Greek Vegetable Casserole
Submitted by dwill1947
Greek briam-style vegetable casserole with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes baked in olive oil. A rustic Mediterranean bake served with feta and bread.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
1 hrsCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsBriam is Greece’s answer to ratatouille: a big, generous pan of seasonal vegetables sautéed in olive oil, topped with a fresh tomato-garlic sauce, and baked until everything is soft and melded. Eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, bell peppers, and onions all get equal treatment.
Sautéing the vegetables in small batches before baking is extra work but worth it. Each batch gets 2 to 3 minutes of direct heat that caramelizes the surfaces and builds flavor you can’t get from just throwing raw vegetables into a dish.
The tomato sauce is simple: diced fresh tomatoes sautéed briefly with crushed garlic, a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity, and salt and pepper. Poured over the vegetables, it ties everything together during baking.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t peel the eggplant or zucchini. The skins hold the pieces together during baking and add color.
- Toss the sautéed vegetables together in the baking dish so each area has a mix. Clustering one vegetable together means uneven cooking.
- Drain excess oil between batches so you don’t end up with a greasy casserole. The vegetables absorb a lot of oil.
- Serve with crusty bread and crumbled feta on the side. The bread soaks up the tomato-olive oil juices.
Variations
- Add a layer of sliced tomatoes on top before baking for a ratatouille-like presentation.
- Toss in chickpeas for added protein to make it a complete meal.
- Scatter fresh oregano or thyme over the top before serving for a more aromatic finish.
Ingredients
Directions
(1) 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.
(2) Sauté the vegetables except the tomatoes in the olive oil in small batches.
Sauté 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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.
(5) Pour the tomato sauce on top of the vegetables and bake at 350℉ (180℃) until the vegetables are tender.
(6) Serve with plenty of fresh bread and, if you like, some feta cheese on the side.
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