Summer Vegetable Parmigiana
Summer Vegetable Parmigiana is the best of Mediterranean summer produce in a beautiful layered Italian-inspired dish! The vegetables are grilled first for a touch of smokiness and depth, then smothered and layered with marinara sauce and cheese. This beautiful combination is then baked until bubbling! Grab some crusty bread and enjoy!
“This recipe was fantastic. My whole family of 8, including my 18-month-old granddaughter, loved it.”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
This time of year is all about zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and eggplant exploding in gardens and farmers’ markets everywhere! There’s harmony in this Mediterranean marriage of vegetables, making them perfect together in so many ways.
My Summer Vegetable Parmigiana is all about that abundance and beauty! Sort of like Eggplant Parmesan, sort of like Ratatouille, sort of like a lasagna, this casserole is the perfect way to use that summer bounty of vegetables.
This Summer Vegetable Parmigiana recipe is:
- Easy! Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce for convenience or use your homemade tomato sauce.
- Versatile! As with most savory Italian recipes, this one is very forgiving, and you don’t have to follow it exactly. For example, in this dish, if you have more zucchini than eggplant, it will work fine.
- Make ahead! This Summer Vegetable Parmigiana can be assembled 1-2 days ahead of time and baked later.
How to Make Summer Vegetable Marinara:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Summer Vegetable Marinara recipe, along with instructions for preparing the ingredients. The exact quantities are on the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- The Vegetables: This is a classic Mediterranean marriage of vegetables: eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. As mentioned above, this Summer Vegetable Parmigiana is super versatile. You can use more zucchini than eggplant, different colors of bell peppers, add onion, etc.
- Marinara Sauce: If you want to make your own marinara for this dish, by all means, do it. Otherwise, a good-quality jarred marinara such as Rao’s will work fine. I recently discovered Bertolli’s Olive Oil and Garlic Marinara and think it’s great for the price.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Use conventional low-moisture mozzarella that you shred yourself. This will help hold this vegetable casserole together; fresh mozzarella would create too much liquid.
- Parmesan Cheese: Can also use Asiago or Romano, but a parmigiana just needs parmesan cheese! Domestic is fine unless you want to invest in Parmigiano Reggiano. If you want to make this vegetarian, use a rennet-free parmesan cheese.
- Panko: Panko, also called Japanese breadcrumbs, has a coarse texture that works very well as a topping for casseroles. Look for it in the baking aisle or near the seafood. Coarsely ground crispy rice cereal makes a great panko substitute.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.
- Lightly brush vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil. Place vegetables on the grill and reduce heat to medium.
- Cook the vegetables until nicely marked and slightly softened, except for eggplant. Cook eggplant until easily pierced with a knife. (Alternatively, roast the vegetables at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread approximately 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Place zucchini over the sauce to cover the bottom, then top with 1/3 cup of the marinara and sprinkle with approximately 1/2 cup of the Mozzarella, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and a few leaves of torn basil.
- IMPORTANT: The sauce, cheese, and basil layer should be repeated after each layer of vegetables. Because it’s the same layer over and over, I didn’t photograph it each time I added it to the vegetable parmigiana.
- Cut the strips of the red and yellow bell pepper in half widthwise.
- Arrange the yellow bell pepper over the sauce and cheese.
- Top with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
- Repeat with the eggplant, the red bell pepper, and then the yellow squash, adding a layer of sauce, cheese, and basil between each layer of casserole.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the casserole.
- Top with remaining Mozzarella and more Parmesan, leaving approximately 1/4 cup for the topping.
- Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, panko, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling and topping is lightly browned.
- If the topping browns too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
- That’s it! Summer Vegetable Parmigiana is beautiful summer comfort food! Grab some crusty bread to mop up the sauce and enjoy!
Chef Tip:
- The vegetables can also be roasted at 425 degrees instead of grilled. Broiling the vegetables is another option.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This Summer Vegetable Parmigiana can be assembled 1-2 days ahead of time and baked later. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before placing it in the oven. You may still need to add additional baking time.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish whole. When most vegetables are frozen, you are freezing the water in the plant cells, expanding them. Then, when thawed, those cells collapse which is what causes the wateriness. However, freezing smaller portions is fine if you leave some room around the portion and reheat it in the oven or toaster oven. Any excess liquid will evaporate.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze leftovers in portions in airtight containers for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven or toaster oven, leaving some room around the portion for any excess liquid to evaporate.
Serve with:
- Crusty bread!
- Artichoke Focaccia with Rosemary
- Italian Kale Antipasto Salad
- Tuscan Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
More great summery vegetarian recipes you’ll love!
Get all my vegan and vegetarian recipes at Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Summer Vegetable Parmigiana
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant - sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 small to medium yellow squash - sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 medium zucchini - sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 large red bell pepper - seeded, stem and core removed, cut into approximately 12 long strips
- 1 large yellow bell pepper - seeded, stem and core removed, cut into approximately 12 long strips
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
- salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- Cooking spray
- 1 jar (24-ounce) marinara sauce - or an equivalent amount of your homemade
- 2 large sprigs fresh basil - leaves torn
- 3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup panko
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Lightly brush vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil. Place vegetables on the grill, reduce heat to medium.
- Cook the vegetables until nicely marked and slightly softened, except for eggplant. Cook eggplant until easily pierced with a knife. (Alternatively, roast the vegetables at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread approximately 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Place zucchini over the sauce to cover the bottom, then top with 1/3 cup of the marinara and sprinkle with approximately 1/2 cup of the Mozzarella, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and a few leaves of torn basil. (You'll repeat the sauce, cheese, and basil after each layer of vegetables).
- Cut the yellow and red bell pepper in half widthwise.
- Arrange the yellow bell pepper over the first layer of zucchini, sauce and cheese. Top with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
- Repeat with the eggplant, the red bell pepper, and then the yellow squash, adding a layer of sauce, cheese, and basil between each layer of casserole.
- Pour remaining marinara sauce over the casserole. Top with remaining Mozzarella and more Parmesan, leaving approximately 1/4 cup for the topping.
- Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, panko, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling and topping is lightly browned. Cover lightly with aluminum foil if the topping browns too quickly.
Recipe Notes
- Coarsely ground crispy rice cereal makes a great panko substitute and is gluten-free.
- Can be assembled 1-2 days ahead and baked later. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before placing it in the oven. You may still need to add additional baking time.
- I don’t recommend freezing this casserole whole. (See FAQs.)
- Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
This recipe was fantastic. My whole family of 8, including my 18 month old granddaughter, loved it. I made a few small adaptations to make it easier for me. I cut the veggies into cubes and roasted all the veggies at 450 degrees on parchment covered sheet pans for 30 minutes, switching racks halfway. I mixed all the veggies together instead of layering them. I had lots of fresh basil from the garden that I added. I made this a day before and put in the fridge without the Panko topping. I added the topping before cooking the next day and it really was the piece de resistance. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Yvie, Thanks so much and happy everyone enjoyed!! Glad you made it work for you and you put your special touch on it. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
We make this all the time. It is one of our go to recipes year round. We have also prepared it without cooking it, froze it, and taken it to my parents who can thaw and cook it. They absolutely love it too.
Hi, Lindsay, Thank you so very much! You made my day! I froze part of this casserole when I first made it and it did just fine. Thanks again so very much!
This looks so delicious! We always have an abundance from our garden. I would probably be eating the grill veggies as I’m making this though.
Hi, Karly, Thanks so much! It’s really good and so easy. Yeah, I kept snitching the veggies as I was making it. Thanks again!
Beautiful. Sort of like a gratin, and I love the layers, plus that you roasted everything first. But in a red sauce! Lovely!
Thanks, Mimi! Yes, it’s like so many things! There’s just enough red sauce so it doesn’t overwhelm the vegetables. Everything together simply works great!
This casserole looks amazing! I would not think to use some of those vegetables and to grill them first is a great idea! Will certainly be giving this a go 🙂
Thanks, Martyn! This time of year is all about the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and peppers and I’m so happy to have found a new way to use this combination. Do give it a try and hope you enjoy!