25 Super Easy Recipes to Make in Your Vacation Rental 

June 12, 2019
Photography: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Going on vacation is expensive—and eating out for every meal while you're out of town can add up quickly. But you don't have to sacrifice taste for the sake of your budget! Throw out those boring ham sandwiches and whip up one of our easiest recipes to make on vacation. The best part? Since so many of our simple meals call for single sheet pans and pots, clean up will be a breeze. 
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One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Jennifer Causey
One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes Recipe

This pasta dinner is a game changer: You use just enough liquid to cook the pasta--no colander needed. Recipe adapted from our sister publication Southern Living. Cost for 4: $8.43

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One-Pot Cheesy Pasta Bake

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas 
One-Pot Cheesy Pasta Bake Recipe

This easy skillet pasta bake is a surefire family hit. Pasta and meat sauce topped with mozzarella cheese will make everyone at the table happy, and the all-in-one-pot technique will have the cook smiling pretty. Cooking the pasta in the meat sauce not only lessens the amount of dishes you have to do and the time it takes to get dinner done, but the starches in the pasta thicken the sauce—without you having to do a single extra thing. 

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One-Pot Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
One-Pot Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce Recipe

This 5-star pasta dish is a revelation. Throw all of your ingredients into one pot and, 25 minutes later, you'll have noodles perfectly cooked and coated in a luscious tomato-basil sauce.

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Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Caitlin Bensel
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas Recipe

This easy dinner comes together in less time than it takes to wait for a table at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Mild poblano chiles and bell peppers get a nice char under the broiler and deliver more than double a day’s worth of immunity-boosting vitamin C.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Tikka Masala

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Julia Levy
Sheet-Pan Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

With a little sheet pan savvy, flavor-packed chicken tikka masala has never been more accessible. While we suggest marinating the chicken for at least four hours, if you didn’t plan ahead, you can simply marinate the inherently tender chicken thighs for as long as you have time for. 

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Sheet Pan Seafood Bake with Buttery Wine Sauce

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Sheet Pan Seafood Bake with Buttery Wine Sauce Recipe

Finally, a seafood “bake” that lives up to its name. This lively platter of mussels, clams, sausage, and potatoes is a super fun alternative to your typical sheet pan suppers

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Sheet-Pan Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Julia Levy  
Sheet-Pan Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

It’s definitely not traditional, but it sure is convenient (not to mention, way tasty). With our trusty sheet pan and a few smart supermarket shortcuts, we keep the prep for this weeknight jambalaya recipe incredibly quick and easy. 

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Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Anna Theoktisto
Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs Recipe

Serve a classic Italian-inspired dish for dinner. The easy meatball method will make you skip buying store-bought meatballs for good. Whether you're serving adults or a family-friendly crew, this dish is a pitch-perfect crowd pleaser.

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Sheet Pan Pizza with Corn, Tomatoes, and Sausage

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Anna Hampton
Sheet Pan Pizza with Corn, Tomatoes, and Sausage Recipe

We topped this summer pizza with fresh corn, bell peppers, plum tomatoes, and hot Italian sausgae. The sausage and tomatoes cook together to create a rich sauce, which is used as a base for summer corn, peppers, and even more tomatoes. Use fresh pizza dough and par-cook the crust before adding the toppings for the crispiest results.

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Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans Recipe

Messy? Maybe. Worth it? Yes. The secret to fully loaded nachos that won’t fall apart in your lap? A mixture of salsa and refried beans acts like the “glue” to help the toppings stick to the tortilla chips.

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Sheet Pan Cuban Sandwiches

Time Inc. Video Studio
Sheet Pan Cuban Sandwiches Recipe

Make perfectly pressed and toasty Cuban sandwiches for a crowd in one go with this genius sheet pan technique. Beyond being an obvious choice for your next party or tailgate, this recipe is an incredible way to recycle leftover pork roast or pork tenderloin into a delicious way to feed a group. Brushing the bread with pickle juice is a smart trick for keeping the bread from drying out too much and delivers an additional punch of flavor. 

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Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Time Inc. Video Studio
Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipe
This simple sheet pan technique allows you to make five grilled cheese sandwiches with at the same time (meaning everyone around the table gets an equally gooey and warm sandwich at the same time), and with not much more effort than it takes to prep one. We went with 4 type of cheese—goat, white cheddar, provolone, and Swiss—for these buttery, rich sheet pan grilled cheese sandwiches.
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Easy Taco Salad

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Marianne Williams
Easy Taco Salad Recipe
Perfect for hectic weeknights, this easy taco salad recipe is something both kids and adults will love. The beauty of taco salad is that it’s entirely customizable to your favorite taco components, so feel free to stray from the recipe to accommodate whatever you’re craving and/or the ingredients you already have on hand.

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Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw 

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Robby Melvin
Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw  Recipe
These easy shrimp tacos are apt to become one of your favorite weeknight dinner go-to’s. They’re ridiculously fast, they’re easily adapted to suit picky palates, and wow, TACO bout flavor. A few pantry spices and about five minutes under the broiler are all it takes to transform raw shrimp into a dynamite taco filling.

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Taco Truck Lettuce Wraps

Caitlin Bensel
Taco Truck Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Flavorful as a taco truck, but healthy enough to become part of your regular rotation. We keep calories in check by blending a mixture of higher calorie (but oh-so-flavorful) Mexican-style chorizo with leaner ground pork for the meat filling. And then we keep it light by tucking the filling into sweet, fresh butter lettuce leaves—like a cross between a taco and a lettuce wrap.
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Pizza Roll Casserole

Meredith Food Studios
Pizza Roll Casserole Recipe

Mmm, tastes like college. The pizza rolls and cheese sticks achieve a perfect crispiness here, excluding the small bit that's "dipped" into the pizza sauce. The cool, creamy ranch makes for the perfect bite. 

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Sheet Pan Thai Red Curry Mussels

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey
Sheet Pan Thai Red Curry Mussels Recipe
Easy weeknight dinners don’t get any more impressive than these sheet pan mussels. Bold aromatics come together with curry paste and rich coconut milk for an incredible broth that goes right on the sheet pan to steam the mussels and infuse them with flavor.

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Burrito Bowls

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Burrito Bowls Recipe

Charred corn, seasoned black beans, creamy avocado, tangy pico de gallo, cilantro-lime rice--every bite of this burrito in a bowl is a delicious surprise.

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Everything Bagel Salad

Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
Everything Bagel Salad Recipe
Your favorite brunch special just took on a new, heartier format. Everything here comes through: The bagels, capers, lox, raw onions, and cream cheese are all balanced out by spinach’s natural mild sweetness.

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Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely
Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise Recipe

One of the season’s simplest and most iconic pleasures, the beloved BLT, can also double as an effortless appetizer. The quality of your tomatoes will make or break this simple sandwich. We like the color contrast of red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, but choose whichever large tomato is ripest. These little sandwiches are perfect for outdoor picnics or brunch with the ladies.

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Sheet Pan Fried Eggs

Time Inc. Video Studio 
Sheet Pan Fried Eggs Recipe

Say hello to the easiest way to make fried eggs for a crowd. In fact, this sheet pan technique for frying eggs might just be the best thing to happen to breakfast since oven baked bacon. 

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Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches Recipe
This recipe, ideal for spring picnic sandwiches, weekday lunch at the office, or a weekend brunch with your book club, can be made in just 20 minutes, thanks to the convenience of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. The chicken salad mixture can be made a day ahead. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.

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Ham and Cheese Waffle Sandwiches

tifs
Ham and Cheese Waffle Sandwiches Recipe
Breakfast or lunch? This delicious waffle sandwich doesn't make you choose. The perfect brunch recipe is always a crowdpleaser.

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Grilled Margherita Sandwiches

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Margherita Sandwiches Recipe

This quick five-ingredient entrée transforms a favorite pizza combo into a melty grilled sandwich. To thinly slice fresh mozzarella with ease, freeze the cheese for about 30 minutes before cutting.

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Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas

Photography: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas Recipe

Look in the refrigerated precut produce section for a blend of sliced multicolored peppers. If starting from whole peppers, use about 2 medium peppers of each color (this step can also be done ahead).

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