Meal Prep Plan: How I Prep a Week of Easy Sheet Pan Dinners in Just 1 Hour

While meal prepping can be a lifesaver, it also takes time. Rather than skip it completely, though, consider this Power Hour. It requires no more than one hour of your time and results in a week of dinners that, although they’ll need to be cooked, don’t require any prep work the night of.

Here, you’ll assemble dinner components in reusable containers or zip-top bags so during the week all you need to do is dump everything on sheet pan, maybe toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then bake. You’ll also be ready to tackle the week with simple, ready-to-eat breakfast and lunch options. All in all, it’s a lazy meal prepper’s dream that pays off in spades all week long. Here’s how to do it.

This meal prep plan is unique in that while you will cook each night of the week, all the prep work is completed upfront. All that needs to be done is to dump the ingredients you prepped onto a sheet pan and bake.

• Breakfast: An easy option that relies on store-bought conveniences (five days).
• Lunch: A mix-and-match choice that you’ll make in your Power Hour (five days).
• Dinner: Simple meals that are complete one-pan affairs (five days).
• Nutritional Goals: No set goals but all the dishes here are well-balanced and generally feel-good.

• Feeds: Two people
• Prep Time: About 1 hour
• Meals Covered: About 80% (no weekend meals)
• Weeknight Cooking Required? Moderate (about 30 minutes of light cooking to bring dinner together)

• Yogurt with Granola and Berries

• Mix-and-Match Sheet Pan Veggie Frittata

• Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies
• Sheet Pan Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms on Toast
• Leftover Italian Sausage and Veggie 
• Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Pasta
• Sheet Pan Chicken Marinara

This week’s shopping list relies on a mix of colorful produce, pantry basics, and store-bought conveniences. It assumes staples like olive oil, salt, and pepper are already on hand.

• Produce: 1 pint blueberries, 1 pint raspberries, 2 pounds broccoli, 2 pints cherry tomatoes, 1 pound small red potatoes, 1 medium red bell pepper, 1 bunch fresh thyme, 1 pound cremini mushrooms, 1 head garlic 
• Meat: 1 (12-ounce) package smoked Italian-style chicken sausage, 2 (8-ounce) boxes frozen chicken tenders
• Refrigerated: 1 large tub of plain yogurt (Greek or regular), 12 large eggs, 1 quart whole milk, 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese, 1 bag shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese, 1 small hunk of blue cheese
• Pantry: Balsamic vinegar, 1 pound dry penne pasta, 1 jar marinara sauce, Dijon mustard
• Other: 1 bag of your favorite store-bought granola, 1 large loaf of sliced crusty sourdough or country bread

1. Make the veggie frittata. Heat the oven to 375°F and prepare the sheet pan veggie frittata according to recipe instructions.
2. Prep the tomatoes and mushrooms. While the frittata bakes, cut the tomatoes, thyme, garlic, and mushrooms for the Sheet-Pan Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms. Place the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of thyme in one airtight container or zip-top bag and the mushrooms, garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon of thyme in another container or zip-top bag.
3. Prep the sausage and veggies. Cut the potatoes, sausage, bell pepper, and broccoli for the Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies. Place the potatoes and sausage in one airtight container or zip-top bag and the bell pepper and broccoli in another container or zip-top bag.
4. Slice the frittata. Once the frittata has cooled, slice it into squares and stack them between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container.

Fix yourself a bowl of yogurt and granola with a sprinkling of blueberries and raspberries.

Enjoy squares of veggie frittata, either cold or reheated, and as is, broiled with additional shredded cheddar cheese, or tucked inside sliced and toasted bread with a swipe of Dijon mustard.

• Monday, Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies: Heat the oven to 400ºF and empty the bag of potatoes and sausage out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, toss to coat, and roast for 15 minutes. Add the cut pepper and broccoli, toss with another tablespoon of olive oil, and continue to roast until tender, 15 minutes more. Enjoy half of the sheet pan dinner, and save the remainder for later in the week.
• Tuesday, Sheet Pan Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms: Heat the oven to 375°F and empty the bag of cherry tomatoes and thyme out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and push to one side of the baking sheet. Empty the bag of mushrooms, thyme, and garlic out onto the empty side of the baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes, then drizzle with olive oil. Toast a few slices of crusty bread, top with half the roasted vegetables, and crumble blue cheese over the top.
• Wednesday, Leftover Italian Sausage and Veggies: Rewarm the rest of the sausage and veggies.
• Thursday, Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Pasta: Cook half of a 1-pound box of dry penne pasta. Rewarm the leftover tomato and mushroom mixture in the microwave and toss with the pasta.
• Friday, Sheet Pan Chicken Marinara: Prepare the chicken marinara according to recipe instructions. You’ll have some leftovers, which can be lunch over the weekend!

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Power Hour Meal Prep is the series where we help you put it all together. We show you how to eat well during the week with an hour or two of Power Hour prep over the weekend. Every plan is different; mix and match to find your own personal sweet spot.