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
This is pretty much an Ina Garten recipe…but the cheese is different. I’ve made it about 10 times and always love it.
It’s pretty much a classic provencal summer vegetable tian, as is Ina Garten’s, Martha Stewart’s and any number of other vegetable tian recipes found online. It’s delicious and pretty.
Adding this to my “to-make” list! I was wondering — do you think this would freeze well, or would the leftovers best be eaten from the fridge?
It would probably freeze so-so since the vegetables are already soft from roasting, you probably won’t notice much of a texture change after freezing/thawing. You might get a little water seepage, but the flavor should still be good. :)
This was really delicious. Simple, but flavor is so good!
(Intended 5 stars, the site wouldn’t cooperate on my phone)
So this is a very easy recipe that you can adapt to what’s in your fridge. I didn’t have any creamy or white cheeses so I just used cheddar, it was a nice pairing! Nice bite from the sharp cheddar went well with the tomatoes. Even if the bottom gets soupy, it’s still absolutely delicious. There are work arounds as other commentators have provided but I just followed the recipe. You’ll have nice crispy tops and tender soft bottoms. I quite liked it! The texture reminded me of potatoes gratin.
I made this just for myself for lunch while leaving it out covered in foil for anyone else in my house to try. It didn’t get mushy from sitting out like expected. This dish wouldn’t be good refrigerated but covered on the counter for a couple hours was still good. The dish is the best served piping hot though!
I used the old spring roll trick to deal with the excess liquid — broken rice noodles added to the onion mix. They grabbed all the liquid!
This was such a good use of my summer farmshare vegetables. I solved the too-much-liquid problem using the spring roll trick. I added some broken rice noodles to the bottom of the pan, with onions. They grabbed all the excess liquid.
Isn’t this also known as ratatouille?
Not quite the same!
Looks like a fabulous way to use the garden veggies when they start coming in. I can’t wait to try it.
Family loves the recipe. Thanks!
I’ve made this many times and have a tip about preventing the sogginess of the dish. I am very low-sodium, so salting the veggies isn’t an option. What I do instead is dry them in the oven the way I do with tomatoes when I’m making a tomato pie. I find this method works anytime you have to put “wet” veggies on a crust for a pie, tart or galette, but also works in casseroles.
Put the oven on 400 like the recipe calls for, then place your tomatoes on a wire rack sprayed with EVOO, and set it on a rimmed baking sheet. Do the same with the zucchini and squash but on a separate sheet, as they bake for different times.
I bake the squash/zucchini for about 12-15 minutes, then take them out of the oven. I leave the tomatoes in for another 10 minutes or so. For me, this dries them out enough and I never have a soggy bottomed casserole now. While they are baking, I prep the other veggies and slice the potato.
I’m wondering if I add sweet potatoes instead of russet or white potatoes and leave the tomatoes out too would this be good dish?
It would definitely change the flavor profile and at that point it might just be a matter of personal preference, whether or not it is “good.” :)
Have done this many times and it’s awesome each time! But I’m wondering if I could use red potatoes instead? The potatoes always take so long no matter how thin I try and chop them. Thanks in advance!
Yes, red potatoes could be substituted for the russet. :)
I partially cook my potatoes in microwave first. About half way through
I add sweet potatoes and portobello mushrooms. This one of my family’s favorite dishes!
We don’t use foil in our household, any suggestions for the first part that uses something instead of foil? We are trying to reduce our waste.
If you have a casserole dish that comes with a glass or ceramic lid, that will work as well. :)
Try parchment paper sprayed with
non-stick spray.
A cookie sheet laid over the top.
Could I add sliced eggplant to this as well or do you think that will that ruin it?
Well, “ruin” would probably be a subjective interpretation. :) I don’t think it would be terrible, but without having tried it, I’m not sure what texture the eggplant will be after roasting with these other vegetables. If they stay moist, I think it will be good. If they dry out it may cause a more leathery texture.
I add eggplant and we love it. Salt the slices and let then stand about 30 minutes and wipe off the excess moisture before assembling.
Perfect Carla!