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
Wonderful recipe. I made this last night for my mom who is going through cancer treatments and she is wanting to eat less to no meat. This was our main dish. YUMMY! Thank you this is a new favorite.
love it! Hubby does too. Thanks for the idea.
Made this last night and it was amazing! I used 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago cheese and everyone had seconds and third helpings!
Wonderful. I used a food processor to slice everything except the tomato, onion, & garlic. I also added 2T of butter to the onion & garlic. It was perfection!!!!
Wonderful. I used a food processor to slice everything except the tomato, onion, & garlic. I also added 2T of butter to the onion & garlic. It was perfection!!!!
I’m making this for the second time in a week. We loved it. I did chop two tablespoons of butter and added to it before baking. And had to add salt at the table, so tonight I added a little more salt before making. Yummy. It’s on my menu for our first Wednesday night dinner at church this fall.
Making this for a potluck BBQ this evening as I type … Added crumbled bacon and Italian bread crumbs. Smells AWESOME up in here!
Bethany – Feel free, thanks!
Just tried this and it was awesome. Do you mind if I blog it and link back? I layered the veggies around in a round dish and it ended up looking like a flower in the end. Very pretty. Thanks.
This looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to try it! I will post and let you know how it turned out! Thanks for the recipe Beth!
Just had this for dinner and YUM-O! Definitely keeping this recipe handy! Thanks!
Tiffany – I used a conventional oven, but baking times will vary greatly depending on how thick the vegetables are cut. The type of dish used and small variances in oven temperature can also add to the difference that you experienced. But, it sounds like you navigated it well and your dish still turned out great, so I’m glad! :D
Made this for lunch today and could’ve eaten the whole thing! But I’m wondering, are the directions for a convection oven? Mine took WAY longer to get done. The foil was on for 1 hour and 15 minutes before it was tender enough to add cheese. Such a good recipe and great timing because my squash is going crazy in the garden this year!
This was such a hit and an easy way to get veggies on the table. This dish has easily become a go-to. I love all of the ingredients in this dish, so my tummy was very happy indeed. Thanks for sharing this, and I can’t wait to try more!
PS. I had leftover zucchini & squash after making this dish twice, so I ended up making your zucchini fritters. AWESOME.
Made it tonight for supper and we loved it. We also made a 9X13 and with 3 people maybe a spoon is left. TFS! Will be making it again.