This Grilled Layered Vegetable Torte is a wonderful recipe for entertaining or great for family meals! It can be made earlier in the day & then just put it in the oven to warm slightly. It can be served hot or at room temperature.
This tasty Grilled Layered Vegetable Torte takes a little time. You must grill or roast the vegetables well before assembling them. Ultimately, you want the vegetables to melt together. Grilling gives the vegetables a hint of smokiness.
Eggplant, summer squash, bell peppers, and mushrooms are easy to grill. I’ve added layers of caramelized onions, cooked spinach, and lightly cooked tomato. This recipe is a set of loose guidelines.
The assembly is fun. Start with eggplant, which provides a nice base, then add the other vegetables in repeating layers, being sure to press down a bit with a spatula to keep the torte compact.
If you don’t have fresh basil, use thyme or oregano, but in any case, get some fresh herbs in there. Finally, top the Torte with bread crumbs and Parmesan — not a thick, gooey layer, but enough to season the crumbs and create a crisp top.
This Grilled Layered Vegetable Torte is a fabulous recipe for this time of year when all the vegetables are at their peak. With all the fresh vegetables currently available at local farmer’s markets now is the time to try this recipe, but his recipe would be good any time.
You can grill or roast the vegetables before putting this dish together, which is pretty flexible. The recipe is easily adapted to be vegan and gluten-free; leave out the Parmesan topping and use gluten-free bread crumbs.
The recipe is from NYTCooking, with Mark Bittman.
Grilled Layered Vegetable Torte
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Prepared Pesto
- 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – or more as needed
- 4 Fresh Garlic Gloves – minced
- Kosher Salt – to taste
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper – to taste
- 2 Large Eggplant – cut into ¼ inch-slice
- 5 Medium Zucchini or Yellow Squash – cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 Packages Portobello Mushrooms – cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 Red and Yellow Pepper – halved cored, and seeded, cut into 2-inch sections
- 1 Large Sweet Onion – cut in half lengthwise and sliced
- 4 Fresh Tomatoes – cut into 1/4-inch slices
- ¾ Cup Fresh Basil – chopped basil
- Goat Cheese Crumbles
- 1 Cup Fresh Parmesan and Romano – grated
- 1 Cup Bread Crumbs – fresh
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the pesto and balsamic in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil into the pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place a grill pan over medium-high heat, or turn on the grill to medium-high heat. Brush the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and peppers, and onions with the pesto mixture. Grill the vegetables on both sides until soft.
- Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with oil spray. Layer eggplant slices on the bottom, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and basil, sprinkling each layer with goat cheese crumbles, salt, and pepper to taste. Repeat each layer until all vegetables are used, finishing with the eggplant.
- Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan, Romano, and bread crumbs. Drizzle with two tablespoons of oil.
- Bake the Torte on a sheet pan; it will help if leaks occur. Let it sit for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, remove the outer ring of the pan and serve immediately.