If you haven’t had jerk before, you should know: it’s hot. But the good news is that if you’re making this Sheet Pan Jerk Tempeh and Pineapple at home, you can adjust the heat level by using half of a Scotch bonnet pepper instead of a whole, substituting a milder hot pepper, or even–gasp!–adding another Scotch bonnet to make it more fiery.
This Sheet Pan Jerk Tempeh and Pineapple recipe uses a marinade adapted from Simply Recipes, a site that has never led me astray. I made a few tweaks–leaving out rum, for example, since I didn’t want to buy it–but the biggest change is in how I use the marinade: to make jerk tempeh instead of the usual jerk chicken.
Tempeh is one of my favorite plant-based proteins. It’s made from fermented soy beans, which means that in addition to being a good source of protein, it’s probiotic too. Because I love pairing sweet flavors with spicy jerk, I added pineapple to the recipe too, in addition to red onions and bell peppers.
The tempeh, pineapple, and veggies are marinated for a bit then spread onto a sheet pan to roast in the oven. I’m a fan of sheet pan dinners because they’re easy, but if you’ve got a grill, you might want to try threading the ingredients onto skewers and grilling them up instead of baking them.
Photos by Ana Stanciu
Sheet Pan Jerk Tempeh and Pineapple
Packed with flavor, this spicy sheet pan dinner will have everyone asking for seconds. Marinade adapted from Simply Recipes' Jerk Chicken.
Ingredients
For the jerk marinade:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup lime juice from about 2 small limes
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper or habanero, with seeds, chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
For the rest of the recipe:
- 8 ounces tempeh cubed (steamed if you prefer)
- 1 large red onion quartered
- 2 red orange or yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into thick strips
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- Rice and beans for serving (I use heat-and-serve rice and beans to save time!)
Instructions
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Combine all the jerk marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
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Place the tempeh, red onion, pepper and pineapple in a zip-top plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag and shake well. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
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Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Transfer the tempeh and veggies to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, or until the onions are soft and the jerk marinade is just beginning to blacken.