This tomato, zucchini, and yellow squash tian bakes in under an hour with fresh summer vegetables, olive oil, and rosemary — and comes out so bright and fragrant it could have been pulled straight from a kitchen in Provence. It’s a vegan, gluten-free appetizer or side dish that celebrates the colors and simplicity of Mediterranean cooking at its best.
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My encounter with this Mediterranean jewel
I tried this recipe 16 years ago, when this blog was just getting started. I found it in the Wine and Gastronomy section of The New York Times, where they referenced a “tian of onions, zucchini, and tomatoes” from chef Roger Vergé’s book Ma cuisine du soleil.
I eat first with my eyes, and the color contrast between the red tomatoes, the green zucchini, and the golden yellow squash was all it took to convince me.
It was summer, and I was lucky enough to have my own kitchen garden, so I made it straight from my own harvest.
These days I make it with whatever seasonal vegetables I find at the supermarket or, better yet, at the farmers’ market. And to this day, I’m still captivated by its simplicity and versatility — and by the way those carefully arranged vegetable slices turn this dish into edible art.
Bon appétit!
Enri
Ingredients for a Perfect Provençal Tian
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Onions
- Garlic
- Fresh rosemary
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Black pepper
- Coarse sea salt
The exact quantities are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make a Vegetable Tian Step by Step
Making this recipe is as easy as these four steps:
- Prepare the vegetables. Thinly slice the garlic, cut the onions into rings or julienne, and slice the tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash into thin rounds.
- Sauté the aromatic base. Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, add the rosemary, and sauté until wilted and fragrant.
- Assemble the tian. Arrange the vegetable slices in a shallow baking dish, alternating colors for visual contrast. Once all the slices are in place, spoon the sautéed onion and garlic mixture over the top and season with salt and black pepper.
- Bake. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Uncover toward the end and bake until the onions are golden and most of the liquid has evaporated.
FAQs
Substitutions and Variations
The beauty of a tian is its flexibility:
- If you’re short on time, skip the sauté step and layer the onions, garlic, and rosemary raw over the vegetables. Drizzle generously with olive oil and bake as directed.
- Add thin slices of small eggplant between the other vegetables.
- Include strips of red or yellow bell pepper for more color and flavor.
- Use dried herbes de Provence, or a combination of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and dried tarragon, if you don’t have fresh rosemary on hand.
- Add a layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish before assembling, for a heartier result.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs over the top when you remove the foil, for a crispy gratin finish.
Did You Know…?
The word tian refers to both the shallow ceramic dish typical of Provence and the dish cooked in it. This tradition of baking layered vegetables has its roots in the peasant cooking of southern France, where farmers made simple, nourishing preparations from whatever the kitchen garden had to offer.
Source: Larousse Gastronomique, 2009 edition.
More Mediterranean vegetable recipes
If you like this dish, be sure to try these other Mediterranean recipes:
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Provençal Tian Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced about 300 g
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary tender leaves only
- 4 ripe tomatoes thinly sliced about 500 g
- 1 medium zucchini thinly sliced about 200 g
- 1 medium yellow squash thinly sliced (about 200 g)
- Coarse sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and rosemary leaves and sauté until tender and wilted, about 5–8 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a shallow oven-safe baking dish, arrange the tomato, zucchini, and yellow squash slices in rows, alternating one slice of each color to create layers with color contrast.
- Spoon the sautéed onion, garlic, and rosemary mixture evenly over the top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, until the surface is golden and the juices have reduced.
- Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Notes
- Nutritional values are approximate and were automatically calculated by WordPress Recipe Maker. They may vary depending on the specific ingredients and brands you use.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan.
- No fresh rosemary? Use dried herbes de Provence or a mix of rosemary, thyme, and tarragon.
- Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not freeze.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @enrilemoine on Instagram and hashtag it #byenrilemoine. Thank you!
This is one of the tians I made in the past with the produce of my kitchen garden.
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