One-Skillet Zucchini, Tomato and Cheese Gratin

Hello my friends and welcome to June!!! After a very rainy and cold holiday weekend, I couldn’t be any more ready for warm sunny days and dishes that scream summer, like this One-Skillet Zucchini, Tomato and Cheese Gratin.

I have a serious thing for gratins—there are so many of them on the site here that I’m kinda thinking I should create a whole category for them. Most recently I shared this irresistible Zucchini Gratin (no fear, this one is miles away from the one I’m sharing today), then there’s this Potato-Onion Gratin, Orange & Yellow Potato Gratin, Gruyére, Sweet Potato and Pecan Gratin, Savory Sweet Potato and Greens Gratin, Swiss Chard, Tomato and Bean Gratin, Swiss Chard Corn Gratin and this Butternut Squash and Spinach Gratin. Houston, we may have a little problem here, but what’s a gratin-loving girl to do?

Share another one of course, so let’s dive right into the delicious layers of this gorgeous looking one-skillet version today!

You start by toasting slices of a crusty baguette onto which you drizzle a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper so that the bread bakes up golden, crispy and full of flavor.

Next you sauté a generous amount of zucchini and red onion with a little broth and heavy cream for good measure

And then the layering begins—right in the same skillet you sauté the veggies in, which makes for an easy cleanup!

Basically, all that happens next is a lasagne-like layering of toasted baguette slices, cheese, veggie mixture and a final topping of sliced tomatoes and more cheese (of course).

Now the whole shebang just gets popped into the oven where it bakes up all gooey and cheesy and crusty and golden brown and YUM!!!

It is seriously delish and so right for now!

I recently served it along with this baked egg dish for a light warm-weather dinner and it was pretty much devoured but it could absolutely just be the main course along with a nice green salad. Vegetarian heaven!!

Sweet juicy tomatoes, tender zucchini and red onion, crunchy toasted baguette and lots and lots of gooey, melted cheese—

One bite and I’m pretty sure you’ll be making this on repeat all zucchini-and-tomato-season long! Fingers crossed the weather warms up soon!!!!

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One-Skillet Zucchini, Tomato and Cheese Gratin

Makes 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Bake Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• One 8 ounce fresh baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 4 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces

• 1 large red onion, cut into ½ inch pieces

• ½ cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• Generous 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Trader Joe’s Swiss & Gruyére mix)

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 2-3 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch thick slices

• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the slices of bread on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle ¼ cup of the oil over them, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-8 minutes, until the bread is golden and crisp. Set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

2. In a large oven-safe skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the zucchini and onion. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring a bit, just until the zucchini begins to get tender, 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add ¼ cup of the chicken broth and the cream and bring to a simmer, cooking for a few minutes, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Transfer half of the mixture to a plate.

3. Spread out the remaining zucchini in a even layer in the skillet and sprinkle with about ¼ cup of the shredded cheese (you can totally eyeball it and not measure) and a couple of tablespoons of the Parmesan. Top that with a layer of the toasted bread slices and then spread the remaining zucchini mixture over that evenly. Sprinkle with another ¼ cup of the shredded cheese and a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan and now start to add a layer of tomatoes, alternating with the remaining bread slices, to make a sort of concentric circle (don’t worry, this is supposed to be rustic). Sprinkle the top evenly with all of the remaining cheese and drizzle the top all over with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Carefully pour the remaining ¼ cup broth around the edges and top of the skillet.

4. Bake the skillet for about 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the zucchini mixture is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine. I cut the thyme and used more zucchini, bread and cheese.