How to gratin vegetables

Gratinating vegetables allows us to transform them from sad side dishes into satisfying appetizers or mouth-watering main courses: here’s how to proceed.

Raise your hand if you can resist some steaming gratin vegetables on your plate with their golden, crunchy coating and their inebriating aroma. Grating vegetables is a cooking method appreciated all over the world that involves the use of ingredients such as cheese, breadcrumbs, some aromatic herbs and oil or butter to create an irresistible coating on the surface of courgettes, peppers, broccoli & Co.

Grating not only improves flavor, but also transforms vegetables into a visually appealing dish, perfect for any occasion, from family lunches to special dinners. Doing it is not difficult, but some tricks can be useful: let’s find out how to best gratin vegetables with the tips collected below.

What is meant by gratinating?

Gratin is a technique that involves covering a food with a layer that can consist of cheese, breadcrumbs or a mixture of both. This coating is then cooked under a grill or in the oven until a golden, crispy surface is obtained. The term “gratinare” derives from the French “gratin,” which means “gratinated” and refers, in fact, to the crust gained by the food at the end of cooking. Crispy and tasty.

How to gratin vegetables

For a perfect gratin, first prepare the vegetables by cutting them into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking. You can opt for artichokes , fennel and potatoes , cauliflower , asparagus , but also courgettes, peppers, aubergines, broccoli and much more. You can pre-steam them or boil them lightly until they become tender but not excessively soft.

In the meantime, pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl, adding salt, pepper and oil as well as various aromas that go well with the chosen vegetable. Once you have arranged the vegetables in the baking dish, sprinkle them with the mixture and finish with a generous dose of oil before baking.

Zuchinis

Place a bowl with breadcrumbs on the work surface. Season with salt and pepper and add the aromatic herbs. In this case, some parsley and basil. Add a drizzle of oil, mix well to mix the flavors as best as possible, then collect the mixture with a spoon and spread it over the courgettes , which you will have cut into slices of the same thickness. Drizzle again with a drizzle of oil before transferring to the oven. Cooking times (also for the following variants) amount to 25 minutes in a hot oven at 180°C. This same breading can also be used successfully with tomatoes.

Eggplant

Also for the aubergines , prepare a bowl with breadcrumbs on the work surface. Season with salt and add freshly grated lemon zest (only the white part, to avoid a bitter taste). Transfer the mixture onto the aubergine slices and finish with a generous drizzle of oil before transferring to the oven.

Peppers

Let’s move on to the gratin peppers , the preparation of which does not differ much from the previous ones. Place the usual container with the breadcrumbs on the work surface and season with salt. Add some chopped chili and oil, then mix well. Pour onto the sliced ​​peppers, with the inside facing upwards.

How many calories do gratin vegetables have?

The number of calories per portion obviously depends both on the vegetable used and on the composition of the breading, in particular, on the proportion of cheese and breadcrumbs, if both are used. The amount of fat used also has an impact. Vegetables themselves are relatively low in calories, but adding the above ingredients can significantly increase the calorie content of the dish. Generally speaking, an average portion of around 200 grams provides approximately 160 calories.