• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PepperOnPizza

  • RECIPE INDEX
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Home » Easy Bakes » Vegetable au gratin/ Baked vegetables in creamy sauce

Vegetable au gratin/ Baked vegetables in creamy sauce

Published: Jun 6, 2015 Modified: Dec 26, 2020 By Sujata Shukla This blog generates income via ads. This post may contain affiliate links. PepperOnPizza may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking these links. View our disclosure policy for details

Sharing is caring!

55shares
  • Facebook 3
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Fresh Vegetables, blanched and baked in a thick creamy sauce with a crust of cheese and homemade breadcrumbs seasoned with oregano, basil and thyme. Perfect for dinner on this rainy Bangalore evening! I first came across this vegetable au gratin, many (long) years ago when I had lunch with a  friend who had attended a course in baking. Not having much exposure to a non dal- roti or rasam - sambar meal, I was bowled over by this tasty dish, bubbling with cheese and fragrant with herbs. Now this is a staple at my dinner table, and is so easy to put together.

Baked vegetable au gratin in a green dish with scalloped edges. The top of the au gratin is brown and crusty

When you check Wikipedia for what a gratin is, it says "Gratin (French pronunciation: ​[ɡʁatɛ̃]) is a widespread culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish." So now you know!

Why Vegetables Should Be Dry for Au Gratin

When making the vegetable au gratin, chose colourful seasonal vegetables, which do not have a high water content. So no zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes and the like. I have taken firm bell peppers, fresh cauliflower (lots of it), beans, broccoli, fresh green peas, carrots and potato. The pineapple is optional, but does give a interesting flavour to the gratin.

It is also important to drain and then boil away as much of the water as possible from the vegetables, to keep the au gratin firm. Water content would make the au gratin mushy/ watery which affects both texture and flavour.

Brightly coloured green, red, yellow and white slices of vegetables in a baking dish, ready to bake

For blanching the vegetables, I use the steamer cum pasta cooker that my daughters had gifted me. Very convenient as there is a small steel colander kind of basket, in which I can place the vegetables so that they hang in the boiling water, and can be easily lifted out and drained.

The crust is made with a thick coating of homemade breadcrumbs, and the cheese sprinkled on top, to give a thick crust with lesser cheese than if the breadcrumbs were not used.

Vegetables baked with cheese in a creamy sauce, vegetable au gratin in a glass baking tray with a blue and brown Baking book to the right

I added just a little seasoning to the breadcrumbs. Ah! That aroma of nutmeg and basil and oregano and cheese!

Other Easy Bake Recipes from this Blog:

  • Zucchini Au Gratin from Julia Child's recipe
  • Olive Rosemary Focaccia
  • Baked Squash with Parmesan, Herbs
  • Orange Honey Pistachio Cake/ Fresh Orange Tea Cake
Vegetable au gratin - baked vegetables in a creamy white sauce

Vegetable au gratin – Baked vegetables in a thick creamy sauce

Course: Main Dish
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 2 portions
Author: Sujata Shukla
Vegetables baked in a creamy sauce with a crust of cheese and homemade breadcrumbs seasoned with oregano, basil and thyme.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Au gratin

  • 2 cups Cauliflower - florets
  • 1 cup Potato - cubes
  • 2 cups peppers - Red, green yellow diced
  • 1 cup Beans - chopped
  • ½ cup Brocolli - thin florets
  • ½ cup Green peas - (shelled)
  • ½ cup Carrots - sliced
  • ½ cup Pineapple - sliced
  • 1 Onions - sliced (large)
  • 2 sprigs Parsley - minced
  • 1 tbsp Butter

For the Crust:

  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese - (grated)
  • 1 cup Breadcrumbs

Seasoning:

  • ¼ teaspoon Oregano - dry
  • ¼ teaspoon Basil - dry
  • ¼ teaspoon Thyme - dry

For the sauce:

  • ¼ cup Flour
  • 2 cups milk - Cold
  • 2 tbsps Butter
  • to taste Salt
  • 1 tsp White Pepper
  • pinch Nutmeg - a generous

Instructions

  • To make breadcrumbs (Time: 15 minutes)
  • It is very satisfying to make your own breadcrumbs. Use any bread ( I had a nice homemade rye bread). For 1 cup of crumbs you need about 4 slices of bread. The bread need not be fresh, but it should not be stale. Stale bread will leave a stale taste!
  • Tear the bread (with its crust) into pieces and run in the food processor for 30 seconds.
  • Bake the crumbs for 10 minutes spread out on a baking by sheet, at just below 150 deg C (300 F) in a preheated oven.
  • Remove from the oven and scatter the seasonings on to the crumbs. ( I add seasoning only when I'm using the bread crumbs in a gratin.) Store in an airtight container till required.
  • To prepare the vegetables: (Time 15 minutes)
  • While the breadcrumbs are baking, slice the cauliflower and broccoli vertically into thin florets, retaining their shape. Peel and cube the potato and carrot. Slice the peppers and pineapple into slim pieces. Slice the beans into small rounds. Shell the peas. Wash, dry and mince the parsley, and set it aside till required.
  • Blanch the vegetables individually in boiling water for 2-3 minutes - the peppers need only 10 -15 seconds of blanching. The sweet peppers can be blanched together, cauliflower and broccoli can be blanched together. Drain and immediately pop them each into a pan of water with ice cubes added to it. Drain after a minute and set aside and blanch the next vegetable. Blanching retains the bright colours of the vegetables.
  • Alternatively you could Steam the vegetables except for the peas for 5-7 minutes. Steaming retains the flavours of the vegetables. Soak the peas in a bowl of water. Remove the peppers and broccoli after 2 minutes before they discolour. You could also instead of steaming or blanching, microwave the vegetables for 2 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F). Grease an oven proof casserole dish.
  • To cook the vegetables: (Time 5 minutes)
  • Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Sauté till the onions are translucent. (About 2 minutes). Drain and add all the vegetables and sauté for 2-3 minutes till all water evaporates. Any water in the vegetables could make for a soggy unappetising gratin.
  • Add salt to taste, take off from the heat and pour into the prepared dish.
  • Spread the vegetables evenly and mix them so you don't have just one type of vegetable in one part of the casserole. Scatter the slices of pineapple and the minced parsley.
  • To make the sauce: (Time: 10 minutes)
  • In a hot pan, melt the butter,  add the flour. Cook the flour in the butter till it starts to look slightly pink and the raw flour smell disappears (about 2 minutes). Stir frequently to ensure the flour does not burn or overcook.
  • Keeping  the heat  on  low and add the cold milk (warm or hot milk can create lumps) while stirring the mixture with a whisk.
  • Stir continuously and mix the milk and flour smoothly together so that no lumps are formed. Once the flour is dissolved in the milk, continue stirring till it starts to thicken. The sauce can easily catch and char at the bottom of the pan, so stirring is important.
  • Add salt and white pepper. (Black pepper may be used if white pepper powder is not available.) Once  the sauce becomes thick and smooth, add the nutmeg, stir and Remove from the heat. Immediately add half the grated cheese. Mix the cheese well into the sauce.
  • Pour the sauce over the vegetables and lightly turn with a spoon so that the sauce goes into the gaps between the vegetables.
  • Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and scatter the reserved cheese on top.
  • To Bake the Au gratin: (Time 15 minutes)
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 C (about 350F) or till the the cheese has melted and starts to brown slightly.
  • Serve hot with your favourite bread.

Sharing is caring!

55shares
  • Facebook 3
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Previous Post: « Green Tomato Corn Soup with Turmeric and Lemongrass
Next Post: Pakode wale Kadhi »

Reader Interactions

Have something to Ask or Share? Let's Talk! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe!




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Trending Now!

Glass bowl filled with bright orange thick Spanish Romesco Sauce with flecks of green from parsley. Almonds and parsley scattered in the background and a red and white checked cloth to the left

Spanish Romesco Sauce: Charred Peppers, Almonds

Shares: 956

Green hued Green Pea curry with red tomato and chunks of potato showing through, in a round brass bowl. On a brick coloured background with a beige fabric in the background

Matar ka Nimona - Spiced Green Pea Curry from Uttar Pradesh

Shares: 301

Colourful paper mache and clay dolls of Hindu Gods and other decorative items for Navaratri Golu in Chennai, India

Navaratri Golu and How To Keep It

Shares: 267

A colourful array of dry fruits, kiwi, pineapple, berries, citrus, papaya ready to be cut to soak fruits for Christmas cake

How to Soak Fruits for Christmas Fruit Cake

Shares: 319

Colourful Rotini Pasta from juicy cherry tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil and spirally wholewheat pasta, on a white plate

Quick Rotini Pasta in Garlicky Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

Shares: 282

A round sphere of basic Dough for pizza, rising in a glass bowl on a brown wooden background

Easy Basic Pizza Dough for Homemade Pizza

Shares: 296

Overhead view of a cup of yellow curried chilli zucchini soup, garnished with slices of red chillies, coriander, parsley and mint leaves and walnuts. A white napkin striped with dark blue to the left, and walnuts and red chillies to the right

Curried Chilli Zucchini Soup - Spice Up Your Evening

Shares: 316

Thick french style 2 bean sorrel soup granished with red sorrel leaves and black eyed peas seen on the surface. Red sorrel leaves in the foreground, all on a wooden background

French Style 2 Bean Sorrel Soup - Nutritious, Warming, Easy

Shares: 283

A glass bottle with green homemade basil oil. A green and white napkin in the background

Easy Fragrant Homemade Basil Oil

Shares: 425

A glass bowl with a greenish Purple Basil Pesto with some Purple basil leaves alongside

Easy Purple Basil Pesto with Pine nuts and Parmesan

Shares: 299

Hello There!

Hello from Sujata Shukla, the Author, Owner, Head Cook and Bottle washer at PepperOnPizza.com. The recipes I share with you are from fresh produce, vegetarian except for the occasional egg, usually made from scratch. Traditional Indian, specially Tamil recipes are my forte, along with a slew of Salads and Soups for a healthy lifestyle. Check out my Author Page!

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
  • Medical Disclaimer

Hello There!

About Us

Contact

  • Contact Us

Copyright Notice:

Copyright © 2021 Sujata Shukla and PepperOnPizza.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material or any part of the content, including but not limited to Recipes, Posts and Images, without the express and written permission from this site’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Full recipe is not to be posted - Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sujata Shukla and to PepperOnPizza.com with appropriate and specific links directing to the original content.

55shares
  • 3