This is the best vegetable gratin recipe, and it’s a stunner! It will definitely impress your family and friends. Not only is it beautiful, it’s got amazing taste and texture.
If you’re like me, you love zucchini…but maybe you like it even better with a little added taste? That’s what this vegetable gratin recipe does…it takes fresh zucchini up a notch!
What is a Gratin?
A gratin is any baked dish with a lightly browned crust or topping. The topping is usually a combination of bread crumbs and grated cheese, and the cheese most chosen is Parmesan. Add some seasonings, a little olive oil or butter, and you have a gratin. Most of the time, what’s under the gratin are sliced vegetables or potatoes. According to the website and magazine, Bon Appétit, the most important thing to remember when making a gratin is to make your slices uniform, so they cook evenly.
It’s fun to make pretty designs with whatever potato or vegetable you are placing under your gratin. Line them up in overlapping rows, or use a round pan and make a circular pattern. That’s what I did for this vegetable gratin recipe.
Tips for the Best Vegetable Gratin Recipe
- The seasonings can be easily adjusted. For more flavor, increase the amount of salt and garlic powder.
- Substitute green onions or a sweet onion for the leek. If you can get a Vidalia onion, that would be delicious. Switching out the leek will change the flavor a bit, but it is equally as good.
- The topping tends to brown quickly, before the cooking time is over. When your topping is where you want it, just cover your dish with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent further browning.
- This vegetable gratin recipe feeds about 6 people. To decrease the number of servings, cut all the ingredients in half, and make just one layer of zucchini.
- Choose slender zucchini and squash, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches around. This is not the dish to use those giant, out-of-control garden zucchini! Save those big zucchinis for freezing and making zucchini bread.
Best Vegetable Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 leek (rinsed and sliced)
- 2 green zucchini (sliced diagonally)
- 2 yellow zucchini squash (sliced diagonally)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup fresh or panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- fresh snipped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 inch round pie pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Prepare the leek by rinsing well under cold running water. Let drain. Slice thinly.
- Cut the 4 zucchinis into diagonal slices about 3/8 inch thick.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced leek, sliced zucchini, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and 4 T. olive oil.
- Mix well with a large spoon or clean hands. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, and parsley. Set aside.
- In the prepared pie plate, arrange the zucchini in a circular pattern, overlapping the pieces. You will need two layers.
- Mix the leek in and under the layers as best you can. It will not be perfect!
- Top the zucchini layers with the bread crumb mixture.
- Drizzle with additional olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Watch closely and if topping browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve as a side dish with fish, beef, or chicken.
**If you make this recipe, I would love for you to leave a 5 star review in the comments below. If you share on Instagram or Facebook, make sure to tag @onsuttonplace so I can see what you’re making!
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying these long summer days. July is more than half over, the sun is gradually starting to set earlier, and the fireflies are here. Make sure to grant yourselves abundant grace, and treasure every day. Until next time…
