How to make sheet-pan suppers without the meat

Most sheet-pan suppers rely on meat or fish as the anchor. Toss your chicken or salmon fillets on the pan, surround them with vegetables, and roast until everything turns golden brown, a perfect one-pan meal.

But what if you want your choice of protein to come from plants, not animals? It’s no harder to build a sheet-pan supper around a vegetarian protein, and there are more options than you might initially think.

Take, for example, beans. While they may not be the first ingredient to spring to mind when you think of a sheet-pan supper, they can work wonderfully, whether you want them crunchy and golden, or soupier and more like chili.

Crisping chickpeas in the oven to serve as an hors d’oeuvres or snack is something I’ve been doing for years. Just coat them in oil and spices, and roast at high heat until they sizzle. But to turn them into a sheet-pan supper, I added potatoes. Then, on a separate pan, I roasted chunks of cauliflower strewn with skinny lemon slices. Drizzled with a garlicky herbed yogurt sauce, it’s an incredibly satisfying, richly textured meal zipped up by the caramelized bits of citrus.

Cooking beans in the oven is even easier because you don’t have to worry about browning. To make a topping for bean tostadas, I spread a mix of canned black beans, chipotle chiles, oregano and garlic on a sheet pan, and let it bubble in the oven as it thickened. It comes out just as it would in a pot on the stove, but with the added appeal of not having to baby-sit a simmering pot. While the oven is on, I also roasted thinly sliced bell peppers until tender and golden. Then to serve, the beans, sweet peppers and some avocado get layered onto crisp tortillas for vegetarian tostadas that are easy enough for weeknights.

Building a sheet-pan supper around tofu, tempeh and other sliceable plant proteins is fairly intuitive. Start with the protein, add vegetables, some kind of fat for browning, and any seasonings you like.

One of my favorite tofu recipes calls for marinating it in tamari and honey, coating it in cornstarch, then baking it until it’s crunchy and brown.

Turning this basic formula into a sheet-pan meal is a cinch: Just stick another pan of veggies in the oven at the same time, and add some herbs and crunchy peanuts as garnish.

Sliced sweet potatoes work particularly well as a pairing. The wedges turn velvety, adding texture to the meal. But broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms or any number or others can work. Watch them as they cook, pulling them from the oven when they’re finished even if that happens a bit before — or after — the tofu is done.

A word of warning: The cornstarch coating will most likely cause the tofu to stick to the pan. Using a small metal spatula, either an offset or a fish spatula, will help pry the pieces off for flipping halfway through. You could use nonstick liner here, but it will inhibit the browning and crunch factor. Or skip the cornstarch entirely. What you sacrifice in crunch you gain in ease of preparation.

Tempeh and seitan can be used interchangeably with tofu, though you don’t need to drain them first. And in many cases, they even come marinated and ready to just cut up and bake along with your veggies.

Finally, there is another, even simpler route for a meatless sheet-pan dinner, one I probably use more than any other. Simply roast up your favorite combination of vegetables, then add a protein-packed garnish at the end. Toasted nuts, crumbled cheeses, yogurt sauces, or fried or hard-cooked eggs can round out your plate with style and verve — no added meat whatsoever.

Sheet-Pan Tostadas With Black Beans and Peppers

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 medium bell peppers, thinly sliced (preferably at least one red and one yellow)

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

4 thyme sprigs

2 (14- to 16-ounce) cans black beans, drained

1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their liquid

1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 lime

Sliced avocado, for serving

Crumbled queso fresco or grated white cheddar, for serving (optional)

Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and arrange racks in the top and bottom thirds of oven. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss together peppers, onion, ¼ cup oil, ½ teaspoon salt and sage, then spread vegetables out in an even layer. Top with thyme sprigs, and roast on the top rack until tender and lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so.

2. On a separate rimmed sheet pan, toss together beans, tomatoes, ¼ cup oil, chipotle chile and sauce, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and salt to taste. Roast on the bottom rack, stirring every 10 minutes, until juices have thickened, 25 to 35 minutes.

3. Brush tortillas on both sides with oil, then arrange in an even layer on a third rimmed baking sheet (it’s OK if the tortillas overlap slightly). Bake until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

4. To make the cumin salt, grate the zest from the lime. In a small bowl, stir together lime zest, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon cumin. Cut naked lime into wedges.

5. To serve, top tortillas with beans, peppers, avocado, queso fresco (if desired), cilantro and a squeeze of lime from the wedges. Let people sprinkle on lime-cumin salt to taste.

Spiced Chickpeas With Cauliflower and Roasted Lemon

Makes 4 servings

Kosher salt, as needed

1 lemon, preferably a Meyer lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

1 (2 ¼-pound) head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

1 (14- to 16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and blotted dry

1 pound baby or fingerling potatoes, cut into quarters

2 rosemary sprigs

¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (or substitute soy, nut or coconut milk yogurt)

¼ cup chopped fresh dill or mint, plus more for garnish

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

¼ cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced

Fresh lemon juice, as needed

1. Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of oven and heat to 425 degrees. Bring a small pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add lemon slices and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut slices into quarters.

2. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss cauliflower, tomatoes and jalapeños with ¼ cup oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Fold in lemon slices. Place pan on bottom rack of oven and roast, tossing every 10 minutes, until well-browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup oil, cumin seeds, tomato paste, Tabasco, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander.

4. On a separate rimmed sheet pan, toss together chickpeas, potatoes, spice-oil mixture and salt to taste. Top with rosemary sprigs. Roast on top rack until potatoes are golden, 30 to 40 minutes, tossing mixture halfway through. Remove pan and toss with more salt to taste.

5. While everything is roasting, make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, dill, basil, parsley, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.

6. To serve, toss roasted chickpeas and potatoes with cauliflower mixture. Drizzle with more oil, yogurt sauce and herbs.

Sheet-Pan Crisp Tofu and Sweet Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, cut crosswise into 4 1-inch thick slices

2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons tamari

1 ½ teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), cut lengthwise into ¾-inch wedges

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces and thinly sliced lengthwise

Large pinch of sugar

½ cup cilantro leaves

Hot sesame chile oil, or red-pepper flakes, for serving

Salted, roasted peanuts, for serving (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tofu pieces, cut sides down, on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Cover with another kitchen towel, and place a flat cutting board on top. If your cutting board is lightweight, stack a few cans or a skillet on top to weigh it down. Let tofu drain for at least 10 minutes (and up to 30 minutes), then transfer to a cutting board. Cut strips into ¾-inch pieces (1-inch thick), and transfer to a medium bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, tamari, honey and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Toss half the mixture with the tofu, then toss in cornstarch. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan.

3. On a separate rimmed sheet pan, toss together potato wedges, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer; do not crowd the pan. If they don’t all fit, arrange extra wedges on the pan with the tofu.

4. Bake tofu and potatoes until browned, 35 to 40 minutes, flipping them halfway through. If the tofu sticks (and this is likely), use a thin metal spatula to carefully loosen each one before flipping. A small offset spatula is perfect here.

5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine scallions, 1 tablespoon vinegar and a large pinch each sugar and salt. Let sit while tofu and potatoes roast.

6. To serve, toss tofu with some of the reserved tamari sauce, to taste. Serve with potato wedges, topped with scallions, cilantro and a drizzle of hot sesame chile oil or sprinkling of red-pepper flakes, and more tamari sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts if desired.

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