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
I am also from deep south Louisiana and I used Tony’s seasoning in this recipe.I had a few red and green bell pepper strips and I added them, too. Everybody loved it and I will be making it often! Next time I may add a dash of Italian salad dressing.
Pamela – that was just some extra parsley that I had in the fridge :) I often do that just for the photograph’s sake. If you did happen to have some fresh basil, though, it would be fabulous on this dish!
What is the fresh herb sprinkled on top of the cheese? Basil? Parsley?
This was delicious!! My husband said and I quote “I think you just found my new favorite vegetable dish.”
I’m from deep south Louisiana, and decided to put my own spin on it.
I used butter instead of a non stick spray and our southern not so secret ingredient Tony’s.
It was an amazing Cajun spin on your recipe. Thank you so much!
Looks divine, can’t wait to try it.
For those of you having issues with it being too watery, I made it once with Parmesan cheese and it was perfect, and once with a mozzarella blend and it was totally soupy.
This is sooo yummy! Very different than anything we’ve had before, we don’t have squash very often but we got some in our bountiful basket and I’m so glad I tried this! Thank you so much! My 3 year old even ate it and was mostly happy about it.
I’m definitely making this tonight and can’t WAIT! I’m thinking a little pesto or balsamic?? mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm………. ;))
I used Parmesan Cheese and it was delicious.
This is a fantastic recipe! I have made it several times and it is always a hit. I cut everything with a sharp knife and it cooked perfectly. Beautiful colors and great flavors – thank you so much for this healthy dish!!!
Try replacing the potato with eggplant! So Good!
This ended up on Bountiful Baskets Co-Op’s fb page. Always looking for ways to make veggiesin a different way because of the amount of stuff we get. This was so yummy!
Looks good! I am definitely going to have to try this recipe!
I tried this tonight and had some issues. I sliced the potatoes on the thinnest setting on my mandolin and they were so thin I double stacked them when I put it together which may have been why they didn’t cook right (or the fact that I used a 6×10 Pyrex and the veggies might have been packed too tight). I ended up draining liquid off and putting them back in the oven for at least 20 more minutes. Next time I think I will use eggplant and or mushrooms in place of the potato, put slices of onion in between the layers instead of putting chopped onions underneath and add some more seasonings. It turned out well in the end. Thanks for the recipe, Beth. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.