Vegetable Shakshuka
Chefs call it a half-sheet and think it’s used for baking.
That’s because chefs don’t think the same way as home cooks. They’re not as resourceful.
What they call a half-sheet, we call a rimmed baking sheet. What they think is best used for, say, cookies, we picture using to cook a whole meal. It’s simple, it’s convenient, and the best part is that you only have one pan to wash.
Sheet pan meals are up and coming; they’re the new big thing. For those in the know, they’re already a trend. Entire cookbooks are devoted to the trend, along with the inevitable blogs.
Some of the recipes you find in these cookbooks and blogs are, honestly, a little less than thrilling. You can find pizza after pizza after pizza. But what is so interesting about baking a pizza on a rimmed baking sheet? You may as well fill the pages with recipes for cookies.
For my baking-sheet meals, I wanted recipes that were thrilling. Recipes that would make you look at your sheet pan in a whole new way. Recipes that exemplify a method of cooking rather than merely embrace a fleeting fad.
Take, for instance, the mixed vegetable shakshuka, a Middle-Eastern specialty that is, if anything, even more popular currently than sheet-pan meals. Though it is often eaten for breakfast, it’s wonderful any time of the day.
Typically cooked in a skillet on top of a stove, shakshuka is a dish of tomatoes and other vegetables — in this case, zucchini, onions and red bell pepper — that is cooked into a thick sauce. The sauce is then used to poach eggs, and it is all eaten together.
The dish is amazing, a whirling melange of perfectly balanced flavors topped off with a beautiful, runny-yolk egg. And baking it in a sheet pan in the oven makes it much easier to create and serve.
2 cups chopped zucchini, from 2 medium zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 large garlic cloves)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can or 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
6 large eggs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the zucchini, onion, bell pepper and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, and toss to coat. Bake until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
3. Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, red pepper, ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper in a large microwave-safe bowl; stir to combine. Microwave at high heat until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the tomato mixture over the roasted vegetables; stir to combine. Return to the oven and roast until the mixture thickens and the tomato liquid is somewhat evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Use the back of a spoon to make 6 evenly spaced wells in the vegetable mixture. Break 1 egg into each well; sprinkle the eggs with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Return to the oven and bake until the eggs reach the desired degree of doneness, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Per serving: 184 calories; 12g fat; 3g saturated fat; 186mg cholesterol; 9g protein; 12g carbohydrate; 7g sugar; 4g fiber; 529mg sodium; 96mg calcium