Briami - Greek Vegetable Casserole
Submitted by RIngham
Briami is a Greek oven-roasted vegetable casserole with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and peppers in a garlicky tomato sauce. Vegetarian, naturally vegan, and packed with Mediterranean flavor.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
60 minREADY
110 minEvery Greek yiayia has her own version of briami, and every single one of them will tell you hers is the best.
This is Greece’s answer to ratatouille. Chunky eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and peppers get sautéed in olive oil, then baked under a blanket of fresh tomato sauce until everything is meltingly tender and soaked through with garlic.
The vegetables collapse into each other in the oven, creating something that’s somehow more than the sum of its parts.
Serve it warm with crusty bread to mop up the juices and a slab of salty feta on the side. That’s lunch in the Greek islands right there.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t peel the eggplant or zucchini. The skins hold everything together during the long bake and add color to the dish.
- Sauté the vegetables in small batches so they actually brown instead of steaming in a crowded pan. This builds flavor.
- A pinch of sugar in the tomato sauce balances acidity, especially if your tomatoes aren’t perfectly ripe.
- This tastes even better the next day. The flavors meld overnight, and it’s just as good served at room temperature as it is hot.
Variations
- Toss in chickpeas for extra protein to make it a heartier main course.
- Add a layer of crumbled feta on top during the last 15 minutes of baking for a salty, golden crust.
- Swap potatoes for sweet potatoes for a slightly sweeter, more caramelized version.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables: Cut the eggplant, zucchini and potatoes in bite sized chunks (do not peel the zucchini or the eggplant).
Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and slice them into strips.
Peel and slice the onions.
Dice the tomatoes.
Sauté the vegetables except the tomatoes in the olive oil in small batches.
Saut’ each batch for 2 or 3 minutes, then remove from the pan, trying to drain some of the oil so that enough oil is left for the next batch.
When you’re done, most (if not all) of the oil should be gone from the pan.
Place the sautéed vegetables in a baking dish and toss them briefly so that you won’t get only one kind of vegetable in one place.
Add the tomatoes into the pan and saut’ for a couple of minutes.
Crush the garlic and add to the tomatoes.
Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another minute.
Pour the tomato sauce on top of the vegetables and bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 60 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Serve with plenty of fresh bread and, if you like, some feta cheese on the side.
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