I participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program (see details on my Bracco Farms CSA experience) where the basic idea is that a farmer grows for a group of members who have purchased “shares” in the harvest. Every two weeks, I get a box full of incredibly-fresh, organic, non-GMO produce that I’ve been having a lot of fun cooking with.

Last week, I received three beautiful summer squashes that were gigantic in size. I decided to make a completely meat-free dish with them to help celebrate #MeatlessMonday.

A vegetable tian can really incorporate a wide variety of fresh produce….tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, squashes, eggplants…the list goes on. This version is very simple – onions, squashes and yellow tomatoes from my garden. With just a grating of Parmesan at the end of the cooking process, this tian can be served on its own as a light dish or with a salad, piece of fish/chicken/meat.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2. 1 medium onion, thinly-sliced
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 1 large yellow squash, thinly-sliced
5. 1 green squash, thinly-sliced
6. 2 large tomatoes, thinly-sliced
7. ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and oregano
8. 2 Tbsp. olive oil
9. 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. You could use any shaped oven-proof dish here.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil then add the onion. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic to the cooked onion and continue sautéing for an additional minute. Place the onion-garlic mixture on the bottom of the pie plate.
4. Arrange the squashes and tomato slices in a spiral pattern over the onions and garlic, alternating between each vegetable.
5. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and oregano over the vegetables then drizzle with the olive oil. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the dish from the oven, turn the broiler on high and sprinkle the Parmesan over the vegetables. Place the dish under the broiler for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have browned. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for two minutes, then serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.