Summer Veggie Tian

Chris and I are BIG fans of summer produce and like to take advantage of it as best we can.  But how many times can you have a veggie saute or grilled marinated veggies as a side and not get bored?  In my calculations that's about once a week for two weeks and then its time to get creative and switch it up!  I found this Summer Veggie Tian recipe (well a couple variations of it) on Pinterest and thought maybe this would provide the much needed switheroo.

First things first, don't get intimidated by the word "tian" it is a French word for an earthenware dish used for cooking and serving.  It is also used to describe the dish that is prepared in it which is typically a compilation of vegetables by themselves or sometimes with meat that is cooked/roasted, similar to a gratin.

Summer Vegetable Tian
(makes 4 to 6 side servings)

 Ingredients:
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Russet potato, washed, pits/eyes removed, sliced
- 2 small zucchini (1 medium or large), sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 c. - 1 c. shredded cheese blend, I used a mix of Parmesan, Asiago and Mozzarella
- 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prep your veggies by chopping the onion and garlic then thinly slice zucchini, squash, potato and tomato.
- In a pan add olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic, saute about five minutes until slightly softened.
- Spread onion and garlic mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish.

- Place the veggies vertically in the dish, alternating each kind of veggie (there's no real science to this part so just have some fun).
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme (be generous!).

- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and top with cheese mixture, place back in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

- Let cool a few minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!

This dish is so simple yet so yummy!  It really lets the taste of the veggies shine rather than covering it up with any sauce or anything.  Chris really loves this so I happily make it since its a cinch!  Like I said before it gives the much needed switch factor but nothing too labor intensive.

I'm hoping to get at least one more post up before going on mini vacation but we will see!  Stay tuned to hear about a local blogger party I'm attending this week at 16-Bit Bar & Arcade!

Cheers!
Steph