It’s as if my garden decided to throw a prom, and the eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes banded together to show everyone else up. (Clearly, they deserve best prize for something, don’t you think?) Normally I would look at something like this and think it’s waaaay too complicated. But this summer vegetable gratin is actually quite straightforward. To prepare these vegetables, you have to cut them anyway, so why not cut them in rounds and arrange them in a pretty pattern?
Ratatouille or Tian Recipe?
If you recall, Remy, the “little chef” in Pixar’s Ratatouille, prepared something similar for Anton Ego, the food critic. This isn’t that dish, but something much easier. You just sauté onions and bell peppers, layer them at the bottom of a casserole dish, top with rounds of eggplant, zucchini, and tomato. Top that with cheese and bake! It’s a lovely, easy, colorful presentation for our favorite summer vegetables. A perfect side to take to a party. Very large tomatoes may need to be cut in half or into quarters so their diameter is close to that of the zucchini and eggplant.
Storing Leftover Gratin
Cover the dish and refrigerate 3 to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or the entire dish in the oven at 350°F until just warmed through. We don’t recommend freezing this dish. The texture of the vegetables won’t hold up once defrosted.
5 More Vegetable Side Dishes You’ll Love
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Add the sliced bell peppers and continue to cook with the onions until the bell peppers are softened and the onions are well browned, about 5 to 6 minutes more. When done, transfer the onions and bell peppers into a large gratin pan or casserole dish. You’ll also want to slice the tomato into 1/4-inch thick slices, but depending on how big your tomato is, you may need to cut the tomato in half or in quarters first. All of the sliced vegetable pieces should be about the same size to make it easier to layer them in an attractive manner. Arrange the slices of the eggplant, zucchini, and tomato on top of the cooked onions and peppers, alternating the vegetables, in an attractive pattern, stacking and fanning them across the surface of the dish. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil around the perimeter, where the vegetables meet the side of the dish. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil. Turn on the broiler and broil for 5 minutes or until nicely browned.
