This gratin is layered with four kinds of vegetables- onion, tomato, zucchini and yellow squash. It’s topped with Parmesan and fresh thyme, and it’s baked until golden brown on top.
What is a Gratin?
Simply said, a “gratin” is a dish that has been given a browned topping. It’s made in a low-lying dish, usually with some sort of vegetable. And it can be topped with breadcrumbs or cheese or a combination of both. The result after baking is that the dish has obtained a browned topping. That being said, you’ll see a lot of potato gratin recipes, and you will also spot recipes for gratin that are made with various kinds of vegetables.
How to make a Summer Gratin:
You’ll begin by doing a little bit of stove-top cooking. The onions are sauteed with olive oil and garlic until browned and a bit caramelized. Then you can assemble your gratin. Simply layer tomatoes, yellow squash and zucchini. Cheese and fresh thyme are sprinkled between layers along the way. The whole thing is topped with more cheese and fresh thyme. About an hour in the oven, and you’ll end up with a wonderful summer vegetable side dish.
In this close-up photo, you can see how the cheese pulls everything together. It becomes nice and crusty on top, connecting that wonderful flavor of fresh thyme with the vegetables.
Best things to serve with a Summer Gratin:
This is a beautiful recipe to serve with something you’ve made on the grill. If you decide to do this, then the Gratin will be the only thing made in the oven. I suggest Grilled Lemon Mustard Chicken or Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary. If you have more than one oven, consider serving the Summer Gratin with something like Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Merlot- Shallot Sauce or Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd.
Can this recipe be prepared ahead?
This recipe is a good one to make earlier in the day and then put in the oven when it’s time to prepare dinner. It’s not a good one to bake ahead of time to be re-heated later. I fear that the ingredients will become a bit to soggy if it’s baked ahead and then re-heated for your meal. Leftovers re-heated should be totally fine. It just won’t be as intact and wonderful as it will be when coming directly out of the oven.
Here are a few more gratin recipes you might like to try:
Roasted Butternut Squash Gratin Cheesy Summer Squash Gratin Potatoes au Gratin Potato-Leek Gratin with Vermont Cheddar Mushroom and Potato Gratin Cauliflower au Gratin Broccoli Gratin with Mustard-Cheese Streusel
