Vegetable Tian Recipe – If you are looking for a super easy, but fancy-looking side dish, then this Vegetable Tian Recipe should definitely be on the menu. Plus, it’s a great way to load up your plate with vegetables.
If you are serving dinner family-style, it makes a beautiful and vibrant colored presentation on the table too.
It’s actually such a simple dish that I frequently make it for weeknight dinners.
What is Vegetable Tian?
Tian, a French word used throughout Provence, refers to both a shallow cooking vessel and the food cooked in it.
A tian itself is a casserole dish designed to go from the oven to the table. It’s often filled with layered, overlapping vegetables and sometimes a sauce, baked in the oven (typically with breadcrumbs and cheese) and served as either a main or side dish.
It’s a dish where simple, fresh ingredients really do shine through.
A Cleaner Vegetable Tian Recipe
If you are already eating a clean diet, then you know how important it is to boost your menu with as many vegetables as possible. Eating this vegetable tian recipe is going to be one of those.
But, there are ways to make this even healthier. Here’s our suggestions!
Choose Organic Tomatoes
Ideally, you would buy all of your vegetables organic, but I realize that is not always possible. However, since tomatoes are consistently on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list, they are the one vegetable I always make sure to buy organic for my Vegetable Tian Recipe.
The other two vegetables used in the recipe are eggplant and zucchini. For what it is worth, eggplant happens to be on the “Clean 15” list but zucchini is on neither list.
Nix the Dairy from This Vegetable Tian Recipe
Most vegetable tian recipes call for Parmesan cheese in the bread mixture. I’ve found ground pine nuts to be the perfect dairy-free and clean eating substitute though. Pine nuts have a delicious savory flavor as-is, but for some reason grinding them gives them an extra tasty buttery-like flavor. I actually prefer the pine nuts to the cheese!
If you don’t have pine nuts on hand, I am pretty sure raw walnuts would also be delicious.
Kitchen Favorites
Vegetable Tian Recipe
Vegetable Tian Recipe is perfect when you are trying to get your family to eat more vegetables. A casserole-style baked GF vegetable dish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 2 zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
- 3 large beefsteak organic tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons
- Pink Himalayan sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 slices whole grain gluten free bread
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12-inch casserole dish. Arrange half of the eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the zucchini and half of the tomato. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place bread in a food processor, process into coarse crumbs. Add the pine nuts, basil, oregano, thyme and garlic to processor; process until ingredients are well-combined. Sprinkle 1/2 of the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tomatoes.
- Repeat layers with remaining eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, oil, salt pepper and breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and topping is light golden brown. Serve warm.
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Keywords: Vegetable Tian Recipe
Angela
Monday 28th of August 2017
Ivy I really love this dish! My kitchen smells wonderful when I make it. It's just delicious! I want to make it for my son when he visits this weekend but he cannot tolerate eggplant. It wreaks havoc with his intestinal system. Might you suggest a replacement for the eggplant? Thanks for the great recipe! Angela
Ivy Larson
Monday 4th of September 2017
Hi Angela! I somehow totally missed your comment until just now (so sorry about that!) It is now probably past the time when you wanted to make the dish for your son, but for next time I think yellow squash would probably be the best substitute. I really am thrilled to know you like the dish too =) But again, I really am sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I hope you had a good visit with your son? And hope all else is going well?