vegetables and cook it all on one pan for the time it takes to cook the protein and the veggies. Usually, but not always, oil is involved. And sometimes, due to different cooking times, you need to add the veggies or protein separately.

Usually, you would also put down parchment paper or foil on the baking sheet. Helps clean up and also removal from pan to plate.

I added the first recipe (for baked tofu) but the remaining five dinners come from this site.

Baked Tofu (serves 4)

1 pound of extra-firm, silken tofu

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

16 asparagus stalks

1 pound butternut squash, cubed

 

Put tofu between paper towels weighted with a dinner plate for 30 minutes to get out excess moisture before preparing the meal. Slice into 8 pieces.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet.

 

Mix marinade and put into zipper bag with vegetables. Toss to coat and remove from bag and set aside in a bowl. Put marinade in a bowl to brush on tofu.

 

Put tofu chunks on baking sheet, coating top and sides with marinade. Leave room to add vegetables later.

 

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn over tofu chunks and brush with marinade. Arrange vegetables on the pan and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Now for some more easy pan dinners!

 

Salmon (serves 2)

Salmon “slab” for two drizzled with olive oil

4 Tomato slices sprinkled with parmesan, parsley, and panko

4 zucchini slices drizzled with olive oil

salt/pepper on all

Bake 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees

 

Pork Chops (serves 2)

2 pork chops brushed with Dijon mustard and herbs de provence (med cut)

parsnip slices drizzled with olive oil, with thyme, salt/pepper

apple slices with thyme and cinnamon

Bake 15-18 minutes at 425 degrees

 

Chicken Drumsticks (serves 2)

4 chicken legs brushed with Teriyaki glaze

broccoli drizzled with olive oil, salt/pepper

fingerling potatoes cut in half, olive oil?, salt/pepper

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees

 

Kielbasa with Sauerkraut (serves 2)

Kielbasa sliced on diagonal, big chunks

Sauerkraut on foil in middle

Fingerling potatoes drizzled with olive oil, salt/pepper

Bake 15-18 minutes at 425 degrees

 

Chicken Thighs (serves 4)

4 thighs brushed with BBQ sauce (or Asian orange sauce)

sweet potato slices, long ways, drizzled with olive oil, salt/pepper

Brussel sprouts, drizzled with olive oil, salt/pepper

Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees

 DH's Tongue hanging out in anticipation!