Why can’t vegetables be plentiful and yummy all year long? I don’t know, but I intend to enjoy them while they’re around. This Summer Vegetable Tian is the perfect easy side to showcase the medley of delicious vegetables the summer has to offer.
I like to enjoy the natural subtle flavors of vegetables. I’m not all for frying or smothering with thick, rich sauces, but sometimes I want something a little more. This Summer Vegetable Tian lands half way between both worlds. The vegetables are sliced thin, seasoned only with a little salt, pepper, and thyme, and then topped with just a small amount of flavorful cheese. Roasting the vegetables magnifies their flavor and gives them just a hint of sweetness. It’s veggietastic.
Creamy cheeses work really well with this dish but I happened to have a four cheese Italian blend on hand so I used that.
Summer Vegetable Tian
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.42)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.11)
- 1 medium zucchini ($0.75)
- 1 medium yellow squash ($0.56)
- 1 medium potato ($0.77)
- 1 medium tomato ($0.71)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- Salt & pepper ($0.05)
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese ($1.40)
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, optional garnish ($0.08)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, slice the zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, and potato thinly (1/4-inch slices). Make sure the potatoes are very thin so that they soften quickly while in the oven.
- Coat the inside of an 8×8″ casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread the sautéed onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Arrange the other sliced vegetables, stacked vertically like dominos, in an alternating pattern. Season the top of the vegetables generously with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the shredded cheese, and bake without the foil for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Top with chopped fresh parsley for garnish, if desired.
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Nutrition
How to Make a Vegetable Tian – Step By Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft and transparent.
Place the sautéed onion and garlic in the bottom of an 8×8 (or similar size) casserole dish.
Wash one potato, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomato to remove any dirt or debris.
Slice the vegetables into 1/4-inch thick slices. The tomato and potato had very large diameters compared to the squash, so I cut them in half before slicing to make them a more similar size.
Layer the potato, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomato in the dish over the onion and garlic in an alternating pattern. It doesn’t need to be pretty, just squeeze them in there any way you can.
Season the top of the vegetables generously with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
After baking for 30 minutes, remove the foil and top with about 1 cup of shredded Italian blend cheese. Return the Summer Vegetable Tian to the oven (without the foil) and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Top with a little fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.
Helllooooo gorgeous.
Original Photos
So good and nice presentation. I used a mandoline (carefully) to get even slices fast. Went together in no time at all. So many good recipes here. Your site has become my new favorite. Thank you!
This is awesome! It’s colorful, easy, and down right tasty. I’ve made it twice within a couple of days, for guests coming over for dinner and as a side dish for a friend who just had a baby. All positive feedback!
We’ve made this several times already. We love it. So good, and so easy. Thank you!
Delicious! And so very easy to make. Thank you.
Hi..this looks like a great recipe..want to try it out at my upcoming party..just a quick question. Can this be done without any cheese as I have other dishes with lots of cheese at the party. Want to give the guests some healthy options too. Plan to serve this as a side to my main entrees.
Yes, absolutely. Sprinkle it with a generous amount of herbs and I’d probably drizzle or brush a little oil over top to keep it from drying out.
Delicious!!!!! Made to go with fresh caught Atlantic salmon on the grill!
Flavor is wonderful, so easy to make!!!
Just be sure you chop everything especially the potatoes thinner.
We have TONS of onions, tomatoes, and zucchini in our garden right now – we only had to buy potatoes and cheese! I sauteed in coconut oil and put a little extra of that at the bottom – I think you are right that butter would be delicious but coconut oil was tasty too – thanks!
AMAZING dish!!!
Making this right now and I can’t wait to try it! Love your site!
Kathi
Really delicious! I added butter, yellow pepper bells and garlic salt!
This recipe is delicious
This has become a family summer favorite the last two years. I make it on the grill! Thank you so much for this wonderful dish!!
Tried this for the first time tonight. I swapped out the regular potato for a sweet potato because I am trying to stay away from the “bad carbs.” It was still amazing. Thank you so much for a new way to cook my veggies. I was getting pretty tired of the standard sautee with olive oil and garlic. :)
I thought I had clicked 5 stars… for the record… I give it 5 stars
I made this last night for dinner, excellent recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
Wow, that was fantastic! I made only a little bit to try it out because generally I am not fond of cheese with my veggies. Well, I’ve gobbled the entire thing down, lol! What a great website (it has inspired me to try new things) and what a great recipe, thanks!