Baked Vegetable Tian in Tomato Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a small pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveSmall saucepan
3. 3
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
5. 5
   Add and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 6
   Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of round or oval pan, about 28 cm across and spread it in an even layer.

   Baking pan
7. 7
   Cut the vegetables, zucchini and tomatoes into ½ cm thick rounds.

   KnifeCutting board
8. 8
   Cut the pepper into wide strips.

   KnifeCutting board
9. 9
   Arrange the vegetables, zucchini, pepper and tomatoes on the sauce in tight alternating rows, the slices standing on their sides.

   Baking pan
10. 10
    Drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle with the thyme, rest of the salt and black pepper.
11. 11
    Cover with parchment paper and bake 40 minutes, then remove the paper.

    OvenBaking panParchment paper
12. 12
    Roast the vegetables, zucchini, pepper and tomatoes in a hot oven (180°C / 355°F) another 20 minutes, until the edges turn golden and the sauce is bubbling.

    ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBaking pan

    💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.