Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Vegetable Layers
- 500 g waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into 5mm rounds
- 500 g aubergine, sliced into 5mm rounds
- 400 g courgette, sliced into 5mm rounds
- 300 g red bell pepper, cored and cut into thick strips
Tomato Sauce
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic, minced
- 800 g crushed tomatoes
- 3 g dried oregano
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Finishing
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 10 g fresh basil, torn
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 268 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 940 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Potassium
- 1307 mg
- Calcium
- 117 mg
- Iron
- 5.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 82 mg
- Phosphorus
- 145 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 120 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 104 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 26 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.19 mg
- Niacin
- 2.3 mg
- Folate
- 79 mcg
- Water
- 281 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F.
Using a chef's knife or mandoline slicer on a cutting board, slice the potatoes, aubergines, and courgettes into even 5mm thick rounds. Cut the red peppers into strips.
Heat 45ml of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, and saute until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper into the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer using a wooden spoon, then reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Spread roughly one third of the thickened tomato sauce evenly across the bottom of a large baking dish.
Arrange the sliced vegetables in the baking dish. You can either layer them flat (potatoes on the bottom, followed by aubergine, peppers, and courgettes) or stand them up in alternating overlapping rows for a visually striking presentation.
Spoon the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the arranged vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining 30ml of olive oil, then cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake the covered dish in the preheated 200C/400F oven for 45 minutes to trap steam and thoroughly tenderize the root vegetables.
Carefully remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake uncovered for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top edges of the vegetables are caramelized and golden.
Remove from the oven and allow the bake to rest for 15 minutes. This lets the vegetables absorb the juices. Garnish with torn fresh basil before serving.
Chef's Notes
- While modern aubergines are bred to be less bitter, salting the slices for 20 minutes and patting them dry removes excess moisture, preventing a watery bake and concentrating their flavor.
- Always choose waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Charlotte for this recipe. They hold their structure beautifully during the long bake, whereas floury baking potatoes will disintegrate into mush.
- Consistency is the secret to a perfect layered bake. Investing in a mandoline slicer ensures every vegetable cooks at the exact same rate, eliminating the risk of crunchy potatoes next to overcooked courgettes.
- Like many stews and braises, this dish actually tastes significantly better the next day after the complex nightshade flavors and herbs have had time to meld in the refrigerator.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. Flavors will develop and improve overnight.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze in individual portions. Texture of potatoes may change slightly upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat in a 180C/350F oven until bubbling, or microwave portions until hot.
Troubleshooting
Potatoes are hard and undercooked after the full baking time.
Cause: Potato slices were too thick or the dish was not sealed tightly enough with foil during the covered baking phase.
Fix: Cover the dish tightly with foil again and return to the oven until a knife slides easily through the potatoes.
Prevention: Ensure all slices are a uniform 5mm thickness and crimp foil tightly around the edges of the dish.
The dish has too much liquid pooling at the bottom.
Cause: Aubergines and courgettes released excess moisture, or the tomato sauce was not simmered long enough to reduce.
Fix: Carefully spoon off excess liquid, or return the uncovered dish to the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Prevention: Reduce the tomato sauce until quite thick before assembling, or lightly salt the aubergine and courgette slices 20 minutes prior to draw out water.
Cultural Context
This layered vegetable dish draws heavy inspiration from classic Mediterranean preparations like the Greek Briam, French Ratatouille or Tian, and Mallorcan Tumbet. Historically, these recipes developed in rural communities as a brilliant method to utilize the abundant late-summer harvest of nightshades and squash, transforming simple, garden-grown ingredients into a rich, comforting centerpiece through the magic of slow roasting.
