Mediterranean vegetable tian is a delicious traditional French dish of baked aubergines (eggplant), courgettes (zucchini), onions and tomatoes with garlic and herbs.

At this time of year, our organic vegetable box almost always contains aubergines (eggplant) and courgettes (zucchini). This means I’m always looking for new ways to use them.

A few weeks ago I made a Mediterranean Friday night feast, when some friends joined us for Shabbat dinner in our garden. Inspired by numerous summer vegetable bakes and stews, like ratatouille, caponata, and briám, I layered the sliced vegetables on a bed of tomato sauce, and baked in a hot oven.

It was only later that I realised I’d actually made a Mediterranean vegetable tian!

Serving spoon about to take a spoonful of Mediterranean vegetable tian from its baking dish.

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What is a tian?

Tian is the name of an oval earthenware cooking pot traditionally used in the Provence region of France. Many dishes cooked inside such a pot also bear the name tian.

As time has passed, the name has continued to be associated with the contents of the pot, regardless of what it is cooked in. So now, you can happily cook a Mediterrean vegetable tian in any kind of a pot!

The cooked sort of tian (as opposed to the earthenware kind) usually consists of sliced vegetables, with herbs and olive oil, baked to perfection. Tians are sometimes topped with melted cheese, but it’s not essential. As you see below, this Mediterranean vegetable tian is purely plant-based – and very delicious!

Overhead image of a raw vegetable tian in an oval pottery dish, assembled and ready to bake.

Ingredients in a Mediterranean vegetable tian

I used the aubergines (eggplant) and courgettes (zucchini) from my veg box, together with some baby plum tomatoes, and fresh herbs from the garden.

I arranged the sliced vegetables on a layer of quick tomato sauce, simply made by combining tomato puree with a little water and a shake of dried oregano.

To make this delicious Mediterranean vegetable tian yourself, you will simply need:

aubergine (eggplant)
courgette (zucchini)
onion – I’ve made this with both red onion and white onion, and both were delicious. Use whichever you have on hand
baby plum tomatoes – or use cherry tomatoes, or small vine tomatoes (you can even leave them on the vine, and it looks lovely!)
fresh rosemary – or whatever fresh herbs you like, such as thyme, marjoram or hyssop (za’atar)
tomato puree
garlic
dried oregano (optional)
olive oil

Two aubergines (eggplant), two courgettes (zucchini), an onion, some cherry tomatoes on the vine, two cloves of garlic and a small dish of dried herbs, all on a white chopping board.

How to make a Mediterranean vegetable tian

I love this kind of dish which is easy to put together but looks the business when it come out of the oven!

Assembling a Mediterranean vegetable tian is very simple. First, mix tomato puree with a little water to make a sauce and spread it over the bottom of your baking dish.

Next, slice the vegetables, then arrange them vertically in rows in the dish. Continue until the dish is filled and all the vegetables are used up.

Brush the tops of the slices with olive oil, then top with cherry tomatoes and sprigs of fresh herbs.

Steps in making Mediterranean vegetable tian - 1. spread tomato puree mixture over the bottom of the baking dish, 2. slice the vegetables, 3. layer the vegetables vertically in the dish, on top of the tomato puree layer, 4. continue until the dish is filled, 5. brush the top with olive oil, 6. place tomatoes and herbs on top of the vegetables.

Then, simply cover with foil and bake! Remove the foil for the last part of cooking so that the top can get nicely browned.

Other Mediterranean vegetable dishes

This type of baked vegetable dish is popular around the Mediterranean basin and beyond, so as I mentioned, there are many variations.

My vegetable tian is similar to ratatouille, although that dish usually also includes red peppers. The fancier confit byaldi is a modern spin on ratatouille, which replaces the peppers with mushrooms.

The Greek briám is a substantial baked dish of aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes, but with the addition of sliced potatoes. It is served as a main dish or alongside other foods.

Spanish Escalivada includes roasted aubergines, peppers, tomatoes and onions, but misses out the courgettes. It is a traditional dish in Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Aragón. Escalivada is usually served ‘tapas style’ or with fish or other ingredients in a salad.

So many delicious options! You can use this recipe as a starting point then take inspiration from any of its cousins to create something uniquely fabulous.

Overhead image of a serving of vegetable tian with quinoa on a white plate, and the serving dish and spoon to one side.

A healthy, colourful side dish

I love this Mediterranean vegetable tian, because not only does it look gorgeous and taste amazing, it’s also pretty healthy.

It contains four different vegetables, so makes a great contribution towards your five-a-day. All contain plenty of dietary fibre. And aubergines and courgettes are also good sources of potassium, which is important for healthy muscle function.

Aubergines are a good source of vitamins B1 and B6, as well as magnesium and other trace elements.

Tomatoes and tomato puree are both excellent sources of lycopene. This antioxidant has a host of benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.

This tasty dish is also low in fat, containing only 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the whole dish. That’s just 3g of fat per serving!

Close up image of a baked Mediterranean vegetable tian topped with cherry tomatoes on the vine.

What to serve with summer vegetable tian

As I mentioned, I originally served this dish as part of a Mediterranean Friday night feast.

Also on the menu were:

Greek lemon potatoes
Spinach and mushroom puff pastry plait
Delicious chopped vegetable salad
Pita bread
Crumbled feta to sprinkle over everything!

I also put together a selection of readymade mezze including humous, olives, assorted dips and stuffed vine leaves.

On other occasions, this Mediterranean vegetable tian has been my family’s main dish, simply served with rice, couscous or quinoa – as shown in the photos.

If your family is not as willing as mine when it comes to entirely plant-based meals, you can also serve a piece of grilled fish, some strips of fried halloumi, or the protein of your choice alongside.

Overhead image of a white plate containing quinoa topped with roasted tomatoes and a serving of vegetable tian.

A veg box victory

I don’t always know what to do with the contents of our organic veg box. However next time we get courgettes and aubergines, they’re going straight in a vegetable tian! YUM!

Mediterranean vegetable tian - a delicious baked dish of fresh vegetables with tomatoes and herbs.

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