5 one-pan traybake recipes (2024)

Amy Wood - Nutritionist | 20 Apr, 2023

Many of us cite a lack of time as the primary reason for not preparing healthy meals and opening up a takeaway app instead. If this sounds like you, traybakes could be your secret weapon. As they only require one tray (and maybe an extra pot), they're perfect to slot into your busy lifestyle – just chuck your ingredients on a tray in the oven and let the magic happen!

Plus fewer trays = less washing up, saving you even more time! Here are 5 super simple traybakes you can throw together for a tasty, healthy midweek meal.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (1)

Serves 4 - 413 kcals per serving

Kcals 413
Fat 21.5g
Sat fat 6.2g
Carbs 37g
Sugar 12.5g
Fibre 8.1g
Protein 19.2g
Salt 2.27g

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Ingredients

  • 400g tin chickpeas, drained
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • 2 red onions, chopped into wedges
  • 2 courgettes, roughly chopped
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to season
  • 8 reduced-fat pork sausages
  • Few sprigs rosemary
  • Few sprigs thyme

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6.
  2. Tip the chickpeas and veg into a large roasting tin. Pour on the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat.
  3. Lay the sausages on top, spread out evenly. Top with a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Place in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, turning the veg and sausages half way through.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (2)

Serves 4 - 450 kcals per serving

Kcals 450
Fat 14.3g
Sat fat 5.4g
Carbs 59.3g
Sugar 7g
Fibre 4g
Protein 20.4g
Salt 1.3g

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Ingredients

  • 500g cherry tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to season
  • 200g block reduced-fat feta
  • 300g penne pasta
  • Few sprigs basil, to garnish

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6. Toss the tomatoes, garlic and oil in a baking tray or dish with a bit of depth. Roast for 15 minutes.
  2. Gently shake the tray to avoid sticking. Make a well and place the whole block of feta into the middle of the dish. Season and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until the feta is turning golden and the tomatoes have softened.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions, reserving a mug of the cooking water.
  4. Using the back of a fork, squash down the tomatoes to release the juice and break up the baked feta. Splash in a little of the reserved pasta water and stir everything through to combine, creating a creamy sauce. Add additional pasta water to loosen as needed.
  5. Tip the pasta into the dish and gently stir everything through to combine. Season well with black pepper, then scatter over some basil leaves to garnish.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (3)

Serves 2 - 483 kcals per serving

Kcals 483
Fat 21g
Sat fat 8.7g
Carbs 49.5g
Sugar 12.6g
Fibre 8.3g
Protein 23.2g
Salt 2.67g

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Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato, sliced into wedges
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to season
  • 2 baby courgettes, sliced
  • ½ red pepper, chopped
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 6 white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tbsp harissa paste
  • 120g reduced-fat halloumi, sliced
  • Low-cal cooking spray
  • 1 pinch dried oregano
  • 2 wholemeal tortilla wraps
  • 2 handfuls rocket

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas mark 7. Place the potato wedges onto a baking tray and toss with half the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes to give them a head start.
  2. Remove the tray from the oven, turn the wedges and move them to one side of the tray. Add the rest of the veg and stir in the remaining oil and harissa paste. Take care as the tray will be hot.
  3. Return the tray to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes. In the final 5 minutes, lightly toss the veg and lay the halloumi slices on top. Spray with a little cooking spray and sprinkle some oregano on the halloumi. Return to the oven and keep an eye out, ensuring the halloumi softens but doesn't burn.
  4. Fill each tortilla wrap with a handful of rocket, then top with the roasted veggies and halloumi. Roll up and serve warm with the potato wedges on the side.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (4)

Serves 2 - 338 kcals per serving

Kcals338
Fat9.7g
Sat fat1.8g
Carbs18.9g
Sugar15.8g
Fibre7.9g
Protein44.2g
Salt0.6g

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Ingredients

  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 large carrot, sliced into ½ inch rounds
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • ½ head broccoli, chopped into small florets
  • 1 red onion, chopped into wedges
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to season
  • 2 chicken breast fillets
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6. Coat a baking tray with cooking spray or baking parchment. Add the peppers, carrots, broccoli and onion onto the tray, keeping each colour in a separate pile for a rainbow effect. Leave space in the middle of the tray.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in the centre of the tray. Drizzle the olive oil across the entire tray and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Rub the tops of each chicken breast to coat. Toss each veg pile one at a time with your hands to coat.
  3. Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, tossing the veg half way through, until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (5)

Serves 4 - 541 kcals per serving

Kcals541
Fat22.1g
Sat fat3.9g
Carbs58.6g
Sugar20.1g
Fibre5.4g
Protein29.7g
Salt0.44g

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Ingredients

  • 1kg baby new potatoes
  • Low-cal cooking spray
  • 2 small red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 4 clove garlic, crushed
  • Salt and pepper, to season
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 300g cherry tomatoes
  • 500g half side of salmon
  • 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • Few sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas mark 7.
  2. Cut the potatoes into 1cm thick slices. Lay out on a baking tray lightly coated in cooking spray.
  3. Scatter over the red onion and add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat everything.
  4. Place on the middle shelf of the oven for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften.
  5. Remove from the oven and shake lightly to avoid sticking. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes.
  6. Lay the salmon on top, skin side down. Add the honey and chilli and rub to coat the fish. Season with a little salt and pepper. Scatter over the thyme and pop back in the oven for 20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (6)

Nutritionist Amy Wood (ANutr), MSci BSc Nutrition has a keen interest in the relationship between diet and health. Having been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, Amy is passionate about making evidence-based nutrition accessible to everyone and helping others to adopt a food-focused approach to taking control of their health.

5 one-pan traybake recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cut a traybake evenly? ›

Try cutting everything in two at every step. It's often a lot easier to visually estimate halves than any other fraction. Cut the whole tray in two, then cut each half in two, then each remaining segment in two, and so on until you have pieces that are about the size you want. That's the method that works for me.

What is the definition of a traybake? ›

A 'Traybake' or a 'Traycake' is simply a cake or biscuit bake that has been baked in a tray! Traybakes are typically flat and get cut into square portions.

Can I use a baking tray instead of a baking dish? ›

Generally, you can use a baking pan instead of a baking dish if high heat conductivity is not a deterrent in the recipe you are going for. Baking pans can do everything a baking dish can, but they don't hold heat so well. However, they can replace baking dishes to a large extent.

What is the difference between a baking sheet and a baking tray? ›

In general, baking pans tend to come in many different shapes. They are usually much deeper than a Baking Sheet, which helps when you're working with batter. For this reason, if a recipe you're working with calls for a Baking Sheet, it cannot be easily substituted with another baking pan.

Why does my traybake sink in the middle? ›

5. My cake has sunk in the middle. There are three main reasons for this: a/ the oven door has been opened before the cake has set, b/ the cake didn't go in the oven as soon as the mixture was ready or c/ there's too much raising agent.

How to stop chocolate cracking on traybake? ›

Remove your traybake from the fridge for a short while before cutting, and score the chocolate to your desired slice-sizes before cutting right through. This will help prevent the chocolate from cracking whilst you cut.

When to cut a tray bake? ›

Cut into about squares when cold.

What do Americans call traybakes? ›

Cookies that are baked as a solid layer on a sheet pan and then cut, rather than being baked as individual pieces, are called bar cookies in American English or traybakes in British English .

What is a British traybake? ›

noun. mainly British. a flat, usually chewy cake which is baked in a tray, cut into small squares, and served as a biscuit.

What tin to use for a traybake? ›

Square/Rectangle Cake Tins

I find they are the perfect depth for all of my traybake whether that is millionaires shortbread, brownies, or cookie bars! I do also often use a 7×11″ brownie tin for some of my recipes and they work just as well for my 9″ square recipes.

What do you use baking trays for? ›

A sheet pan, also referred to as baking tray, baking sheet, or baking pan, is a flat, rectangular metal pan placed in an oven and used for baking pastries such as bread rolls, cookies, sheet cakes, Swiss rolls, and pizzas. A baker places a hot sheet pan full of bread rolls onto a cooling rack.

Can you cook directly on baking tray? ›

In conclusion, while it is possible to put a baking tray on the very bottom of an electric oven and cook, it is generally not recommended due to the risk of uneven cooking and burning. Using a rack or a baking sheet with raised edges is a safer option to ensure even heat distribution and prevent burning.

Can you use a baking tray as a pan? ›

Indeed, baking sheets work well as pans for making cookies, roasting veggies, and even baking smaller foods like mini pizzas. But since baking sheets usually don't have raised corners to hold the contents in place, they might not be the best for recipes that call for deeper pans or contain liquids.

What can I do with old baking trays? ›

Reuse it: if it's in good condition, take it to a reuse drop off point. Or you can sell, donate, pass it on. All kitchen items and cookware (such as pots and pans, cutlery, utensils, baking trays, mixing bowls etc.) can be taken to your local recycling centre.

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