A Dish for Picky Eaters and College Students: EatingWell’s Vegetable Sheet Pan Recipe
When Tara Adams, CEO of Hope Health and Wellness Advocacy, asked me to make and review a vegetable sheet pan recipe, I was a little hesitant.
I Usually Don’t Care for Vegetables
Anyone that knows me knows I am a notorious picky eater. Greens, in particular, have always been a difficult food group for me to swallow. I can’t count how many times I’ve given the “without vegetables please” line at a restaurant, or the numerous occasions I’ve been laughed at for my strong dislike of pickles.
However, I figured now that I’m in college, perhaps it was time to give the ol’ veg a second chance. The recipe was quick to make and fairly cheap on my college student budget. Plus, my roommates and I had been wanting to find new meals to cook. What was the harm?
I’ve Found a Way to Include Healthy Vegetables!
Guys, when I tell you this was one of the best decisions I’ve made hands down, I’m not kidding. This recipe has the perfect amount of seasoning and oil to make it delicious while still nutritious. Not only did my roommates, who are already enjoyers of the greens, love the food, but for one of the first times ever I was able to eat vegetables and actually enjoy them! It was a miracle!
I Won’t Gatekeep This Recipe
Consequently, I’m very passionate about this recipe, and I want other picky eaters (and non-picky eaters) to also experience its greatness. So, without further ado, let’s break down how you can make this recipe, too!
Here’s How to Prepare to Make Sheet Pan Vegetables:
Prep Time
If you are already an experienced cook, you can probably anticipate this recipe taking about 45 minutes to cook (15 minutes of prep time and around 30 additional minutes for the vegetables to roast). However, if you’re someone like me who is more inexperienced with chopping certain vegetables like squash (my arch nemesis) you may expect this recipe to take a bit closer to around an hour and fifteen minutes.
You can also cut down on this prep time by buying some ingredients, specified below, pre-chopped.
Ingredients
Pourable Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon best-quality balsamic vinegar
Chopped Ingredients
- 3 cups of cubed butternut squash (1 inch)
- 4 cups of broccoli florets
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into squares (Note: If they are not perfect squares that is alright, mine were far from even resembling that shape and they still tasted excellent.)
- 1 large red onion, cut into bite-size chunks
Sprinkled Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (Note: I substituted sea salt for this step and it was delicious)
- 2 teaspoons of herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper (Note: I added about an extra ¼ for some additional flavor)
Directions to Make Your Sheet Pan Vegetables Taste Great
Step 1
For your first step, you’re going to want to preheat your oven to 425°F.
Step 2
Next, EatingWell instructs to toss together your squash and 1 of the tablespoons of oil in a large bowl. You’re going to need to cut up your squash if you haven’t already bought it pre-chopped, so make sure to have a sharp knife on hand.
If you’re like me and have never cut a butternut squash before, note that you also have to possess a potato peeler, or swivel, to peel off the top layer of the squash. I was unaware of this when buying the vegetable and it set me back a bit. Once peeling off the top yellow layer, the inside should be a dark orange color and the middle is filled with seeds you have to scoop out. And be careful – it’s slippery!
Once the squash is chopped, toss in a bowl. Or, if you aren’t a big fan of getting their hands messy, you can just stir the vegetable and oil with a large mixing spoon for roughly the same effect (though the oil may not be as well disbursed).
Then, you’re going to want to spread out all the squash on top a large rimmed baking sheet, which I recommend to wrap in aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, while that’s cooking, you’re going to want to chop up your broccoli, bell peppers, and onion (for that last pesky one, make sure to have some tissues on hand).
Then toss (or stir like me) the broccoli, onion, bell peppers, Italian seasoning (or herbes de Provence), salt and pepper in the bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the vegetables are evenly coated in the seasoning.
Step 4
By this time, your squash will be all finished with its ten minutes of roasting. You’re going to want to take out that veg and add it in with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.
Toss/stir and then spread the vegetables out onto two fairly large baking sheets. Try not to clump the ingredients on the pan and spread them as evenly as possible. Roast for 17 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure all sides are roasted well. The vegetables should be tender and browned in a few spots when they are done cooking. Finally, drizzle with vinegar and you’re good to go!
Serving Sizes and Nutritional Value
The two trays can feed up to 8 people, with the serving size per person being 98 calories, 11 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein.
Happy eating!
Sources: https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/262078/colorful-roasted-sheet-pan-vegetables/
Written by Hope Health & Wellness Advocacy’s Creative Content Specialist, Christine Krenke.
