sheet-pan harvest bowl with cranberry vinaigrette
exactly the meal you need this week!!!
Hi and happy New Year’s Eve!!!
I hope you had the most amazing holiday season, and that you’re as excited as I am for all that 2024 has in store (and also to get back into some semblance of a routine again).
I have an exciting piece of What to Cook news for the new year: I’m introducing a regular guest feature!
You all loved this meal from Ali Slagle back in November, and I love being able to collaborate with and support other recipe developers. I can’t wait to introduce you to the work of people who are new to you — and to share WTC-style meals from the absolute best recipe developers across the land.
Today’s guest, Grace Elkus Bianconi, is a food writer, editor, and recipe developer. She was formerly the deputy food director at The Kitchn, and she and I also ghostwrote a cookbook together (AKA we were paid to anonymously write the recipes, but another author got the cred, yes that’s a thing!!) a few years back. She’s known for amazing vegetarian and plant-based recipes — she wrote a weekly recipe column for The Kitchn called Tonight We Veg — and more recently of course… her viral feta fried eggs 🙌.
She’s the queen of delicious salads and bowls, and today’s recipe is no exception. It’s just what we’re all craving in the wake of the holidays — a comforting and nutritious bowl of veggies that comes together quickly and with very minimal effort.
Like I suggested in this week’s meal plan, I hope that you’re making short ribs and grits for a festive NYE dinner tonight. Or maybe you’re throwing it back to last NYE’s pasta alla vodka and the best caesar salad. But this meal would be an absolutely perfect healthy and wholesome meal to kick off the first week of 2024.
Enjoy, and be sure to follow Grace on IG for more of her amazing recipes!
From Grace:
I don’t know which I’m more excited about: the reaction from my What to Cook-obsessed friends when they realize I snuck my way into this newsletter (hi Margaux!), or the reaction from all of you when you dig into this salad. I mean, it starts on a sheet pan and ends in a bowl. We’ve got the makings of a great meal covered.
Serendipitously, this recipe is inspired by Caroline’s new bestie
’s warm winter vegetable salad, which taught me that roasted root veggies + crispy pita + hunks of warm cheese = a most delightful vegetarian dinner. This version relies on sweet potatoes (mostly because it feels like you’re eating sweet potato fries for dinner) and creamy, tangy feta, as well as raw apple and arugula to add freshness and crunch. A four-ingredient cranberry vinaigrette brings it all together.Don’t worry about prepping anything before you get started (though you can if you want — see notes for elements you can prep ahead). You’ll have time to tear the pita and stir together the dressing while the sweet potatoes roast, and you can slice up your apple after the pita’s gone in to crisp. Watch it all go down over on my Instagram, and tag me if you make it!
This week on So Into That I chatted with a total badass in the food and e-commerce world: Amanda Hesser, who founded Food52, the nine-figure food media and lifestyle brand I go to for gifting inspo, recipe inspo, and so much more. Listen in for the paddle sport she’s currently into (it’s not pickle ball), what I’m currently into (hint: it does not involve lycra), the two things Amanda says kids always remember, her go-to meal when she doesn’t feel like cooking, and more.
sheet-pan harvest bowl with cranberry vinaigrette
Serves 4
Cook time: 40 minutes
Tools:
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (6- to 8-inch) pocket pita, spit into two layers
1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 small Honeycrisp apple (or 1/2 large one)
1/4 cup roasted pepitas or chopped roasted pistachios
4 ounces baby arugula (4 packed cups)
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Prep 2 sweet potatoes: Trim and peel the sweet potatoes. Slice in half crosswise, then in half lengthwise. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl.
Chop fresh thyme leaves until you have 1 tablespoon, then add to the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper and toss to coat.
Spread the sweet potatoes into an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until golden brown underneath, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, split 1 pocket pita into two layers and tear into bite-size pieces. Add to the now-empty bowl with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Toss to coat. Cut 1 (8-ounce) block feta into 1/2-inch-thick slabs.
In a separate small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper until combined. Add 1/4 cup dried cranberries and toss to coat.
Flip the sweet potatoes, then scatter the pita over top. Break the feta into large pieces and add to the baking sheet. Return to the oven and roast until the pita is crisp and the feta is soft, 7 to 9 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve, core, and thinly slice 1 small Honeycrisp apple. Chop pistachios until you have 1/4 cup (if using; no need to chop if you’re using pepitas). Remove the pan from the oven, add 4 packed cups baby arugula, the apple, pepitas or pistachios, and the vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Serve warm.
link to printer version
Prep ahead: You can peel and chop the sweet potatoes up to a day in advance and make the vinaigrette up to 5 days in advance — all stored in airtight containers in the fridge.
Love your leftovers: If you’re serving less than 4 people, only add the arugula, apple, and vinaigrette to the portions you’re eating right away. Store the leftover potato, pita, and feta mixture in an airtight container in the fridge (it will last for up to 4 days). Reheat on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven, then toss with remaining ingredients.
Must have meat: You could add 1 to 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken to the sheet pan along with the arugula, apple, etc. Or roast 1 1/2 to 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on the same sheet pan (or on a separate pan, if you need more space). Season them first with extra EVOO, salt, pepper, and thyme. They’ll need 30 to 35 minutes to cook (they should reach 165°F internally). Another option: uncooked sausages. Poke them with the prongs of a fork 3 times each and cook them on the sheet pan for the same length as the sweet potatoes. At that point, remove them from the sheet pan and cut them into 5 or 6 pieces on the bias (AKA on a diagonal — not straight across into circles). Add them back to the sheet pan for the remainder of the time. You could also use pre-cooked sausages like chicken sausage. They’ll just need to bake for 15 minutes or so to warm up.
Add a grain: If you’re especially hungry but aren’t in the mood for meat, you could add a cooked grain like brown rice, farro, or quinoa to the mix. Farro would be best.
Vegetarian: Already is!
Dairy-free: Use DF feta (such as VioLife).
Gluten-free: Use a GF pita.
Sweet potatoes: Butternut squash or delicata squash
Fresh thyme: Fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
EVOO: Olive oil or another cooking oil like grapeseed, avocado, or canola
Pita: Any type of bread torn or cut into bite-size pieces (sourdough, sandwich bread, baguette, even a hamburger bun!). Or add store-bought pita chips at the end (no need to bake).
Balsamic vinegar: White balsamic or sherry vinegar
Dijon mustard: Grainy mustard, or yellow mustard if it’s all you’ve got
Dried cranberries: Dried cherries, golden raisins, dates, really any dried fruit. Or omit from the dressing and top the salad with pomegranate seeds.
Feta cheese: Shredded white cheddar, shaved Parm, or crumbled goat cheese but wait to add all of these until you add the apple and arugula.
Pistachios or pepitas: Any other roasted nut or seed like chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds. Candied nuts would also be nice here.
Baby arugula: Spring mix, baby spinach, or kale (massage it first by sprinkling the chopped kale with salt, then using your hands to scrunch it together in your fists 7 times).
Honeycrisp apple: Any type of apple or pear
Click here for the new-and-improved index of all What to Cook recipes categorized by protein, cook time, meal type, season, and mood.
Editor: Molly Ramsey
 | A guest post by
|
This was so so so good!!! I had pecans so I used those as the nut and I had leftover cornbread so I cubed that up and toasted it and it was lovely! I really loved the feta and how it got kind of gooey and took on a new texture and even flavor from being in the oven.
Have been thinking about a harvest bowl for months! So glad I was able to find gluten-free pita bread at my grocery store. BFree brand if anyone else is interested.