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
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
I made this last night. It was outstanding! I didn’t have regular tomatoe so I put some sliced cherry tomatoes on the bottom of the casserole. I also added a sliced sweet potato. Looked and tasted great.
Can u freeze leftovers?
This one isn’t well suited for freezing.
I used as side dish was wonderful .it taste was great
Well done. Thank you.
The dish was AWESOME. I wouldn’t leave out a thing, and the onion/garlic saute in the bottom makes it perfect. I did use oregano instead of thyme, though. I figured I was using mozzarella/parmesan, so oregano seemed right.
Very good
Great recipe! I didn’t have any Italian cheese so I improvised and drizzled some balsamic vinegar on top. Love this recipe, so easy and looks so pretty!
This is a really tasty recipe! Great use for squash besides just frying or sauteing, which I usually do. I made it “as is” except I did not use the potato. I had extra squash and zucchini so I just used more of those. I don’t know if the family liked it – they don’t always say. They don’t comment one way or the other very often. They did eat it though. I will make again. Oh, I used a mexican blend of cheeses as that’s what I had on hand. Very yummy!
A very pretty dish.
Made this tonight with squash and zucchini from my own vegetable garden. I added breadcrumbs to it for a little extra texture though. That’s all I modified and omg delish!
Do you think this would work well if I doubled the recipe and froze half? Not sure if it would freeze well and still taste good later?
Unfortunately freezing isn’t a good idea with this one because it will cause the vegetables to get too limp and soggy.
Would eggplant instead of tomato be good in this?
Hmm, yes, that might be good!
One star. Needs more spices
I can’t wait to try this great vegetable dish! Thanks for putting it on your receipes.
This looks fabulous! Making it for a luncheon I’m having tomorrow. It will be perfect with my citrus grilled chicken salad!
I.have made this several times & it’s always great! I seen some comments said the potatoes were not cooked. If the slices are thicker I put the potatoes in the microwave(couple minutes) with a little water to soften the slices. They still stand up with other veggies! II add Italian or Panko bread crumbs on the top as the cheese melts. Thanks for the easy steps and pictures to follow! Eggplant also works well! You can’t go wrong.