Vegetable Tian

This was one of those recipes I saw & had to make as soon as possible. It looked so beautiful but I knew it would be delicious too. There are a few definitions for a Tian but it's basically a French gratin of mixed vegetables. I had actually never heard of it until I saw it on Pam's For the Love of Cooking blog. You should see the delicious stuff she cooks up. 

A Tian is sometimes a layered dish as well but what captured my eye & tummy on this one was the way the veggies were upright & spiraled. Just gorgeous. You can use whatever veggies you like. I didn't have squash on hand so I just used the tomatoes, potatoes & zucchini. 

Picture courtesy of Pam. I delved in too quickly to take one.

2 tbsp olive oil (divided)

1 large sweet yellow onion cut in half and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 russet potatoes, unpeeled

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

3 large Roma tomatoes

Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Dried thyme, to taste

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions & saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic & cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, squash & tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with sea salt, black pepper & dried thyme, to taste. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.

Cover the dish with tin foil & bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover & sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top & bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Look at all the colors!

Between the beauty of the dish & sharing Mojitos with my best friend as I was preparing this dish I was one happy girl. 

{My Thoughts}

I recommend making sure not to have the vegetables too upright. Let them lean a little forward so that when you put your seasonings on top, including the parmesan cheese, the flavor & browning is on part of the veggie & not just the tippy top.

Click Here to Print Recipe

I had leftover veggies so last night I assembled a quick version of this Tian. I didn't even saute onions & garlic for time sake. I just spiraled the vegetables & sprinkled with salt & pepper, garlic powder & some Tuscan seasoning along with the olive oil. I followed the directions & put parmesan cheese on toward the end plus a little gruyere!!! 

A Tuscan Beauty of a Dish!

Updated to add:

I just came back from my morning walk/run & had some leftover Vegetable Tian on an egg sandwich. I was licking the plate it was so good. Just an egg, over medium, with turkey bacon & a slice of cheese on a multi grain English Muffin. Heavenly!!!