Sheet pan supper with roasted chicken, carrots, broccoli, and red onions. Photo: Deposit Photos

From easy weeknight dinners to impressive brunch dishes, this inexpensive kitchen essential can do much more than bake cookies.

Open almost any kitchen cabinet and you’ll find an assortment of pots, pans, baking dishes, and gadgets collected over the years. But one of the most useful pieces of equipment may be hiding in plain sight: the humble sheet pan.

That flat, rectangular metal pan you pull out for cookies or roasted vegetables is capable of turning out entire meals, from breakfast and brunch to dinner and even dessert. And it does so with relatively little fuss, fewer dishes to wash, and plenty of room for creativity.

Why the Sheet Pan Deserves a Place in Your Kitchen

The appeal starts with simplicity. Instead of juggling several pots and pans on the stovetop, you can arrange ingredients on a single sheet pan, slide it into the oven, and let the heat do much of the work.

A sheet pan also makes excellent use of the oven’s dry heat. Vegetables develop beautifully browned edges, potatoes become crisp on the outside and tender inside, and ingredients take on deeper flavors as they roast.

There are practical advantages, too. A sheet pan is inexpensive, easy to store, and versatile enough to handle meals for one or a crowd. Cooking for two? Roast a couple of salmon fillets alongside asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Having friends over for brunch? A large sheet pan can help you prepare generous portions without standing over the stove.

And cleanup is often easier, especially when you line the pan with parchment paper.

More Than Just a Pan for Roasting Vegetables

Once you begin thinking beyond cookies and roasted potatoes, the possibilities multiply.

• Breakfast and brunch: Bake a large frittata, a batch of breakfast potatoes, or a slab-style quiche that can be cut into squares for serving.
• Weeknight dinners: Roast chicken with seasonal vegetables, prepare salmon with lemon and herbs, or combine chickpeas, cauliflower, and spices for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
• Pizza and flatbreads: Use a sheet pan to make rectangular pizzas with your favorite toppings.
• Appetizers: Roast spiced nuts, bake crispy chickpeas, or prepare a colorful assortment of vegetables for entertaining.
• Desserts: Try slab pies or roasted fruit served with yogurt or ice cream.

The secret is understanding that not every ingredient cooks at the same speed. Dense vegetables such as carrots and potatoes may need a head start before quicker-cooking ingredients are added. And leaving space between ingredients helps them roast rather than steam.

Choosing the Right Sheet Pan

A good sheet pan doesn’t have to be expensive, but the material and construction do matter.

Look for a sturdy, rimmed pan with reinforced edges that resist warping. A standard half-sheet pan, measuring approximately 13 by 18 inches, is a versatile choice for everyday cooking.

Stainless steel is durable, nonreactive, and an excellent option for those who prefer to avoid direct contact between food and aluminum. Uncoated aluminum sheet pans are also widely used because they conduct heat efficiently and produce excellent roasting results.

Although aluminum cookware is generally considered safe for everyday use, acidic ingredients such as tomatoes and lemon juice can increase the amount of aluminum that transfers into food. Anodized aluminum offers another alternative.

Whatever material you choose, check the manufacturer’s instructions for oven temperature limits, particularly with nonstick coatings.

A Cookbook That Takes Sheet Pan Cooking to Another Level

We previously featured Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless: 100 Surprising Vegetarian Meals Straight from the Oven by Raquel Pelzel in Healthy Aging® Magazine, and it’s a book worth revisiting.

Pelzel, a professional cook and recipe writer, makes a compelling case for putting this everyday kitchen tool to work in unexpected ways.

Despite owning an impressive collection of specialized kitchen equipment, she describes reaching for her well-used sheet pan on an ordinary Tuesday night.

Her cookbook offers 100 vegetarian recipes that go far beyond the familiar tray of roasted vegetables. From soups and main courses to desserts, Pelzel demonstrates how a little imagination can transform a basic baking pan into a surprisingly versatile cooking tool.

Her approach is particularly appealing for anyone who enjoys good food but doesn’t want to spend hours preparing dinner or cleaning up afterward.

This Week’s Recipe: Slab Quiche with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onions

To demonstrate just how versatile a sheet pan can be, we’re sharing a recipe from Pelzel’s cookbook: Slab Quiche with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onions.

Unlike a traditional round quiche, this version is baked in a rectangular pan and cut into squares. The combination of tender spinach, tangy goat cheese, and sweet caramelized onions makes it a flavorful choice for brunch, lunch, or a light supper.

It’s also the kind of dish that works beautifully when entertaining, since portions can be cut to suit your guests.

The next time you’re wondering what to make for dinner, take another look at that sheet pan in your cabinet. It might just become the hardest-working piece of equipment in your kitchen.

Slab Quiche with Spinach. Reprinted with permission from Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless: 100 Surprising Vegetarian Meals Straight from the Oven by Raquel Pezel. ©2017 Workman Publishing. Softcover.

Slab Quiche with Spinach, Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Makes 4 servings

• • 1 medium-size red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • All-purpose flour, for rolling
  • 1 sheet thawed frozen puff pastry/li>
  • 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Gruyère cheese
  • 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F.

  Place the red onion on a rimmed 10 x 16-inch pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with the thyme and spread into an even layer. Cover the sheet pan with aluminum foil (you may need 2 sheets), crimping it tightly around the edges to seal, and roast the onions until they are soft, about 20 minutes.

  Uncover the pan, stir, and continue to cook until the onions are very soft, sticky, and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, sprinkle the onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and transfer them to a plate to cool completely (reserve the sheet pan and any grease or seasonings left in it for later).

  Lightly flour your work surface and put the puff pastry on top. Lightly roll out the pastry to between 1⁄8 and 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to the reserved sheet pan—it should just cover the bottom. With a fork, prick the dough all over, then place the sheet pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

  Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks to combine in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk and cream, and add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.

  Remove the crust from the refrigerator and sprinkle half the Gruyère over it. Add the onions in an even layer and then the spinach followed by the remaining Gruyère.

  Pour the egg filling over and crumble the goat cheese over the top.

  Bake the quiche for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until the filling is set around the edges and bounces back to light pressure in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

  Turn the broiler on to high and adjust an oven rack to the top position. Move the quiche to the top rack and broil until browned, about 1 minute (watch the quiche closely as broiler intensities vary). Remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.[/recipe]

• Reprinted with permission from Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless: 100 Surprising Vegetarian Meals Straight from the Oven by Raquel Pezel. ©2017 Workman Publishing. Softcover