The more work I do with female clients in their 30s and 40s, the more I’m becoming aware of the fact that you ladies don’t cook.

I get it. You work long hours, you travel for work, you don’t have time to meal plan and shop and prep.

If you don’t have a family whining to be fed, making dinner can be pretty low on your list of priorities.

But still, the fact remains that  you’ve got to feed yourself! And ideally, you want to feed yourself something that’s going to keep your blood sugar balanced, be tasty, and most important, be fast.

Sure, you could eat some cheese and crackers and add a handful of carrot sticks and call it done. Hell, I’ve done that.

But wouldn’t it be nice to cook yourself a warm healthy meal once in a while?

Enter sheet pan dinners!

With minimal work, you can get one of these on the table in less than 30 minutes, with less than 5 minutes of actual working time. (Less if you take the shortcuts I’ll point out!)

This is the first in a series of sheet pan–style dinners…stay tuned for more!

Let’s start with Caprese Cod. Inspired by my favorite salad and using only 6 ingredients (not counting olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder—you’ve got those in your pantry, right?) this is an easy and tasty summer meal.

We’ve got cod, baby red potatoes, green beans, cocktail tomatoes (if you’re local, I like Backyard Farms from Maine), fresh basil, and shelled pistachios.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

If you want to save time: buy green beans that are already trimmed, cherry tomatoes, and the smallest baby potatoes you can find. 

Otherwise, trim the green beans, halve the tomatoes, and quarter the potatoes. 

I should note that the amounts in this recipe are loose…this made enough for about 3 servings. Make more or less depending on how many you’re people you’re feeding (or if you’re saving some for the next day).

I used 2 sheet pans because I was feeding 2 people.

Before cooking. 

Put it all in the oven for 20 minutes.

If you’ve used 2 pans, take out the pan with the cod and let it rest. If not, no biggie. Leave the pan with the potatoes in the oven for 5 more minutes. (Advanced level: Flip the potatoes to brown them on both sides.)

Note: If you’ve used a thinner fillet of fish (like tilapia or haddock), you may want to check it for doneness after about 15-18 minutes. If you’ve used a thicker fish (like halibut), you should leave it in the whole 25 minutes. You’ll be able to tell the fish is done when it is opaque and flaky.

After cooking. Look at those roasty toasty potatoes!

That’s it. Put it all on a plate and eat!

Less than 5 minutes of prep, and you’ve got a perfectly balanced dinner on the table (and at least one more meal for later).

If you’re not allergic to dairy like I am, I highly recommend adding some fresh mozzarella to make it a true Caprese…either slice up a big ball of Mozz or toss on some of the mini balls. Even a shaving of Parmesan or pecorino would take this up a notch. I’ll be jealous.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.