Diane's Food Blog

I’m not gonna lie: I’m not a huge fan of zucchini. At least, I wasn’t. This recipe converted me. I literally cannot stop eating it, and as soon as one batch is gone I’ve got another one in the works. I even converted my husband, who turned his nose up at first but agreed to try “just one bite.” He proceeded to go back for seconds and thirds.

The recipe first caught my eye when I was looking for a way to enjoy fresh zucchini without having to make breads and cakes with it. I was thumbing through Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune: A Cookbook when I saw this recipe and thought it was worth a try. I wish I could explain why it’s so amazing, but I can’t: it’s just an extraordinary example of the culinary magic that occurs when using simple, fresh and in-season ingredients.

 Zucchini Tian
2 small potatoes, peeled
2½ pounds mixed zucchini/summer squash
1 large red onion
2 fresh tomatoes (peeled, if desired)
¾ cup bread crumbs (not panko)
3-4 tablespoons melted butter
½ to ¾ cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Dutch oven or other heavy, round casserole dish (don’t use cast iron unless it’s enameled)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, thinly slice potatoes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes into rounds (about 1/8” to almost 1/4” thick) and thinly slice red onion into half rings.

Add a few tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven (enough to generously coat the bottom), and arrange all of the potato slices in a concentric, overlapping shingle pattern, starting along the outside and working toward the middle. Season with a pinch of salt and place in oven for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes start to turn translucent and bubble and the edges are lightly browned. Do not completely brown them or they will blacken later.

In the same concentric, overlapping pattern layer the zucchini on top of the cooked potatoes; drizzle about 2-3 teaspoons olive oil over it and season with salt and pepper. Next, create a layer of summer squash, seasoning again with 2-3 teaspoons olive oil, then salt and pepper. Add a layer of the red onion, seasoning again with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Repeat the layers of zucchini, squash and onion until everything is used up, seasoning each layer with olive oil, salt and pepper. Press down in the middle from time to time to prevent “doming.” (Be sure to check the Step by Step Details below for a passable shortcut!)

Top with a concentric, overlapping layer of sliced tomatoes. Top generously with bread crumbs and drizzle butter all over.

Bake for 3 hours and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe from chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune.
Yield: approximately 12 8-ounce servings

Step by Step Details

Buy an assortment of zucchini and summer squash varieties.

Start by getting everything sliced. I used my mandolin on the thickest setting, which got everything just under 1/4” thick. Any thinner and it can get a little mushy. Slice each vegetable and place in separate bowls.

Pour 2-3 tablespoons olive oil into the baking dish and arrange all of the potato slices in a concentric, overlapping pattern, kind of like shingles, starting along the outside and working toward the middle; season with a pinch of salt (about half of 1/8 teaspoon). (Note that I now slice my potatoes thicker than these.)

Place in oven for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes start to turn translucent and bubble and the edges are lightly browned. Do not let them get too browned or they will blacken later.

In the same concentric, overlapping pattern layer the zucchini on top of the cooked potatoes; drizzle with about 2-3 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (I mixed my salt and pepper together and used about 1/4 teaspoon on every layer.)

Next, create a layer of summer squash, seasoning again with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Add a layer of the red onion, seasoning again with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Repeat the layers of zucchini, squash and onion until everything is used up, seasoning each layer with olive oil, salt and pepper. Press down in the middle from time to time to prevent “doming.”

SPOILER ALERT: There’s an easier way to make this, and it’s every bit as delicious! Once when I was pinched for time I “cheated” and just combined all the sliced zucchini, squash and red onion into a giant bowl and tossed it with a good amount of EVOO.

Then I added it to the cooked potatoes in the Dutch oven, in about 3-4 different layers, and salt-and-peppered each one. Doing it this way saves time but makes the pile of veggies taller, so be sure to press down each layer as much as possible.

Next, regardless if you followed the concentric layering or the “dump” cheat, top with a concentric, overlapping layer of sliced tomatoes.

Top generously with the bread crumbs and drizzle the butter all over.

Bake for 3 hours. Really. I know it seems like way too long, but the one time I tried a shorter bake time, it just didn’t have the full flavor it did before. Trust me on this. It will compress down as it bakes, leaving behind some really tasty brown bits clinging to the side.

Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. It needs this time to settle and allow the flavors to meld. To serve, slice into fourths and carefully remove the first fourth.

Cut each fourth into two or three pieces to serve.

Don’t worry if it all topples over. Garnish it with an edible flower and no one will care. It will still taste just as delicious!

To store leftovers, or if making ahead, allow to cool completely before refrigerating.

TIP: The tian is even better after a day or two, so it’s a great make-ahead dish!