Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Zucchini Tomato Gratin is an easy side dish that’s perfect for a simple dinner, or a big holiday feast! Alternating rows of thinly-sliced zucchini, potato, and tomato are baked in olive oil, tomato sauce, and Italian seasonings. 

An Easy and Healthy Baked Veggie Recipe

When I think of a wonderful baked veggie dish (and, to be fair, I think about things like that a lot!) this one definitely stands out. It’s so simple, so beautiful, and so darn tasty. Just three vegetables, hardly any prep other than slicing them up, and into the oven they go? Awesome!

The triple colors of red, green, and white in this recipe look like the Italian flag! So it’s no wonder that the sauce here is classic tomato sauce, flavored with olive oil and Italian seasoning blend. A little more oil and seasoning is used to top the veggies, and then you cover and bake them. So easy!

Let’s dive into the recipe!

What You’ll Need

This very simple dish only needs a few ingredients. The better quality you choose, the better the overall recipe will taste! (Note: for the full recipe, including amounts and nutrition info, scroll down to the bottom of the post and check out the recipe card.)

• Tomato Sauce: You’ll need about 1 cup of plain tomato sauce. Strained tomatoes also work, and typically have fewer ingredients!
• Garlic: I like to mince up a lot of fresh garlic for this recipe—about 4 cloves. If you need to save time, you could also use about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Olive Oil: You’ll need a spoonful of oil to mix with the sauce, and a little more for drizzling.
• Italian Seasoning: Like the oil, have some for the sauce, and some to sprinkle over the veggies.
• Tomatoes: For this recipe, I use roma tomatoes, or tomatoes off the vine.
• Zucchini: Wash and cut two small zucchini into ¼-inch thick slices. You can peel the zucchini if you prefer, but it’s not necessary.
• Potatoes: For the potatoes, you can use red potatoes, white potatoes, or my favorite, Yukon gold.
• Salt and Pepper: To taste. Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Parmesan: About half a cup adds depth to this simple dish. 
• Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish.

How to Make Zucchini Tomato Gratin

This dish gets its beauty (is beauty too strong a word here? Um, no. No it’s not!) from the rows of colorful veggies, all gently overlapping.

1. Prep the Oven, and Sauce. Preheat your oven to 375˚F. In the bottom of a baking dish (2 quart in size), mix the tomato sauce with the minced garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
2. Arrange the Veggies. Arrange the sliced veggies upright, alternating between tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. Fit them tightly against one another, until the baking dish is filled. Season the veggies with more Italian seasoning, some salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, and bake for half an hour. Remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle shredded parmesan over the top of the casserole. Put the dish back into the oven, uncovered, and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender, and the casserole is bubbly.
4. Enjoy! Remove the casserole from the oven, and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.

Tips for Success

Here are my best tips and tricks for making a good zucchini tomato gratin. I hope you try this easy recipe—I’m sure you’ll love it!

• Add Onions: If you like onions, this recipe plays very well with them! You can sprinkle diced onions over the top of the casserole, add onions to the sauce, or even caramelize onions and mix them into the dish.
• Add Crunch: You can add a little crispy crunch to this dish by mixing bread crumbs or panko into the cheese when you add it. Easy!
• Cook Times May Vary: Depending on your oven and the thickness of the vegetables, this dish may take shorter or longer to cook and be tender. 

What to Serve with Zucchini Tomato Gratin

What should you serve with zucchini tomato gratin? I like to serve this dish with chicken, turkey, or pork. It also makes a great addition to a vegetarian meal! Here are some good recipes for starters:

• Chicken: My easy recipe for Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch is a hearty, down-home recipe that works well with a side of colorful zucchini gratin.
• Pork: Smothered with mushrooms and onions, Instant Pot Pork Chops are a fast and savory main course.
• Turkey: A showstopping meal that’s actually really easy to make, my Juicy Whole Roast Turkey tastes like the holidays and is perfect with zucchini gratin.

Can I Freeze Zucchini Tomato Gratin?

• Although some gratins freeze well, I don’t recommend freezing this one. Potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini all have a tendency to be watery when frozen and thawed out, so the texture would most likely be mushy!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• To refrigerate this gratin, wrap the casserole dish well with plastic wrap, or place portions in airtight food storage containers. Keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat in the oven at 375˚F until hot all the way through.

ENJOY!

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Alternating rows of thinly-sliced zucchini, potato, and tomato are baked in olive oil, tomato sauce, and Italian seasonings.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Resting Time10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: baked vegetables, zucchini tomato gratin

Servings: 8

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Katerina | Easy Weeknight Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• 3 to 4 tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch thick slices, I use roma tomatoes or tomatoes off the vine
• 2 small zucchini, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• 3 to 4 small yukon gold potatoes, cut into ⅛-inch thick slices
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375˚F.
• On the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish mix together the tomato sauce with garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
• Arrange the sliced veggies upright, alternating between tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. Fit them tightly against one another until the baking dish is filled.
• Season with remaining Italian seasoning, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
• Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the veggies.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
• Remove aluminum foil, sprinkle top with shredded parmesan, and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender and bubbly.
• Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Serve.

Notes

To cut the veggies easily, use a mandolin. Be careful, they’re sharp.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg

More Vegetarian Recipes

• Cheese Tortellini with Roasted Tomatoes
• Cheesy Zucchini and Squash Casserole
• Black Beans and Corn Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms