A complete Easter dinner for two (with leftovers) that is made on two sheet pans in just one hour! This is a great holiday meal that you could use for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday when your numbers are few. Raspberry Chipotle Ham is paired with Gruyere Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin and Honey Lemon Spring Veggies!

Easter dinner for two

The other day Eric and I were both trying to get work done on our laptops. I always work from home (we also have 4 young kids) and Eric of course works at work. Except now that we’re quarantined, we both work from home. Kinda.

Eric turned to me after the 5th interruption from the 3-year-old and said, “I don’t know how you ever get anything done with all these kids interrupting you all the time.” You guys! It was a great moment. Every stay at home mom ever needs this kind of validation!

small crowd holiday dinner

I mean don’t get me wrong, Eric is a super awesome husband who is incredibly supportive, but there is a difference between imagining what it feels like to be constantly interrupted when you have a deadline, and actually experiencing it!

Although I have to admire his creative deflection methods. He is much more imaginative than I am. When Valentine, our 3-year-old, asked him to play “family family” the other day, he said “Okay, I’ll be the dad, and you be the mom. I have to work right now, and mom is in charge of cleaning up after everyone.” He conned her into picking up the entire living room by herself, because she was the mom. Impressive, right?

sheet pan easter dinner

Well I hope you all are doing something fun today, like dying Easter eggs or making sugar cookies (tons of people are making those this weekend, they are the best sugar cookies ever and traffic on them goes crazy on every holiday, including Easter!) ooh or Empty Tomb Rolls! Those are really fun to make with kids.

Easter dinner for two (with leftovers)

A couple years ago my girl Chelsea posted this One Hour Easter Dinner and I’ve been wanting to try out my own sheet pan Easter dinner ever since! It’s such a great idea if you have a small family and are not getting together with extended family members.

Christmas dinner for two

And since this year, NOBODY is getting together with extended family (thank you Covid19), I thought this would be a good time to show you guys how to do a small batch holiday meal!

How to make a sheet pan Easter dinner

You do not need to buy an entire ham to enjoy ham. Shocking, I know!! Smoked ham is fully cooked when you buy it, even a large one. So when you roast it, you are really just warming it thoroughly and crisping the outside. And we can warm up ham slices just as easily! I bought a half-ham for this post, but you could easily buy a ham steak or ham slices. Grocery stores usually have lots of options this time of year. Even with grocery stores low on stock on basic items (still tough to find flour!), there were several brands and varieties of ham slices or sections to choose from.

sheet pan easter dinner

(Here’s how thin your potatoes should be)

sheet pan easter dinner

I adapted my favorite Baked Ham with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze to serve just a few people. And I adapted these Gruyere-Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin. to be baked on a sheet pan. Pair it with some roasted veggies and dinner is done!! Sweet and spicy ham, paired with gooey cheesy potatoes, and a simple honey lemon glaze to go over the asparagus and carrots. It’s so good!

christmas dinner for two

(Here’s how to make the aluminum foil barrier so that the cream from your potatoes doesn’t get all over your carrots.)

sheet pan easter diner

This would also be a great Christmas dinner for two, or even Thanksgiving dinner for two. Technically the meal could serve more like 4 people, but you’re going to want leftovers, right? I mean holiday leftovers is basically part of what makes a holiday a holiday, in my opinion.

Easy Easter Dinner Menu Ideas

Here’s an Easter menu plan for your small-stakes Easter this weekend!

Appetizer: Caprese Salad Skewers << light, fresh, and customizable to any size group.

Main Dish: today’s Sheet Pan Easter Dinner. Or if you really like ham leftovers, make this Baked Ham with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze with these Gruyere-Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin.

Jello: (what, this isn’t a meal category where you’re from??): Sea Foam Salad (goes great with ham)

Rolls: Easy Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls << this recipe makes 12 rolls, perfect for a small group.

Dessert: Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Strawberry Lemon Shortcake. Rhubarb Custard Pie. The Best Homemade White Cake. Raspberry Cheesecake Bars. No Bake Cherry Cream Cheese Pie. The Best Zesty Key Lime Pie. Easy Cherry Pie Bars. The Softest Sugar Cookies of Your Life. Make one. Make them all! I don’t have any small batch desserts. You will just have to eat the leftovers for breakfast. Oh darn!

small crowd holiday dinner

Happy Easter everyone! Enjoy being with your family and celebrating the resurrection!

More holiday meal ideas!

Baked Ham with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze << my favorite ham recipe to date! The recipe that today’s ham is adapted from.

Gruyere-Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin << mu FAVORITE scalloped potato recipe of all time. Adapted this for today’s Easter meal.

Sheet Pan Salmon with Creamy Scalloped Potatoes and Asparagus << I posted this a couple years ago. I was so delighted to learn that you can do scalloped potatoes on a sheet pan and the ratio of potato to cheese is even HIGHER. Yesss.

Sheet Pan Rosemary Lime Chicken and Veggies << This is such a good dinner!

Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella << a great vegetarian holiday meal option!

One Hour Easter Dinner from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Honey Glazed Ham Steak Dinner for Two from Homemade in the Kitchen

Easy Whole Day Christmas Menu from Jo Cooks

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Sheet Pan Easter Dinner for a Small Crowd

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 2
A complete Easter dinner for two (with leftovers) that is made on two sheet pans in just one hour! This is a great holiday meal that you could use for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday when your numbers are few. Raspberry Chipotle Ham is paired with Gruyere Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin and Honey Lemon Spring Veggies!

Ingredients

For the Raspberry-Chipotle Ham

  • 1 cup seedless raspberry preserves
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped small*
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 8 slices ham, thick slices or ham steak

For the Gruyere-Crisped Potatoes

  • 1 & 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, about 5-6
  • 1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded (for topping)

For the carrots

  • 1 pound spring carrots
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the asparagus

  • 1 bunch asparagus, 1 pound
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the Honey Lemon Glaze (for veggies)

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Start by making the ham glaze, as it will need time to thicken a bit after cooking. In a small saucepan combine 1 cup raspberry preserves, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 or 1 chopped chipotle pepper*, and 2 cloves of minced garlic. (If you are nervous about it being spicy, start with a half chipotle and taste it. Add more if you like.)
  • Cook and stir over medium high heat just until boiling. Reduce heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes more. It will start to thicken up, and will thicken more as it cools. Set aside.

For the potatoes and carrots:

  • If you have a food processor, use the slicer attachment to slice the potatoes into about 1/8 inch thick slices. This will take less than a minute. If you don't have a food processor, slice by hand or use a mandolin.
  • In a wide skillet, add 1 and 1/4 cups cream and the sliced potatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 clove minced garlic. Stir to coat potatoes.
  • Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling, lower the heat a bit and let it lightly simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes, until the cream has thickened. (The potatoes will still be hard.)
  • Place a large piece of aluminum foil over half of your sheet pan, and fold and arrange the edges so that it creates a barrier in the center of the pan. See photos. Spray the foil very well with nonstick spray.
  • Pour the potatoes and cream into the foil that you have greased. Spread it out into an even layer. Top with 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere, or Parmesan works too.
  • On the other half of the sheet pan, place the carrots that you have washed and scrubbed. If they are very thick, slice them in half lengthwise. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub the carrots to coat. I like to arrange the thick ends of the carrots toward the edges of the pan. The edges of a sheet pan cook a little faster, so we want the thick ends toward the outside.
  • Place the sheet pan with the potatoes and carrots in the oven, with the rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. Move the other rack to the top 1/3 of the oven. Bake the carrots and potatoes at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes while you prep the ham.

For the ham and asparagus:

  • Spray the second sheet pan with nonstick spray. Layer the ham slices on one half of the pan. Drizzle with some of the Raspberry Chipotle Glaze. Use as much as you like. Remember that it is a bit spicy. Taste it to gauge how much you want to add.
  • Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Arrange on the sheet pan next to the ham. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub the oil and spices onto the asparagus. I like to arrange the asparagus so that all the tips are toward the center. The edges of the sheet pan cook a little faster, so we want the thick ends toward the outside.
  • After the carrots and potatoes have cooked for 10-12 minutes, place the sheet pan with the ham and asparagus on a rack that is in the top third of the oven. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, until the ham is warmed through and the asparagus is fork tender. The potatoes and carrots should be in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, and the ham and asparagus should be in the oven for about 20, so plan accordingly.

For the Honey Lemon Glaze (for the vegetables):

  • While the sheet pans are in the oven, grate 1 teaspoon lemon zest into a small bowl. Squeeze in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Whisk in 2 tablespoons honey. Stir until smooth. Heat it in the microwave to warm it, if you like. Spoon over the vegetables before serving. (This glaze is delicious, but the veggies are actually good all by themselves after roasting, so the glaze is optional).
  • Serve this meal with these One Hour Dinner Rolls!

Notes

*Chipotle peppers are canned in adobo sauce. You can find them on the Latin food aisle. They are pretty spicy. I've never used a whole can for anything! I always take what I need and then store the rest in a ziplock in the freezer for when I want to add a bit of smokey spice to something.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 2110kcal | Carbohydrates: 255g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 102g | Saturated Fat: 50g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 38g | Cholesterol: 310mg | Sodium: 4047mg | Potassium: 2833mg | Fiber: 32g | Sugar: 134g | Vitamin A: 21939IU | Vitamin C: 105mg | Calcium: 626mg | Iron: 11mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 2110
Keyword: easter, sheet pan
Did you make this? I'd love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    THANK YOU!!!!
    I made this this evening for our Easter dinner for me and my husband. It was FABULOUS! I followed you instructions to a T and it all came out wonderful. A 5 star holiday dinner made in 1.5 hours and minimal clean up. This will be my go to holiday dinner for year to come! Thank you so much for such a lovely set of recipes! 

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