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For over 20 years, Lisa Lillian has accumulated a collection of home appliances while developing new recipes as “Hungry Girls.” Her kitchen counter features air fryers, slow cookers, instant pots, blenders, toasters and more. But when I ask Lillian, “I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a nutritionist, I’m just a hungry person,” there’s one tool that makes her come back over and over. It’s a sheet pan.
“Why sheet pan now? I hear it frequently from email subscribers, and almost everyone wants an easier and faster option,” Lillian said. “Sheet pans are really the MVPs in the kitchen because you can put something on the bread, put it in the oven and spend the day.”
Unlike these other tools, it does not take up valuable counter space and is often available for under $20.
“I’m not a cooking snob. I don’t think you need a particular pot. It certainly doesn’t have to be expensive,” Lillian said.
The ingredients you cook with it don’t have to be exclusive either. “We don’t encourage you to go buy all the groceries from the boutique grocery store,” she pointed out. “Hungry girls are Walmart rather than Vanity Fair. In the best way possible, it’s just for everyone.
It is the philosophy behind the whole Hungry Girl Empire, including free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, magazines, podcasts (often reviewing products available at major online and person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In her latest “Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders 400 Calories,” Lillien shares her 400 Calories recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts.
“Sheetpans can do it all: baking, roasting, baking, and even serving,” Lillian wrote in her book. They are “a breeze to clean up. Plus, the raised edges contain oven spills and drips.”
Shooting cues from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends, beloved comfortable foods, and cookbooks include one-bread tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillian to mentor us through a one-day sheet pan ete.
When Flapjack became a doctor with a generous shower of butter and a massive shower of maple syrup, “Pancakes aren’t always the healthiest. They aren’t always easy to cook evenly,” Lillian said. “When you make pancakes in a frying pan or griddle, you often burn later batches, as the heat in the bread can be difficult to control.”
Lillian looked for a solution. She found it and integrated it into her recipe for brownies, strawberries and blueberry pancake bars. Sheet pans allow you to cook the batter evenly and create a week’s worth of pancakes.
To try this at home: Arrange sheet pans on parchment and spritz them with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Mix in your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend to boost the fiber.) Pour it into a prepared sheet pan and sprinkles it on desired toppings such as berries or chocolate chips. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-17 minutes, or until golden on top.
Usually, if you’re trying to replicate a fast food worthwhile meal at home, you’ll need deep-fried food, grill, griddle, and perhaps a frying pan to cook some of the toppings, such as onions and bacon. But Lillian’s “Ultimate Lunch” – in-n-out burger copycat animal style burger pate – shows how to DIY in a sheet pan. You can try this same concept with your favorite burgers and fries.
For a midday meal inspired by her fast food, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the ⅓ Cup Thousand Island Dressing (light, if necessary), 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to replace it.
Next, prepare a ¼ pound burger pate with any meat or seasonings you want. (Lillian likes 95% leek round beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
Place the burger and 2 cups of chopped onion in one sheet pan and place a fried turnip spear or another root vegetable or a stir-fry of heavy-duty squash. Grilled at 425 f until fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burger is cooked to your preferred dongness level. Top of fries with pate, spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onion and slices of cheddar cheese. Bake until sauce is hot and the cheese is fused.
According to Lillian, a often overlooked advantage of cooking sheet pans is the ability to multitasking. On the large cooking side, multiple items can be cooked on the same sheet without overcrowding. There are carrots roasted with honey mustard pretzel salmon, one of Lillian’s favorite recipes in the book, and only 35 minutes ask for six ingredients, leaving a balanced main dish and sides.
“Honey Mustard is a very good flavor booster. It’s very versatile and has very low calorie content,” says Lillian, acting like a “glue” to adhere to crushed pretzels. “The richness of the salmon works very well with the tang and sweetness of honey mustard and salty pretzels.”
Serve 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Total cooking time: 45 minutes
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2 cups (approx. 8 oz) baby carrot, half vertically
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1½ tsp olive oil
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¼tsp salt, split
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¼ tsp black pepper, split
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2 4oz raw skinless salmon fillets
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neg teaspoon garlic powder
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To cup onion powder
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1 tablespoon honey mustard, or for soaking
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2 tablespoons of lightly crushed pretzels
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Preheat the oven to 400 f. Spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray.
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Place the carrots on a baking sheet. Top with oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Throw it on the court.
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Bake for 15 minutes.
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Lower the oven temperature to 375 f.
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Twist the whisker. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season with salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining salt of ⅛ salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels.
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Bake for 12-14 minutes until salmon is cooked through and the carrots are tender.
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Bake the oven.
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Bake for 1-2 minutes until the pretzels are slightly toasted.
A recipe edited from “Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: The Wonder of a Bread with Under 400 Calories” by Lisa Lillien. Copyright©2025 by Lisa Lillien. Published by St. Martin’s Griffin.
Carla Walsh I’m Des Moines, a freelance lifestyle writer based in Iowa. He has over 16 years of editing experience.