A gorgeous and delectable dish with French flair!
Prepare a new and elegant French dish straight from Julia Child’s cookbook! Her gorgeous eggplant and zucchini gratin is a delicious and healthy option. With simple vegetarian ingredients and classic flair, this traditional recipe is perfect for your next dinner party or holiday get-together. And if you think it looks good, just wait until you taste it!
A Julia Child Affair
Julia Child is the queen of French cooking, if not the queen of all celebrity chefs. Julia discovered her love of French food when she and her husband Paul moved to France, and she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. She went on to have a successful career through launching her own cooking school, authoring numerous cookbooks, and hosting tv cooking shows. Although Julia passed away in 2004, her delicious recipes will forever live on, including this eggplant and zucchini gratin recipe.
Traditional French Entree
This gratin from Julia Child is a true French classic. Gratin, meaning “by grating” or “with a crust,” in French, perfectly describes the way the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs are cooked to a delectable golden brown atop a beautiful vegetable spiral. It makes a great side dish or can be served as the main meal. Either way, the colorful dish is great for entertaining or bringing to an event when you are asked to contribute. Trust us, if you make this one, everyone will be impressed!
Classic Yet Healthy
Not only is this dish traditional and oh so beautiful, but it’s full of nutrient-rich veggies as well. Eggplant, known for its deep purple color, is full of antioxidants and fiber. Zucchini is also a vitamin-packed and fiber-rich vegetable that supports healthy digestion. Add in that heart-healthy tomato and you’ve got a vegetarian dish that’s loaded with antioxidants!
Follow Along to Make this Julia Child Classic
Make this classic eggplant and zucchini gratin in just a few steps. It is surprisingly easy, which can be a pleasant change of pace for fans of Julia Child recipes.
Prep the Vegetables
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees, greasing a baking sheet with olive oil, and preparing the vegetables. Trim off the ends of the eggplant and slice on the diagonal into ovals, about half an inch thick. One at a time, lay the slices on the sheet, press to coat lightly with oil and turn them over. Arrange the slices, oiled side up, in a single layer and sprinkle salt and herbs de Provence over them. Bake for about 15 minutes until the eggplant slices are soft and somewhat shriveled. Allow them to cool briefly. Leave the oven on if you will be baking the gratin right away.
Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut lengthwise into slices no more than one-fourth of an inch thick. Salt the zucchini and let it sit for about 15 minutes before wiping the salt and moisture off– otherwise your casserole may become too watery! Core the tomatoes and cut into slices one-fourth of an inch thick. Spread out the slices and sprinkle them lightly with a quarter teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.
Assemble the Gratin
Once your vegetables are ready, you can start assembling the gratin. Grease the baking dish well with one teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of the dried herbs all over the bottom. Lay one or two eggplant slices, lengthwise, against a narrow side of the dish. Arrange a long slice or two of zucchini in from of the eggplant, then place two or three tomato slices in front of the zucchini. Repeat until the pan is full of alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Arrange each new row of slices so the colorful top edges of the previous row are still visible.
Add the Topping
Next, prep the topping by mixing the bread crumbs, parmesan and teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, then toss and rub it in with your fingers to coat the crumbs but keep them loose. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the vegetables and drizzle the remaining oil over all.
Bake It Up
Place the dish in the center of the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, the juices are bubbling, and the top is a deep golden brown. If the crumbs need more browning you can stick them under the broiler for a few moments.
4.58 from 7 votes
Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin by Julia Child
This tasty vegetarian recipe can be served as a main course or side dish at any dinner party.
Review Recipe PIN RECIPE Print Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Yield 6 people
Serving Size
Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine Universal
Author SkinnyMs.
Review Recipe PIN RECIPE Print Recipe
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
For the Vegetables
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 eggplant large or 2 medium
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 zucchini medium, about 1 pound total
- 3 to 4 tomatoes ripe, about 1 pound total
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
For Bread Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs fresh, not too finely ground
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
For Herbs de Provence Substitute the Following Mixture
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon savory
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon mint
- 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
Preparing the Vegetables
Arrange the rack on the lower-middle level of the oven and preheat to 400. Smear a baking sheet generously with 1/3 cup of the olive oil. Trim off ends of eggplant and slice on the diagonal into ovals 1/2" thick. One at a time, lay the slices on the sheet, press to
coat lightly with oil and turn them over. Arrange the slices, oiled side up, in a single layer and sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and herbs de Provence.
Bake for about 15 minutes until the eggplant slices are soft and somewhat shriveled; allow to cool briefly. Leave the oven on if you will be baking the gratin right away. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut lengthwise into slices no more than 1/4" thick. Salt the zucchini and let it sit for about 15 minutes then wipe the salt & moisture off - otherwise your casserole can be too watery. Core the tomatoes and cut into slices 1/4" thick. Spread out the slices and sprinkle them lightly with 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.
Assembling the Gratin
Film baking dish well with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of the dried herbs all over the bottom. Lay one or two eggplant slices, lengthwise, against a narrow side of the dish.
Arrange a long slice or two of zucchini in from of the eggplant, then place 2 or 3 tomato slices in front of the zucchini. Repeat until the pan is full of alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Arrange each new row of slices so the colorful top edges of the previous row are still visible.
Topping and Baking
Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan and teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, then toss and rub it in with your fingers to coat the crumbs but keep them loose.
Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the vegetables and drizzle remaining oil overall.
Place dish in center of oven and bake for 40 minutes until vegetables are soft, the juices are bubbling, and the top is a deep golden brown. If the crumbs need more browning you can stick them under the broiler for a few moments.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 549mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 9
Keywords Vegetarian
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