Zucchini, Pepper, and Tomato Gratin

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Golden, cheesy, and bursting with garden-fresh flavor this Zucchini, Pepper, and Tomato Gratin layers summer veggies with melty cheese and crisp breadcrumbs for a side dish that steals the show. Perfect for weeknight dinners or your next potluck!

If you are like me then everyone you know has a garden and there is currently an abundance of tomatoes.  While we only grow cherry tomatoes in our garden, my parents have a garden and we have several friends with gardens so we aren’t short on tomatoes. 

While I’m not a huge fan of fresh tomatoes, I do like to make things with tomatoes in them.  Currently my most popular late summer recipe has been this savory Tomato Herb Quick Bread.   I also love making this Slow Cooker Marinara and freezing it for the winter. I often make the Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta with our cherry tomatoes. 

Since we have a lot of big tomatoes I wanted to look for a hearty vegetarian side dish that I could make with the tomatoes.  I found a recipe that not only used tomatoes but also used zucchini which is a bonus since we have been getting a lot of those as well. 

This recipe is a vegetable gratin made using tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow bell peppers.  You can substitute in eggplant for the zucchini.  You could also use a pattypan squash in place of the zucchini or in addition to it. 

What is a vegetable gratin?

A vegetable gratin is a baked dish made with layers of vegetables, usually topped with cheese, breadcrumbs, or both, that has a golden, crispy crust in the oven.

The vegetables in this dish are topped with both Parmesan cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese.  Pecorino Romano is a hard Italian cheese that is both sharp and salty.   For the Parmesan cheese do not use the powdered stuff in the green can, either buy fresh grated Parmesan cheese in the refrigerator section or buy a block of it and grate it yourself. 

Can I use a different cheese?

While you can use a different cheese, these two cheeses are the best for this dish.  If you do end up substituting a cheese I would use one of the cheeses that is called for and then substitute the other.  I have used mozzarella cheese in this gratin before and other good substitutes would be Asiago, aged Manchego, or a sharp, aged cheddar. 

Ingredients:

• fresh tomatoes (you want large tomatoes for this recipe)
• zucchini (or you can substitute eggplant or pattypan squash)
• yellow bell pepper (or you can use orange or red bell peppers)
• onion (use sweet onion or yellow onion)
• olive oil
• garlic cloves
• Italian seasonings
• dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• breadcrumbs

To make the dish dice the tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers.  Chop the onions and mince the garlic cloves. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.  Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes. 

Place the tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and garlic in the pan. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well to combine.  Top with the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, and breadcrumbs.   Bake for 25 minutes. 

This dish smelled amazing as it was cooking.  The onions and garlic were fragrant and the cheese had a salty scent.  

The flavors all blend together in the oven and make for a terrific dish.  The garlic seeps into the vegetables and the saltiness from the cheese is the perfect finish to the dish. 

I served it with crusty bread and an olive oil dipping sauce.  My husband really enjoyed it as well and thought it would be even better served over top of pasta so I may try that next time.  Either way, we both certainly enjoyed this dish and it was much different from our normal vegetarian main dishes.

How do you store this dish?

You can simply store it in the baking dish by covering it with plastic wrap or foil and placing it in the refrigerator. You can also put it in an air tight container in the refrigerator.  This side dish is best eaten within 48 hours of making it and it definitely isn’t as good when it is reheated.  Eating it hot out of the oven is preferred. 

Zucchini, Bell Pepper, and Tomato Gratin

Delicious fresh garden vegetables layered with salty cheeses and garlic.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Resting vegetables: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 small saute pan
• 1 8 x 8 Baking dish

Ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes diced
• 1 large zucchini diced
• 1 medium yellow squash diced
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
• ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

• Dice the tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers and set aside. Chop the onions and mince the garlic.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Place the tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, onions, and garlic in the baking dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
• Top the vegetables with the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, and breadcrumbs.
• Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is a golden brown.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Life and Kitchen