Vegetable Tian

4.73 from 11 votes

If there’s one dish that captures the rustic charm and sun-soaked flavors of southern France, it’s a Provençal Vegetable Tian. This colorful, layered medley of zucchini, tomatoes, and potatoes is as beautiful as it is delicious. It's like summer in a baking dish! Perfect as a side with roast chicken or as a vegetarian entree.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Side Dishes - Beans Rice and Grains

Cuisine: French / Provencal

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to coat baking dish
2 large onions halved and thinly sliced
8 large cloves garlic or 12 medium cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cups grated Gruyere cheese divided
2 medium zucchini or 3 small
5 medium plum tomatoes
1 pound baby potatoes such as red or Yukon gold

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a large, shallow baking dish with olive oil.
In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 8-10 minutes or until beginning to soften and take on a little color.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add half the thyme and salt and black pepper to taste.
Tilt the skillet, push the onions to one side and drain off any excess oil. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and allow to cool while preparing the vegetables.
Slice the zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
While the vegetables are on your cutting board, season with salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle half of the cheese over the onions.
Starting with the zucchini, place them in the baking dish over the onions, fanning them out into rows.
Next, place the potatoes evenly in between the zucchini followed by the tomato slices. If any vegetables are left, tuck them in wherever you can to use them up.
Once they're arranged, sprinkle with more salt, black pepper and remaining thyme.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Use yellow squash instead of zucchini.
You can substitute Grand Cru, white cheddar or conventional Swiss cheese for the Gruyere.

TIPS:

Seasoning the vegetables with salt and pepper before arranging them in the baking dish is essential.
The tian will be juicy. However, baking uncovered while the cheese melts on the top will allow some of those juices to evaporate.
Letting the tian rest before serving is essential so those juices settle down.
If you plan to reheat the vegetable tian, you will want those juices so the tian is not dry. When I make this for personal chef clients, that additional liquid is essential so the tian is not dry when they reheat it.

MAKE AHEAD:

Assemble and bake until the potatoes are tender. Cool, then refrigerate for up to two days.
When needed, heat in the oven loosely covered with aluminum foil until hot. Then, proceed with adding the remaining cheese and lightly browning the top.
I don't recommend storing fully assembled without baking--the potatoes will discolor. Tucking the potatoes in at the last minute is an option.

Nutrition