Lemon Roasted Shrimp with Broccoli and Rice: A Sheet Pan Dinner

If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you may know that I’m a really big fan of one-pot and sheet pan style dinners. Like so many busy parents, I rely on a well tested rotation of weeknight dinner recipes to get through those busy weeks. My personal collection of go to recipes seems to have a common theme: they are all easy to prepare, don’t need fancy ingredients, and don’t make a huge mess (because, let’s face it, dishes are the least fun part of cooking!). Recently, I’ve been looking to add some new dishes to our rotation and with winter seemingly never ending around here, I wanted to get some more bright flavors onto our plates. This week’s recipe for Lemon Roasted Shrimp with Broccoli and Rice does all of that and more. I think you’ll love it!

Now, before we get too deep in the nitty gritty of this recipe, I have a confession. This recipe requires a sheet pan and a microwave (or a sauce pan, if you don’t have a Trader Joes nearby) so I guess it’s not technically a one-pot meal. That being said, it’s still super easy and well worth one extra dish to wash. The recipe begins with simple roasted broccoli. I love to buy big bags of pre-cut organic broccoli florets at Costco to have on hand. Saves time and money! Toss a few, or five, cups of broccoli with olive oil and kosher salt and spread the florets out on a sheet pan. Roast those beauties for about twenty minutes while you get the shrimp ready.

Another freezer staple in our house is shrimp. I typically get mine at Costco and try to stick with the raw, tail-on variety. You’ll need about a pound of shrimp for this dish. Give them a quick thaw under running water and pat them dry with some paper towels. Toss them in a bowl with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and some salt and pepper and you’re good to go.

Now, just pull the pan of broccoli out of the oven and layer the shrimp into the mix along with some fresh lemon slices. Pop it all back into the oven for a quick 8-10 minutes until pink, firm and just cooked through.

While the shrimp is cooking, I make a quick batch of rice, tossing it with some lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh parsley. My dirty little kitchen secret is that I frequently use the frozen organic rice packs from Trader Joes! A quick few minutes in the microwave and you have perfectly cooked rice. So easy.

I like to serve this Lemon Roasted Shrimp bowl-style, with a good heap of the rice and then pile the shrimp and broccoli on top. A quick squeeze of lemon and sometimes (if I’m feeling it) a little extra drizzle of olive oil on top and you have a full meal on the table in under 40 minutes.

What are your go to weeknight meals? Do you have freezer essentials or grocery store hacks to make those busy nights a little smoother? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you.