Why a sheet pan is the secret to make every meal easier than ever

By Karla Walsh, CNN

(CNN) — Throughout more than two decades of developing new recipes as “Hungry Girl,” Lisa Lillien has amassed quite the collection of appliances. Her kitchen counter is lined with an air fryer, slow cooker, Instant pot, blender, toaster and more. But if you ask Lillien, who says, “I’m not a dietitian, I’m not a nutritionist, I’m just hungry,” there’s one tool she comes back to again and again: the sheet pan.

“Why sheet pans right now? I hear from my email subscribers often, and nearly everybody wants easier and faster options,” Lillien said. “Sheet pans really are an MVP of the kitchen because you can place something on the pan, pop it in the oven and you can go about your day.”

Unlike some of those other tools, it won’t take up precious counter space and often is available for less than $20.

“I’m not a cooking snob. I don’t think you need a certain pan, and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive,” Lillien said, noting that the sheet pan she swears by has been in her arsenal since 1999.

The ingredients you cook on it need not be exclusive, either. “We’re not promoting that you go buy every grocery from a boutique grocery store,” she noted. “Hungry Girl is more Walmart than Vanity Fair. I mean that in the best way possible; it’s just for everybody. As am I. I want to make smarter, better food choices, but I also love food.”

That’s the philosophy behind her entire Hungry Girl empire, which includes free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, a magazine, a podcast (that often reviews products available at major online and in-person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In the latest, “Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories,” Lillien shares under-400-calorie recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts — all made on a sheet pan.

“Sheet pans can do it all: baking, roasting, broiling and even serving,” Lillien wrote in her book. They’re “a breeze to clean. Plus, the raised edges help contain oven spills and drips.”

Taking a cue from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends and beloved comfort foods, the cookbook includes one-pan tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillien to coach us through an entire day of sheet pan eats.

What’s for breakfast?

When flapjacks are doctored up with a big pat of butter and generous shower of maple syrup, “pancakes are not always the healthiest. They’re not always easy to cook evenly, either,” Lillien said. “When I make pancakes with a skillet or griddle, I often end up burning the later batches because the heat of the pan can be challenging to control.”

Lillien sought a solution, which she found and integrated into her recipes for brownie, strawberry and blueberry pancake bars. A sheet pan cooks the batter evenly and allows you to make a week’s worth of pancake squares that you can enjoy now, refrigerate for tomorrow or freeze for later.

To try this at home: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spritz it with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Mix up your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend for a fiber boost.) Pour it into the prepared sheet pan, sprinkle on any desired toppings, like berries or chocolate chips. and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center springs back when you touch it.

It’s like In-N-Out for lunch

Typically, if you attempted to recreate a fast food value meal at home, you’d need a deep fryer, grill or griddle, and perhaps a skillet to cook some of the toppings, such as onions or bacon. But Lillien’s “ultimate lunch” — In-N-Out Burger copycat Animal-Style Burger Patties — shows how to DIY on sheet pans. You could try this same concept with any burger and fries you like.

For her fast food-inspired midday meal, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together ⅓ cup Thousand Island dressing (light, if you like), 2 tablespoons finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to swap that in.

Then prepare ¼-pound burger patties with whatever meat and seasonings you desire. (Lillien likes 95% lean ground beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper — the same spice blend she uses to season the fries.)

Place the burgers and 2 cups of chopped onion on one sheet pan, and fry-shaped spears of turnips or any root vegetable or sturdy squash on another. Bake at 425 F until the fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burgers are cooked to your preferred doneness level. Top a serving of fries with a patty, a spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onions and a slice of cheddar cheese. Bake until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melty.

It’s time for dinner

An often-overlooked benefit of sheet pan cooking, according to Lillien, is the ability to multitask. The large cooking surface makes it possible to cook multiple items on the same sheet without overcrowding. One of Lillien’s favorite recipes in the book, Honey Mustard Pretzel Salmon with Roasted Carrots, asks for just 35 minutes and six ingredients, and leaves you with a well-balanced main dish and a side.

“Honey mustard is such a good flavor-booster. It’s very versatile and so low in calories,” Lillien said, and it works like the “glue” to adhere the crushed pretzels. “The richness of the salmon works so nicely with the tang and the sweetness of the honey mustard and the salty pretzels.”

Honey Mustard Pretzel Salmon with Roasted Carrots

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 8 ounces) baby carrots, halved lengthwise
• 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided
• Two 4-ounce raw skinless salmon fillets
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey mustard, or more for dipping
• 2 tablespoons lightly crushed pretzels

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 F . Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Place carrots on the baking sheet. Top with oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 F .
• Flip carrots. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels.
• Bake until salmon is cooked through and carrots are tender, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Set oven to broil.
• Broil until pretzels are slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Recipe adapted from “Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories” by Lisa Lillien. Copyright © 2025 by Lisa Lillien. Published by St. Martin’s Griffin.

Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.

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