REVIEW – 200 Best Sheet Pan Meals – With Persian Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash #Recipe

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200 Best Sheet Pan Meals

• Author: Camila Saulsbury
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Robert Rose (March 1, 2016)
• ISBN-10: 0778805387
• ISBN-13: 978-0778805380
• Cover price $24.95
• Purchase on Amazon

Sheet pan meals are the perfect alternative to one-pot meals.

We’re all looking for ways to make meals more convenient, and while one-pot meals are wonderful, sheet pan meals are the newest option. They allow you to cook several individual components of your meal all at once, and cleanup is an absolute breeze.

From cookbook author extraordinaire Camilla Saulsbury comes this collection of easy and delicious recipes created specifically for sheet pans and your oven.

Most of the recipes take very little time to prepare, but the results are nothing short of extraordinary. They take weeknight meals to a whole new level, and most are entertaining-worthy.

If you have a sheet pan and an oven, you’re on your way to creating an abundance of satisfying meals — not to mention desserts. The sweets you can create with a simple sheet pan are utterly sumptuous, from Chewy Coconut Trail Mix Bars to Sour Cream Vanilla Pound Cake.

So lay it all out — on a sheet pan, that is. You’ll be so glad you did.

Camilla V. Saulsbury is a freelance food writer, recipe developer, cooking instructor and creator of the healthy cooking blog powerhungry.com. She has been featured on Today, Good Morning America and The Food Network, and in the New York Times. Camilla resides in Texas.

The beginning of this cookbook contains tips on how to differentiate the different types of pans, as well as explanations why certain pans work better than others. It also contains tips for making a meal on a sheet pan, along with information on commonly used ingredients. Then come the recipes.

Chapters include:

• 25 Extra-Simple Pantry meals
• Breakfast and Brunch
• Meatless Meals
• Fish and Seafood Meals
• Chicken and Turkey Meals
• Pork, Beef, and Lamb Meals
• Sheet Sweets

I am a big fan of one-pot cooking. Sheet pan cooking is sort of a variation of that, in that all of the ingredients are laid out on a sheet pan. This is a very convenient way to cook, and also cuts down on the amount of dishes and pots used while cooking in a more traditional manner. The recipes in this cookbook are easy to understand and use ingredients commonly found in the average kitchen or grocery store. Many of the recipes also include tips on preparation, substitutions and variations. There are some great color photos in the cookbook, but it should be noted that most recipes do not have a photo. Along with photos, I also use cooking time to help me decide which recipe I am going to try. Cooking time is not listed separately, so the reader must read through the entire recipe just to find out how long it takes to make.

This cookbook would be appropriate for anyone interested in sheet pan cooking, as well as those that enjoy cooking in general.

Here’s a recipe from the cookbook.

Courtesy of 200 Best Sheet Pan Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2016 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.

Persian Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe

This recipe is from page 92, under Meatless Meals. The recipe makes 4 servings, and requires a 18- by 13-inch (45 by 33 cm) rimmed sheet pan, lined with foil or parchment paper.

Dried cherries, pistachios and ready-cooked rice make an easy, flavorful stuffing. Roasted butternut squash is the perfect cooking vessel, with extra-easy cleanup!

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, halved lengthwise
• 4 tbsp  olive oil, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 package (12 oz/375 g) frozen brown rice, thawed
• 3⁄4 cup roasted pistachios or almonds,  coarsely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1⁄3 cup chopped dried cherries
• 1 tsp   ground cinnamon
• 3⁄4 tsp ground cumin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Using a metal spoon, scrape out seeds and membranes from squash halves. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh. Place squash, cut side up, on prepared pan, spacing evenly. Brush cut sides with 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
3. Remove pan from oven and add red pepper alongside squash. Drizzle pepper with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. Roast for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine rice, pistachios, green onions, cherries, cinnamon, cumin and the remaining oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Remove pan from oven and spoon rice mixture into squash cavities. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes or until squash is fork-tender and stuffing is warmed through.

Tips

If packaged frozen rice is not available, substitute 2 cups (500 mL) cooled cooked brown rice.

Other dried fruits, such as cranberries, raisins or chopped apricots, can be used in place of the cherries.