Tomato, Squash and Eggplant Gratin
Updated June 18, 2017
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 pounds ripe, firm tomatoes, round or Roma, sliced thin
1 red torpedo onion, sliced thin
½ to ¾ pound zucchini, preferably mixed green and yellow, sliced thin
1 long, thin eggplant, sliced thin (if all you can find is a bulbous eggplant, cut in half or in quarters and slice it thin)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus a few sprigs
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
10 grams carbs; 128 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 565 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish.
- Step 2
Combine the vegetables in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, chopped rosemary and thyme leaves and toss gently.
- Step 3
Arrange the vegetables in rows in the baking dish in this order: tomato slice, eggplant slice, tomato slice, squash slice, onion slice, tomato slice, eggplant slice, tomato slice, etc. Each slice of eggplant should have a tomato slice on either side. The vegetables should not be lying flat; they should be arranged in the dish as if you had stacked them, then lay the whole stack in the dish, all of the rounds slanting slightly to one side. Insert the herb sprigs into the dish. Pour any juice left in the bowl on top. Cover tightly with foil.
- Step 4
Place in the oven and bake 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and lightly colored on the edges.
Advance preparation: You can assemble this and refrigerate for a day before baking, or bake a day or two before serving. Reheat in a medium oven or serve at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
We French would call it a "tian", if you are looking for a different or more accurate name for the dish. Typically done with a row each of potatato/onion/tomato/zucchini, a shower of salt and freshly ground pepper, and a bit of broth at bottom, baked without foil so they can "gratiner", or crisp up at the edges from the heat.
This is a great dish. It showcases late summer garden veggies. I served it alone with a baguette and it was a complete meal. It does require lots of salt and pepper. It could benefit from a diced chilli pepper or some garlic if you want more heat.
I think this is improved with a light coat of grated parmesan, and either the rosemary OR the thyme instead of both. Just a personal preference of course. Easy, pretty and tasty in any case.
I make it as is and it’s excellent. Typically I toss the other veggies with the oil, salt and spices and not the tomato (too messy). There is enough that it flavors the tomatoes, and can always add a sprinkle of salt and rosemary and evoo to the top. Yes you can add cheese or garlic, but that a different dish (also good). The simple flavors are perfect in August. I freeze some for winter to have with crusty bread. Sometimes chicken on the side.
So amazing. Prepared precisely as written except cooked during the combined step for two and a half hours at 300, because started so early. Five of us, including three kids under 14, ate the whole thing. Delicious!
Extremely thrilled with my version, adapted thanks to so many helpful comments here. I went thyme only, bulb of garlic roasting in center, and swapped yukon golds for eggplant. I sliced everything quite thin, and dusted it all with parm. For prep I sliced my veg and laid it out on a baking sheet, salting as I went. I did not dump the liquid in at the end, because I wanted the dish to be as dry as possible. Loved it! Potatoes even got a little crispy at the top. Ate half of the recipe by myself like it was candy - a dish that was half squash! Transformed!