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.
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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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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
Would parmisan cheese be a good substitute?
You could probably use that, but it will likely be a bit more crispy on top instead of melty.
I make it with parmesan cheese and yes, the edges are a bit crispy but I like it that way.
I tried this recipe and it looked gorgeous. If you are going to make it, try to buy similar sized vegetables because my potato was much larger and it ended up looking unorganized. I would also use a very large onion or two, I felt the onion layer on the bottom would’ve tasted better if it were thicker and also tucked in between the veggies or on top. I wouldn’t do potato again because it didn’t fully cook and I felt like the everything else was cooked to its max. Also, make sure you take out the seeds on the tomatoes otherwise it gets too watery. Sweet potato seems like it would be really good but I’d bake it for a little ahead of time. Carrots too.
Can you put this on the grill?
I’ve never tried to cook anything like this on a grill before, so unfortunately I can’t advise.
I am impressed by your tian – when I make one it’s not that tidy-looking. I have to try this.
Made this for supper today. It is yummy! My husband kept saying–this is good! while going back for seconds. :)
I didn’t use tomatoes, because my son doesn’t like tomatoes. And I only had zucchini (fresh from my garden) and potatoes. It was delicious. And I broiled the cheese.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Fantastic recipe!!! Great for those of us who plant vegetable gardens for fresh veggies during the summer. A fantastic way to use up all those zucchini and squash that seem to come all at once. My family loved this recipe and I am making it again tonight! Simple perfection.
Yummy!!! One of my new fav veggie dishes!!!! and bonus… half of the stuff is from my garden!!! Cant get more fresh and more tasty! thank you!!
Sounds like a good recipe. I might substitute a cuke for the zucchini. I liked the price breakdown, however, I would make it much cheaper by using fresh garlic, buying my potatoes and onions from Aldi’s, and using squash and tomatoes from my own garden making it about $1.63. Keep up the good work!
I’m not usually a big veggie person and I honestly never had squash before this. I cannot get over how amazing this was!! Thank you so much! I also got some of the soupiness but just poured it out. I also added mozzarella slices as an extra layer which was AMAZING.
Made this tonight. Had a great flavor, however my family requested I cook it longer. They didn’t like the crunchiness of the veggies. Will make again!
Would it still work just as well if it was sweet potato substituted? :)
I’ve had a few people say they used sweet potato and loved it. :) Just remember to slice them thinly so they soften up.
This looks great and sounds wonderful. It also is very similar to a recipe my friend gave to me, also using fresh mozzarella. Although she is no longer with us her excellent foods will be missed at all of the U of Delaware football games!
I just want to say thankyou! You have helped me in so many ways. Due to health problems I have a very restricted diet but my boyfriend loves his meat. Which I can not eat unless it was killed that day due to tyrosine(sp.) levels increasing over time. I also can’t do aged cheese but I have substitutes for that. You have made it so much easier for me to cook for him and myself without making two huge meals. My boyfriend is a fan of all your recipes involving meat so far and I get the joys from your various vegetable and pasta dishes with various substitutions for some ingredients. I have to use eggplant instead of tomato for this recipe. All I know is tomato is on the list my dietician printed out for me avoid. I also used ricotta instead of the Italian cheese blend. All of your recipes are so simple and easy I know I can find something here and be able to substitute what I need. You do not know how many months I have lived off of nothing but salad. I Cried so much after I found your site and tried my first dish. Thankyou and this one is my favorite of yours by the way. My boyfriend, well he is in love with your Rosemary Beef Stew but I added Bayleaves from the garden. I didn’t know where else to leave you this message so I decided to do it on the recipe that showed me I could still eat. Beth, you are a hero to me!!
Thank you so much, Brittany!! That is the sweetest most heart warming thank you note ever. :) You have made my day. Thank you for making me feel appreciated!!
What can I say. This was delish!!!!!
I can’t believe I missed this recipe until now! It reminds me a lot of the Greek dish Briam, which uses eggplant instead of the yellow squash. It makes a great vegetarian main dish or side dish for meats.
I have two recipes for Briam. One is assembled like this and the other layers the vegetables in the baking dish. Both are baked uncovered, which eliminates the “soupiness.” I will try this soon!