Enjoy the flavors of Provence with this classic French dish - a simple yet delicious Provencal Vegetable Tian. Serve it hot or cold, as a main dish or side.
Although we have yet to officially enter into autumn I can already start to feel its tug. Soon the days will shorten, the nights get cooler, and pumpkin lattes will be back in full force; but for now summer vegetables are still plentiful and I plan of taking advantage of them while I can.
A Provençal tian has been my go-to lately. It’s the perfect dish to transition us from summer to fall, the vegetables feel summery but the dish is hearty and comforting like fall.
What is a Tian?
A tian is both the name of a dish hailing from the Provence region of France as well as the actual casserole dish that it’s cooked in. It's made by tightly packing sliced vegetables into a low sided dish which is then baked in the oven until tender. It can be served as either a main or side dish and is good hot or cold.
A tian Provençal is a traditional French recipe that really captures the essence of the type of food you’ll find in Provence; simple, rustic and filled with fresh, seasonal vegetables and flavorful herbs. It is not however ratatouille which is an entirely different dish made with similar ingredients. (You can thank the Pixar movie “Ratatouille” for the confusion!)
It’s also easier to make than you’d think, just slice, stack, cover and bake.
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Tomato Sauce – The vegetables in a tian are baked on a layer of tomato sauce to keep them from drying out. Use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce.
- Garlic and Olive Oil– It wouldn’t be Provencal cooking without garlic and olive oil!
- Olives – Finely chopped olives are added to the tomato sauce base for extra flavor. I like Kalamata but you can use your favorite black olives.
- Herbes de Provence – This is a special blend of herbs that’s frequently used in Provence and gives the dish its classic flavor.
- Tomatoes – Vine tomatoes are best but Romas will also do. Don’t waste your money on heirlooms here.
- Potatoes – You can use either new potatoes or Yukon golds here but avoid Russets which will fall apart. You can also substitute eggplant if you’d prefer.
- Zucchini – Medium sized zucchini are best, avoid large zucchini as they are spongy and have too many seeds.
- Fresh Thyme – A few sprigs of fresh thyme adds a nice finishing touch to the tian but you can also use dried.
How to Make a Vegetable Tian:
Slicing and arranging the vegetables is really the only work involved in making a tian. Unlike in a gratin, in a tian vegetables are thinly sliced, alternated in rows then stacked upright rather than layered horizontally into a baking dish, before being drizzled with oil and slowly cooked until tender and melting throughout. (There’s also no cream sauce or breadcrumb topping.)
- You start by covering the bottom of your pan with the tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil and olives.
- Next you’ll thinly slice your vegetables and stack them in upright rows until the dish is filled. A drizzle of olive oil and a few fresh thyme leaves across the top and it’s ready to go into the oven.
- The whole dish is covered with foil for the first half of the cooking time to trap in moisture and ensure even baking and uncovered for the last half to allow for browning.
What you’ll end up with is a fragrant, bubbling dish of perfectly seasoned vegetables that can be served either warm or at room temperature and tastes just as delicious if not better reheated the next day. It’s an easy and delicious way to make summer last just a little bit longer on our plates.
Variations:
- Add or substitute eggplant slices for the potatoes.
- Garnish with fresh basil and/or parsley after baking.
- Omit the olives from the tomato sauce if you’d prefer.
- For a non-vegan version add a few crumbles of goat cheese over the top before serving.
More Recipes From Provence:
French Vegetable Tian (Tian Provençal)
Enjoy the flavors of Provence with this classic French dish - a simple yet delicious Provencal Vegetable Tian. Serve it hot or cold as a main dish or side.
Ingredients
For the tomato layer:
- ¾ cup/ 180ml tomato sauce
- 3 small cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced Kalamata olives
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the vegetables:
- 3-4 small vine tomatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick)
- 3-4 new potatoes (or small yukon golds), cut in half and thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick)
- 3-4 small zucchini, thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick)
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛th teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and stems discarded
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In the bottom of about a 1 ½ quart baking dish mix together tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, chopped olives, herbes de Provence and salt. (If your tomato sauce is very thick you may need to thin it out with a Tablespoon or two of water until a loose consistency is achieved.)
- Arrange sliced vegetables, alternating as you go on top of the tomato sauce in rows, fitting them tightly against one another until the dish is completely filled. Season with salt and pepper, scatter thyme on top and drizzle with remaining oil.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool slightly on wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Variations:
Add or substitute eggplant slices for the potatoes.
Garnish with fresh basil and/or parsley after baking.
Omit the olives from the tomato sauce.
Add goat cheese over the top before serving.
Storage:
Leftovers can be covered refrigerated and reheated in the oven the following day or served cold.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free
(For Paleo replace potato slices with eggplant.)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 528mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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