sheet pan hot honey ranch shrimp bowls
Coming in HAWT this week, honey.
This is a recipe I developed when I had the flu, which you’d think might be a turnoff for me since I was sick as shit and don’t love remembering that week. However, I cooked this baby up when I was starting to come out of the other end of the virus and was feeling more energetic – I’m pretty sure I ventured outside for the first time in several days that very morning. So, I guess you can argue this dish has good associations.
As I’ve relayed over and over, I’m really up for simple sheetpan or one skillet meals. I do salmon quite a lot but felt that shrimp was a nice alternative for those who may not love salmon or who just need a switchup from the usual fish dish. I typically use shrimp in tacos, or my buffalo shrimp bowls, but not so much over rice otherwise.
Today, we’re conquering the shrimp-and-rice holdup, and this is real damn good. Hot Honey Shrimp Ranch Bowls are equal parts spicy and cool, thanks to a hefty drizzle of ranch over the sweet and smoky roasted shrimp. Crunchy broccoli gives us a veggie to complete the bowl, which you can make in under 30 minutes, even with the addition of homemade ranch. Great for busy, lazy weeknights.
Trust me, I’ve been so frazzled in the evenings, a meal like this is quite perfect for my lethargic ass.
You Hot, Honey
Hot honey is made in a variety of ways across the foodiverse. I believe the most authentic versions use fresh chili peppers, but because I literally have three bottles of hot sauce in my pantry, I decide to use a splash of that as the main heat component.
I usually make the hot honey first while the oven preheats just to have it done. Grab a lil sauce pot and heat some honey with the aforementioned hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. Yep, this shit be hot. A minute or two later you’ll have a sticky sauce, some of which you’ll toss over the shrimp and some you’ll save for serving.
Once your oven is nice and hot, prebake the broccoli a little bit on its own. Broccoli takes slightly longer to cook than the shrimp – if you make your florets a relatively normal size, that is. If your florets are really small, you may not need to roast them on their own. Use your best judgment here. Worse comes to worst, you can pull the shrimp when its done later and give the brocs a few more minutes to sunbathe.
So, toss the broc in a little oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for about 5 minutes at 450 by itself.
Shrimpin’
The shrimp itself boasts its own portion of heat thanks to smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Dry out your peeled and deveined shrimp and, in a bowl, toss with oil, those two spices, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then, flick some cornstarch over the shrimp and toss one more time. I like to add the starch last since I find it distributes most evenly this way.
Once the broccoli is done with its lonesome trip in the ove’, add the shrimp to one side of the pan. Bake until the shrimp becomes opaque, then pull the sheet from the oven and drizzle a couple generous spoonfuls of hot honey over the shrimps. I used maybe 1/3 of the allotted sauce. Toss them together (I usually try to avoid honey’ing the broccoli, but if some migrates to the greens, no sweat).
Switch your broiler on and pop the pan back in the oven to caramelize the shrimps and give the broccoli tips a good crisp. If you use parchment on your baking sheet, either avoid this step or remove the parchment before broiling. Else you’ll have fire on your hands, kids, which is not part of the recipe.
Last little prep step: some homemade ranch. Of course, you can use storebought, but a home version is much easier and I think tastier. I always do a Greek yogurt version, with fresh chives and a bevy of dried herbs – healthier than the store alternatives. Highly recommend you take a couple breaths to stir up a batch. V yum.
Then, just plop your shrimp and broccoli on a bowl of hot rice, drizzle with extra honey and ranch, dust on a few green onions, and dive in! A lovely dinner that delivers in flavor and ease.
Last thing before I close my trap: if you don’t love broccoli, other veggies are perfectly good. I’d go with snap peas, carrots, or asparagus. Adjust your baking time as needed; asparagus, for example, needs much less time to cook.
Have fun, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Get your shrimp on:
Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus with Honey Butter Polenta
Weeknight Spicy BBQ Shrimp Tacos
Crispy Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Coconut Pineapple Salsa
sheet pan hot honey shrimp ranch bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 lb large or jumbo shrimp
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- steamed rice, ranch dressing, and green onions, to serve
hot honey sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Greek yogurt ranch
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2-4 tbsp buttermilk, to thin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet with oil.
- In a small sauce pot, combine the honey, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper flakes. Heat, stirring, until the granules dissolve and the sauce is smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- On one side of the baking sheet, toss the broccoli with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread with as little overlap as you can manage. Roast for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss together the shrimp, 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the cornstarch and toss. Move the broccoli to one side of the baking sheet and spread the shrimp on the opposite side.
- Roast the shrimp and broccoli for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and switch on the broiler to high. Pour some of the hot honey sauce over the shrimp and toss. Return to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the broccoli begin to char and the honey sauce turns sticky over the shrimp.
- To make the ranch, stir together the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, chives, parsley, garlic powder, dill, onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings and add more buttermilk as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- Divide the shrimp and broccoli over bowls of rice. Drizzle with ranch dressing, extra honey sauce, and a smattering of green onions.
Lexi
Love this meal! Sheet pan dinners are so easy and perfect for busy evenings and this one is no exception. Roasted broccoli is a favorite in our house, as is shrimp. Both bake up nicely, and the broccoli gets a nice char to it. We have made this quite a few times and each time we have used a different hot sauce to switch things up.
Kellie
Yes! Love that you switch up the sauce. Glad you and your family enjoys it! 😀