I feel like I was way ahead of today’s “one-pot meal” movement. Since the beginning of time, I have made my version of one pot meals or sheet pan dinners and did so as part of “batch cooking.” If only I’d capitalized on this huge trend…
Although this recipe is for fajitas, I usually serve this seafood fajita style one night, then repurpose the leftovers as a topping for brown rice or even a hearty cabbage/kale/romaine salad. The spice mix also works for chicken if you want to make chicken tacos or fajitas later on! So double or triple the mix for later use! The fajita filling is so good but 1 ½ pounds of seafood is just too much for two (old) adults. If you are cooking for a family, you could double the filling ingredients for planned leftovers. Or invite friends and family and have a party!
FYI – this was one of the dinners I made for my grandkids in California while filling in for their parents in March. The kids (16 months, 5 and 7) loved this and loved the leftovers too.
Sheet Pan Fajitas
Ingredients for Spice Mix-you can make more and have this on hand for furture use too.
- 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients for Fajitas
- 3 medium bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (I used green, yellow and red)
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced garlic-I do this by hand
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
- 1-½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined OR 1 ½ lbs of raw firm fish – cut into 1-inch squares. (I have used salmon, halibut or cod)
Ingredients for Serving
- Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
- 4-6 large flour tortillas
- Your favorite toppings (Choose what you love: sour cream, shredded spicy cheese, avocado, diced tomato, shredded cabbage, hot sauce, etc.)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil. Even without parchment, it’s not hard to clean.
Prepare the seasoning by stirring the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl until well combined.
In a large bowl, toss together the peppers, onions and garlic. Drizzle with two tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with about half of the spice mixture and toss again to coat evenly.
Spread the seasoned vegetables evenly on the baking sheet and bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the shrimp or cubed fish in the same large bowl in which you tossed the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the fish or shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the seafood or shrimp and toss again to season.
After 13 minutes, remove vegetables from oven and evenly add pieces of seafood or shrimp to the roasted vegetables. Return to the oven.
Place tortillas (I dampen them a bit) wrapped in aluminum foil on the top rack of the oven. Bake an additional 7-8 minutes, or until shrimp or fish is cooked.
Before serving, drizzle the entire sheet pan contents evenly with lime juice and sprinkle with the desired amount of chopped cilantro.Scoop into heated tortillas with your favorite toppings.