The Sheet Pan Dinner I Make Every Week During the Fall

Prep, serve, and share it right from the sheet pan!

Sheet pan dinners are my year-round jam, but there’s something extra special about creating warm and comforting sheet pan meals throughout the fall and winter that pulls just a little bit more at my heartstrings. Maybe it’s because it’s squash season, or perhaps it’s because the colder weather calls for warmer, heartier food that wraps you up in a big hug. Whatever the reason may be, my wheels are constantly spinning with news ideas for weeknight sheet pan dinners. (Check out our best tips for making delicious sheet pan dinners here!)

Recently, I had some seasonal squash hanging out in my produce bowl, and I decided to base our dinner around roasting those. I also used up what I had left in the house towards the end of the grocery haul for the week and before I knew it, I had created a sheet pan warm dinner  salad. It has wound up being a new weekly favorite around here.

Here’s how it came together: I began by roasting acorn and delicata squash ahead of time, which became a time saver later on, when all I had to do was assemble the rest of the salad over the squash and warm the pan. I topped the roasted squash with pre-roasted beets from Trader Joe’s, toasted pine nuts, tangy dried cranberries, hearty shredded kale, creamy burrata, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil before placing in back in a low heat oven for just a few minutes to marry all the flavors together. Sprinkling this sheet pan dinner straight out of the oven with freshly grated Parmesan cheese is the perfect finish for serving. (Learn about 16 types of squash and how to use them here.)

This sheet pan dinner is a dreamy weeknight meal for cold weather nights. Not only is it delicious and hearty, it’s also gorgeous and delicious, packed with flavor, color, and texture, and easy to both prepare and clean up. The best part? You can prepare, serve, and enjoy it right from the sheet pan if you want to! Discover some mistakes you may be making with your sheet pan dinners.

Fall Squash Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash, ends removed, sliced vertically, seeded, sliced into 1/2 inch thick crescents

• 1 acorn squash, ends removed, sliced vertically, seeded, sliced into 1/2 inch thick crescents

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 7-8 cups shredded kale

• 1 8-ounce burrata, brought to room temperature

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

• Chili flakes (optional)

• Balsamic glaze, for dressing and serving

• Extra virgin olive oil, for dressing and serving

• 1-2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

2. Place delicata and acorn squash slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Coat and toss with olive oil. Assemble into a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 40-45 minutes, until golden brown, rotating slices with tongs halfway through cook time.

3. Remove squash from oven and reduce heat to 250 F degrees. Top squash with kale, hand-torn burrata, cranberries, and pine nuts. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes, if desired.

4. Return sheet pan salad to oven to warm for 3-4 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil, or whatever dressing you prefer. Finish with grated Parmesan. Serve warm.