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A simple recipe for Tomato Zucchini Gratin with breadcrumbs, garlic parmesan and fresh basil. A quick and easy vegetarian side dish that cozy and warming.
Tomato Zucchini Gratin is all about honoring fresh garden abundance.
It is hard to beat the perfection of tomatoes, garlic and basil. So simple to throw together and a complimentary side dish for many meals.
What is a gratin?
A gratin is basically a baked dish topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese. This Tomato Zucchini Gratin is an elegant and simple way to honor end-of-summer garden tomatoes and to use up more of the ever-abundant zucchini.
Garlic, shallots and herbs elevate the savory flavors while the breadcrumbs add a crunchy texture.
Hand tearing bread makes it craggy- giving the olive oil, herbs and cheese more to hang on to, but a quick pulse in the food processor will yield sufficient results as well.
Toast the bread crumbs for 3-5 minutes.
And of course, you can use left-over sourdough bread for the breadcrumbs!
Toss the hand-torn bread crumbs with olive oil, parmesan and herbs. We highly recommend the sharp tangy Parmigiano Reggiano but of course, many other kinds of cheese will work just as beautifully.
Layer the zucchini and tomato slices in a baking pan and top with the seasoned bread crumbs and place in a 400 oven for about 20 minutes.
The tomatoes are quickly cooked in the oven heightening their succulent flavor, yet not breaking down their structure too much.
The vegetarian gratin makes a perfect vegetable side dish for dinner, pairing nicely with most grilled or roasted fish and meat. The tomato gratin is also a beautiful addition to brunch with poached eggs or to serve with steamed greens and wild rice for lunch or a light dinner.
Have a great weekend!
More recipes you might like!
- Rustic Zucchini Tian
- 25 Vegan & Vegetarian Side Dishes
- Baked Zucchini with Garlicky Parmesan Breadcrumbs
- Grilled Zucchini with Zaatar, Garlic and Labneh
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups with Spinach & Basil

Tomato Zucchini Gratin
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple recipe for Tomato Zucchini Gratin with breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic and fresh basil. A quick and easy vegetarian side dish!
Ingredients
- 3 slices (3 oz) bread
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 oz (3/4 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 2 lbs tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick (4-5 medium tomatoes)
- 1 lb zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick ( 2 medium zucchini)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh Basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Hand tear bread to form coarse crumbs (or quickly pulse in food processor). Place on a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes, until dried out.
- Toss toasted bread, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parmesan together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Alternate tomato and zucchini slices in a shallow baking pan.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk together remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and shallot. Pour over tomatoes and squash.
- Top evenly with bread crumb mixture.
- Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasty.
- Tear basil leaves on top and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 181
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 390.1 mg
- Fat: 11.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.9 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 6.1 mg
Keywords: tomato gratin, zucchini gratin, gratin recipe, tomato zucchini gratin, how to make a gratin
We’re out of red wine vinegar, unfortunately. Is it okay to use balsamic instead?
I bet that will be yummy!
The flavors and textures of this dish are lovely. It has gotten rave reviews. I’ve made it twice so far, and have found that the zucchini cooks better if sliced thinner than 1/4 inch and when cooked for 25 minutes.
★★★★★
Ok good to know- thanks for pinting this out!
Made it using halved cherry Tomatoes. Super popular, great dish
★★★★★
Cherry tomatoes, yum!!
This dish was amazing. Everyone raved about how good it was. Only had a single helping leftover. The next day I added some cheddar cheese and it was gone.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed this one Marilyn!
You didn’t add squash to the ingredients list. ;-; I didn’t get the squash ;-; I don’t have squash in my meal ;-; oof. No worries next time I’ll just add a mental note also how much squash would I need
Hi Jessica- the zucchini is the squash here. 😉
This turned out so good! A keeper. Thanks Tonia!
★★★★★
so glad you liked it!
This was packed with flavor! I loved it!
★★★★★
wonderful, thanks Sheryl!