5-Minute Prep: One-Pan Dinner Idea

If you are like me, you probably love to eat good food, but you hate the aftermath of cleaning up from eating that good food. Maybe it’s just old age (even though I am not that old!), or perhaps it’s just laziness, but we do not have to talk about that! 

This is where I came up with unique ideas (or at least ideas I’ve never tried) to make meals using little to no pans. Of course, I found that the spices you use will shake things up if you want to do these nightly. 

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the one-pan dinner meals I create at least once a week!

One-Pan Dinner Ideas Options

What’s great about these one-pan dinner idea options is that you can do virtually anything. Of course, you need to fit it on your cookie sheet, but that’s not too big of a problem.

I’ve virtually done nearly everything I could think of; I used different kinds of fish filets, kielbasa, chicken, meatloaf, fish sticks, pork loins, and more. 

The list could go on. The key to making a wonderful one-pan dinner is all in the seasons. If your spice rack doesn’t have a bunch of unique flavors, this one-pan dinner idea will get boring after a while.

I highly recommend trying a different flavor profile every time you make it so it tastes new. 

What Do You Include in Your One-Pan Dinners?

I include lots of veggies. Yes, veggies! Veggies are a great way to bring color to any meal, not to mention that people need to eat more veggies every day. 

However, you can also include things like potatoes too. I’ve done roasted potatoes; if your potatoes are small enough, you could probably even do a baked potato. You can never go wrong with that. 

But this is where you can get creative with your one-pan dinner. You can add virtually anything to the pan if it cooks around the same time and temperature as the rest of your items. 

It is less of a hassle if you find items, such as veggies, that will cook around the same time and temperature.

Do You Use Butter for Your One-Pan Dinners?

Yes and no. I use butter because it gives off good flavor to your veggies and keeps everything nice, but if you are trying to lay off the butter, I recommend using a bit of chicken or beef stock on your veggies. It is also a great alternative; it tastes just as yummy without fat and oils. 

Of course, you can go down the route and make honey-roasted veggies or anything else you and your family would like. 

What Temperature And How Long Do You Cook the Dinner?

I always do mine at about 350 or sometimes 375. They typically cook for about 25-30 minutes, depending on what meat you are cooking. I do not recommend cooking meat that only takes that long because your veggies will be done soon. 

Of course, if you want to cook a thicker piece of meat, you’ll want to cook that before you add the veggies to the pan, so your veggies will not burn.

Need More Quick Dinner Ideas?

Dinner shouldn’t be hard. It shouldn’t make you feel like you must be in the kitchen for hours after a long day. With this easy one-pan dinner idea, you can take back your life and still enjoy a healthy home-cooked meal without the extra mess. 

If you need more quick dinner ideas like this one, you’ll want to stop and take a look at my whole chicken dinner recipe. It’s great because it’s fast, easy, and can be done in a one-pan meal like this.