Bert Swope
This style of Summer Vegetable Casserole, known in France as a Tian, looks delicious when well-garnished. This Summer Vegetable Casserole will look like it came straight out of a Michelin-starred restaurant – no one will ever know it’s super easy and quick to make. Simple, tasty, and healthy, this casserole is a must-have recipe for a meatless meal over summer.
Basic Information
- Avg. Prep. Time: 10 minutes
- Avg. Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Avg. Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Serving Size: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- Olive oil – 6 tablespoons (extra-virgin)
- Onion – 1 (large and chopped)
- Garlic – 2 cloves (minced)
- Eggplant – 2 (large, sliced into 1/4-in)
- Zucchini – 2 (large, sliced into 1/4-in)
- Tomatoes – 4 (small, sliced into 1/4-in)
- Thyme leaves – 2 tablespoons (fresh)
- Capers – 2 tablespoons (non-pareil, a.k.a. the smallest kind)
- Breadcrumbs – 2 tablespoons — Optional
- Grated Parmesan cheese – 3/4 cup (180g) –Optional
- Salt & pepper – 1/2 teaspoon (to taste)
Equipment
- A round 10-in baking dish
- A large skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Aluminum foil
Preparation Direction
- Preheat the oven to 3750F (1900C) and brush the baking dish with olive oil tablespoon.
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil into the skillet and cook the chopped onion for about 5min, seasoned with salt and pepper, over medium heat. Now, add the garlic and cook for two more minutes.
- Spread this mixture at the bottom of the baking dish to set the casserole’s bed.
- On top of the onion-garlic bed, arrange all the sliced vegetables in an overlying pattern (kind of like a flower).
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil (including what’s left on the skillet) over the vegetable arrangement.
- Sprinkle the thyme leaves along with the capers. Cover the dish very tightly with the aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil
- If desired, sprinkle both the breadcrumbs along with the Parmesan cheese.
- Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 25 more minutes.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Extra Tips
- This Tian Style Summer Vegetable casserole is super easy and quick to make. Make sure to experiment and swap some of the vegetables with whatever you can find in your summer garden!
- If you’re fond of a spicier finish, do add some previously-baked red peppers (unseeded) to the onion-garlic mix. This delicious smell will take over your kitchen.
- There will never be a right amount of cheese, ever. Go ahead and live a little, coating this summer casserole with all the grated cheese you deserve.