In a sea of short-lived cooking hacks, sheet-pan dinners are built to last. All that expansive, short-walled surface area gives you more pan contact and air circulation. And that means beautiful browning, minimal effort on your part, and very few pots and pans to clean up afterward.
It’s a versatile approach too: Use your tried-and-true sheet pan to create everything from virtuous chicken-and-veggie suppers to gooey mac and cheese (with a higher ratio of crispy edges than classic baked versions) to date-night-worthy lamb and more. Yeah, there are a few special occasion-worthy dishes below, but with any of our best sheet-pan dinners—no matter how simple—every weeknight will feel like a special occasion.