Colorful Gratin
Why You´ll Love This Colorful Gratin?
- it´s very easy to make
- it´s very decorative
- it´s healthy
- it can be eaten as a side or main dish
- it´s versatile- you can omit some or incorporate some other veggies
What Makes This Colorful Gratin so Healthy?
Zucchini– other than being tasty and versatile they also have a lot of health benefits. They are rich in vitamins A and C, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium, and many more. Zucchinis are also a great choice for everyone looking to lose weight. They contain a lot of water which makes you feel fuller and eat less, and are very low in calories. In addition to all these benefits, they are also rich in fiber and antioxidants. If you are looking for more tasty zucchini recipes, check out my Zucchini Carrot Salad.
Tomatoes- where to start with tomatoes? Other than being a great source of fiber and antioxidants, tomatoes have a couple more things to offer. They have high levels of vitamins C, K1, and B9, and a lot of minerals, the most important of which being Potassium. Tomatoes are also very low in calories and versatile, making them a valuable asset to a healthy and nutritious diet.
Potatoes- potatoes often undeservedly get pushed out of the "healthy food" category. Even though they often get used in the fast food industry, that doesn´t mean that potatoes have nothing good to offer. On the contrary, potatoes bring a lot of benefits to the table and there is no reason to avoid them. They contain high amounts of C and B6, as well as minerals like Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, and many others.
Onion- if you ask me, there is no good dish without onions. But their versatility and the ability to make every meal better is not their biggest strength. That´s right, they are also incredibly healthy. Onions are a great source of antioxidants, vitamins B and C, Potassium, and many other vitamins and minerals.
Which Tomatoes should I Use For This Healthy Gratin?
If you put a high value on the appearance, you should choose vegetables of the same or similar diameter. Meaning, that if your potatoes and zucchini are small, you should use small tomatoes as well, like romana or cherry tomatoes. I didn´t care that much so I used big tomatoes and I just halved the slices. I think it still looks charming, though :)
- 500 grams potatoes (mine were really small. If you are using bigger potatoes, you might want to use more)
- 4 small zucchinis
- 4 average-sized tomatoes (you can also use romana tomatoes. In that case you don´t have to cut the slices in half)
- 1 onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 100 grams Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Cut your vegetables into ca 0.5 cm thick slices. If all of your veggies are more or less the same diameter, cutting them into slices will be enough. If some of your veggies are significantly bigger than the rest (like my tomatoes and onion for example), cut the slices additionally into halves.
Put sliced zucchini and potatoes into the bowl, add olive oil and seasoning (basil, oregano, salt, and pepper), and stir until the veggies are covered in oil and seasoning.
Arrange the vegetables into the greased casserole dish as you can see in the photo: potatoe-zucchini-tomatoe. Once you are done, arrange the sliced onion so that it´s equally distributed in the dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, cover in foil, and bake for ca 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.