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 made this last night to go with some grilled chicken and it was so good! I left out the potato (didn’t have one), and used fresh rosemary from my garden in place of the thyme. Even my husband enjoyed it, and he’s not a big veggie eater. Thanks for the recipe!
Use heirloom tomatoes for a fuller flavor :)
I made this for my parents today! My whole family really liked it. I added eggplant and used Butternut squash instead of yellow squash because they did not have any of the yellow variety at the store. It worked good except it had a pit with seeds so I had to do some improvising. I put a flavoured goat cheese on half of the veggies and a Tex Mex blend on the other. My family found that they liked the goat cheese better as it gave the dish more flavour!
I will definitely be making this dish again!! …. there were NO leftovers.
Pinned this on Pinterest, and LOVE it!! I love zucchini and squash, but unfortunately they are not my husbands favorite :(. I made this a few weeks ago, and we both agreed this is the best thing I have ever made!! I love that it looks pretty too! I will be making this again tomorrow for a summer barbecue. Thank you so much for the awesome recipe!!
Would if you add Ranch dip seasoning?… anyone think it would work?
Am making this for the 4th time today. LOVE IT!!!Thank you for sharing.
Found on Pinterest! I wonderfully surprised. This is an awesome dish. I’d just about given up on squash, but this did the trick. I’ve made it several times – very versatile. Thank you so much for sharing.
LOVE THIS MAKING IT TODAY _ from all the fresh veggies and herbs I’ve picked from my garden – truly a visual treat!
bmeyedflgrl – I think I was thinking of gruyere cheese. It’s pretty creamy and I’ve seen tian recipes that use it :)
You mentioned that normally creamy cheeses would go well with this dish, just curious which ones you would have used in place of the blend mix?
Delish!! Even the six year old ate it!! And its healthy and good for the baby on the way!!! Love it love it!!!
Made this the other night, Skipped the tomato and added aldredo. Everyone loved it, including my one year old! Great recipe for summer!
The farmer’s market had bags of these veggies on the dollar table Sunday so I picked them up in anticipation of making this meal tonight. Serving it with brussels sprouts and baked flounder.
I make something very similar (no potatoes or garlic). I’ve used all kinds of cheese, but one combination I really like is to sprinkle a little more olive oil on the veggies and then top with salt and pepper and a small amount of blue cheese, crumbled, after the first cooking. Doesn’t take much cheese with such a highly flavored one. :D
I make something very similar (no potatoes or garlic). I’ve used all kinds of cheese, but one combination I really like is to sprinkle a little more olive oil on the veggies and then top with salt and pepper and a small amount of blue cheese, crumbled, after the first cooking. Doesn’t take much cheese with such a highly flavored one. :D