Steak, Asparagus and Tomato Sheet Pan Supper

Steak, Asparagus and Tomato Sheet Pan Supper with Blue Cheese Sauce

Sheet pan suppers are all the rage, and if you haven’t heard of them, perhaps you’ve been hiding under the same rock I’ve been hiding under. The idea is simple: a one pan plan. Protein and veggies, all roasting or broiling on the same sheet pan, and dinner ready in a flash, with minimal effort.

The very thing that makes the idea of a sheet pan supper attractive, can also be its downfall. Because everything cooks together on one sheet pan, and in the case of my recipe which utilizes the broiler, it cooks quickly, it’s really important to choose your ingredient combination, cooking method, and cooking time wisely. For example, you wouldn’t use a thick cut sweet potato, or a thick slab of onion under the broiler. Those veggies would do better with the slower process of roasting. It’s important to understand how long a protein needs to cook, and how long the vegetables you are choosing to accompany it need to cook, and what size they need to be cut, in order to have the whole dish come out perfectly.

I started by giving the veggies a nice coating of olive oil, salt and pepper and giving them a little pre-roast.

I recommend trying a few recipes that are specifically labeled “Sheet Pan Supper”, before you wing it to try your very own version of a sheet pan supper recipe. Your own first-hand experience with various proteins and vegetable sizes will teach you valuable principles, before you branch out, and try flavor combinations that you know your family will love. No one wants a dish where the protein is overcooked, but the vegetables are partially raw. And that’s the danger of this quick, easy method.

Blot the steaks dry, and then season them generously.

Out of the oven; now it’s time to make the quick sauce.

Steak, Asparagus, Cherry Tomato and Onion Sheet Pan Supper with Blue Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

For Sheet Pan:

One bunch of asparagus, woody portions removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
One onion, sliced in half, then into half moon rings, and then separate the half moons into strands
1/4 c. Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 sirloin tip steaks, about 1″ thick, 2 1/4 lbs. total

For Sauce:

1/2 stick butter
1 c. cream
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

Line a sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Preheat broiler.

Use one bowl as your veggie tossing bowl. Drizzle onions with 1 T. olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter onions over sheet pan. Toss asparagus with 2 T. oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lay stalks across pan, in a row one deep, so that they roast, rather than steam. By this time you’ll probably have oil and salt and pepper in the bottom of your bowl, so toss the tomatoes in that, adding more if you need to for everything to be glossy and well seasoned. Place pan in oven whose broiler has been pre-heated, about 4″ away from heating element. Broil veggies for 3 minutes.

Remove tray from oven. Place a baking rack that has been sprayed with cooking spray over top of the veggies. Blot steaks with paper towels so that steaks will brown, and not steam, and season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place steaks on rack and place in oven to broil. Broil for 3-4 minutes. Flip steaks, and broil other side. Remove from oven, and allow steaks to rest on a cutting board, while you make your sauce.

Put 1/2 stick of butter into skillet (I prefer cast iron) and melt butter over medium high heat. Take onion strands from sheet pan, and allow onions to caramelize in melted butter. When you have achieved lovely brown edges, add 1 c. cream and Worcestershire sauce to pan, and allow liquid to begin to bubble. Add crumbled blue cheese, and stir until cheese melts.

Now, your steak should be ready to slice, against the grain. Serve steak with sauce, and the asparagus, and tomatoes as your side dishes.