Roasted Romaine Salad – Sheet Pan Dinner

A warm roasted romaine salad made all on one pan in less than 45 minutes start to finish! Bonus “chicken nuggets” if your kiddos love them! 

Half salad, half sheet pan dinner, 100% delicious. This is a twist on grilled romaine, which if you haven’t had it, is so good! It might sound strange if it’s new to you, but it gets charred and softened on the outside and it’s still super crisp on the inside. It’s so yummy and you can achieve the same textural contrast by roasting it in the oven. 

I make it into a wedge salad type situation which is an entire meal because a few other things are baked on the sheet pan along with the romaine. I make crispy chicken pieces (I don’t want to call them nuggets…..buuuuuuut if all your kids will eat are chicken nuggets, let’s just say this meal will kill two birds with one stone. Or should I say kill two birds with one sharp knife and a 425ºF oven?)

Moving on…

I also add juicy roasted grape tomatoes and roasted garlic. The roasted tomatoes turn so sweet and flavorful in the oven and the garlic adds a punch of flavor that’s perfect with the roasted romaine and chicken.

You can try to fit it all onto one sheet pan, but to be honest, it’s probably better to spread this out a little and put it on two sheet pans. I hate dishes though…so if you’re like me, do what you gotta do, okay? I’ll just say that it’s better if it’s not super crowded on the pan.

When this comes out of the oven, you have two choices. You can eat it all separately (that’s 100% Ben’s M.O.), or you can eat it as a delicious warm salad.

I love drizzling this with balsamic reduction. That’s all it really needs to tie it all together into a pretty amazing meal. If you like Caesar salads, this homemade Caesar dressing is really good, too.

Unlike some sheet pan dinners where you can throw it all in at the same time and practically forget about it, this one needs a little more attention. Each element requires a slightly different cooking time, so you’ll put them on the sheet pan gradually. 

Start with the tomatoes and garlic to give them a head start which really develops their natural sweetness. While those cook for 10 minutes, it’s the perfect opportunity to quickly prep the chicken.

After you add the chicken, you have another 10 minutes to prep the romaine. All in all, this recipe still will only take 30-40 minutes to cook start to finish.

More Sheet Pan Dinners

• Roasted Italian Sausage with Onions and Vegetables
• Mini Turkey Meatloaves Sheet Pan Dinner
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
• Walnut Crusted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
• Whole 30 Chicken Thighs (Sheet pan dinner with smashed potatoes and roasted green beans)
• Sheet Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Mozzarella (yuuuum) from Epicurious

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Roasted Romaine Salad - Sheet Pan Dinner

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes

A warm romaine salad made all on one pan in less than 45 minutes start to finish! Bonus "chicken nuggets" if your kiddos love them! 

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Ingredients

For tomatoes and garlic

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 12-15 cloves of garlic (about 1 head), peeled
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

For chicken

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1.5 to 1.75 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

For lettuce

• 2 romaine hearts, cut in half from top to bottom
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil (if you have spray, that works great - just give them a good coating on the cut side)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For Finishing

• balsamic glaze

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, stir together halved grape tomatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Spread onto a large rimmed sheet pan.
2. Bake tomatoes and garlic for 10 minutes or until starting to soften.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together cheese, Panko bread crumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken to this mixture and toss to coat chicken in breadcrumbs and seasonings.
4. Stir tomatoes and garlic and add chicken in an even layer to sheet pan. Bake for another 10 minutes.
5. While the chicken is baking, prep the romaine by brushing or spraying cut side with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. After the chicken has been in the oven for 10 minutes, flip over chicken pieces and give the tomatoes another stir. Add romaine hearts to sheet pan, cut sides up.
7. Return to oven and continue to cook for 5-8 minutes or until lettuce is golden brown on top and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
8. Serve immediately. Place roasted romaine on a plate and add chicken, tomatoes, and garlic on top. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Notes

• The roasted romaine is best served immediately, it doesn't fare well as leftovers. I did reheat some of the chicken - it got nice and crispy with a few minutes my airfryer, but you could also reheat at 350°F in your oven.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 615Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 192mgSodium: 1301mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 7gSugar: 7gProtein: 75g

RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.

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