Briam or Briami is a traditional Greek dish made up of oven-roasted vegetables with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, garlic, fresh parsley and dill, and plenty of olive oil! Briam is a Greek version of ratatouille that is vegetarian but could also be vegan without adding cheese or using cheese substitutes instead.
This traditional Greek dish comes together with only a few simple ingredients. But, the long bake time allows the vegetables to soften beautifully and the flavours to come together for a hearty and healthy side dish.
Briam is a delicious recipe that can be enjoyed as a side dish to grilled meats and seafood. Or as a main meal paired with sliced feta cheese, whipped ricotta, or spicy feta dip and plenty of fresh bread.
Greek briam is a hearty vegetable dish where the vegetables are roasted in the oven long enough to soften and sweeten. This Greek vegetable dish is also called tourlou tourlou, which translates to all mixed together in Greek.
INGREDIENT NOTES
Bell peppers: I recommend yellow, red, or orange bell peppers or a combination of two for this recipe because they’re sweeter. Green peppers won’t work as well in this recipe because they’re slightly bitter.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You’ll need good quality olive oil and a generous amount of it to maximize the flavour of this dish. It may seem like a lot of oil in this recipe, but it really does add so much flavour.
Briam (Greek roasted vegetables) is part of the lathera recipes and refers to Greek dishes cooked with plenty of olive oil, tomatoes, and herbs. The secret to making this briam so good is the olive oil and long baking time.
Italian canned peeled plum tomatoes: I find that Italian canned peeled plum tomatoes have the most flavour. I like to use the San Marzano Italian canned tomatoes or Italissima tomatoes because I find they are less acidic. But feel free to use any type of canned tomatoes that you like or have on hand.
You can pour the whole contents of the can into a large bowl and use your fingers or a fork to squish the tomatoes. I add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the tomatoes before adding them to the vegetables to cut down the acidity of the tomatoes.
Eggplant: If you can find it, Japanese eggplant is sweeter, longer and thinner than traditional eggplant. If you are using Japanese eggplants, then you can use two Japanese eggplants for this recipe (since they’re smaller). Japanese eggplant is sweeter, so you’ll only need to salt the eggplant for 10-15 minutes. If you’re using a regular eggplant, then just one regular eggplant will be the perfect amount.
To prepare the eggplant, leave the skin on and cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices or coins. If the coins are large, you can cut them in half. Place the sliced eggplant in a colander or wire rack in the sink and sprinkle salt generously over all sides of the eggplant. Salting removes excess liquid and some of the bitterness from the eggplant.
Most of the salt will be removed when you rinse the eggplant with water. Let the eggplant sit with the salt for at least 40 minutes. Then rinse the salted eggplant under cold water. Place the eggplant slices on paper towels and pat dry before adding them to the baking pan.
Zucchini: To prepare the zucchini, you can leave the skin on and just cut the ends off. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch slices – 1/2-inch slices or coins.
Fresh herbs: I love adding fresh dill and fresh Italian parsley to these roasted Greek vegetables. You can add more if you’d like or mix in more fresh herbs once the briam is ready and out of the oven.
RECIPE TIPS
- Try to cut the zucchini and eggplant into similar sizes so that they can bake evenly.
- Bake for at least an hour for the vegetables to release all of their delicious flavours, and bake beautifully with tomato sauce and olive oil.
- For best results, there will need to be enough oil in the pan. Otherwise, you’ll end up with watery sauce.
- An hour may seem like a long baking time for vegetables, but the long baking time (and olive oil) is why this dish is so flavourful!
- The chopped vegetables should be in a large enough pan, so they’re not too squished together and have room to bake.
- You will likely need to stir the vegetables halfway through (around the 30-minute mark) and then again so that the vegetables don’t brown too much.
KITCHEN TOOLS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS RECIPE
- 10″ x 14″ baking pan
- Paring knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cup
HOW TO MAKE GREEK ROASTED VEGETABLES (BRIAM): STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: Wash and slice the eggplant. The eggplant will need to be salted for at least 40 minutes, so I like to get the eggplant ready and then continue with the rest of the recipe. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch – 1/2-inch slices with the skin on. You can cut the eggplant coins in half if the slices are big.
Place the sliced eggplant in a strainer or wire rack in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Allow the eggplant to sit for at least 40 minutes. Then, rinse the eggplant well with cold water and place the sliced eggplant on paper towels. Pat dry. Place the sliced eggplant in the baking pan.
STEP 2: Wash and slice the zucchini. Preheat the oven to 350° on convection bake. Wash the zucchini and then cut off the ends. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch – 1/2-inch slices. Place the sliced zucchini in a 10″ x 14″ baking pan.
STEP 3: Peel and slice the red onion and garlic. Thinly slice the red onion. Add the sliced red onion to the baking pan with the zucchini and eggplant. Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and cut the garlic cloves in half. Add the onions and garlic to the baking pan.
STEP 4: Prepare the tomato sauce. In a large bowl, pour in the canned tomatoes. Use your hands or a fork to squish the tomatoes together. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix together.
STEP 5: Assemble the briam. Pour the tomato sauce over the mixed vegetables. Use your hands to gently massage the vegetables so that they’re evenly and well coated in the tomato sauce. Add the salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, Italian parsley, fresh dill, and olive oil to the baking pan. Mix together.
STEP 6: Bake at 350°F. Place the vegetables in the preheated oven and bake for about an hour, uncovered at 350°F on convection bake. The vegetables will be ready once they’re soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. This may seem like a long time to bake vegetables, but it’s why this dish is so flavourful!
SERVING & STORING
Briam is a great vegetable side dish that will go with various types of meat like chicken, seafood, or beef. You can serve briam with Greek rice for a delicious and filling meal.
Or, recently, I’ve been loving the dill and truffle cashew cream cheese from Spread Em Kitchen. I spread a layer of the cream cheeze on flatbread and then added leftover briam on top.
I placed it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the flatbread is crispy and the veggies are hot. Then I drizzled a little bit of balsamic reduction on top, which was really good! Or you could also try briam with whipped spicy feta or ricotta and fresh sliced crusty bread like sourdough, pita bread, or store-bought pizza dough.
Any leftover briam can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Briam is just as good the next day, heated up in the oven, microwave, or at room temperature.
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Greek Oven Roasted Vegetables (Briam Recipe)
Equipment
- 10" x 14" baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant or 2 small Japanese eggplants washed, skin-on, 1/4" - 1/2" slices
- 2 teaspoons salt for the sliced eggplant
- 2 zucchini washed, skin-on, 1/4" - 1/2" slices
- 1 red onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers red, orange, or yellow or a combination of two - washed and chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves peeled and cut in half
- 1 small can of Italian peeled plum tomatoes 398 ml./14 oz.
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley washed and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill washed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt adjust to taste
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Wash and slice the eggplant. The eggplant will need to be salted for at least 40 minutes, so I like to get the eggplant ready and then go onto the rest of the recipe. If you're using Japanese eggplant, you'll only need to salt the eggplant for 10-15 minutes since it's sweeter.
Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices with the skin on. You can cut the eggplant coins in half if the slices are big. Place the sliced eggplant in a strainer or wire rack in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Allow the eggplant to sit for at least 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, rinse the eggplant with cold water and place the sliced eggplant on paper towels. Pat dry. Place the sliced eggplant in the baking pan. - Wash and slice the zucchini. Wash the zucchini and then cut off the ends. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch - 1/2-inch slices. Place the sliced zucchini in the baking pan.
- Peel and slice the red onion and garlic. Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Add the sliced red onion to the baking pan. Peel 4-5 garlic cloves. Cut the garlic cloves in half and add them to the baking pan.
- Prepare the tomato sauce. In a large bowl, pour in the canned tomatoes. Use your hands or a fork to squish the tomatoes together. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix together.
- Assemble the briam. Pour the tomato sauce over the mixed vegetables. Use your hands to gently massage the vegetables so that they're evenly and well coated in the tomato sauce. Pour in the olive oil and add the salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, Italian parsley, and fresh dill to the vegetables. Mix together.
- Bake. Place the vegetables in the preheated oven and bake for about an hour uncovered at 350°F convection bake. You will likely need to stir the vegetables halfway through (around the 30-minute mark) and then again so that the vegetables don't brown too much. The vegetables will be ready once they're soft and can easily be pierced with a fork. This may seem like a long time to bake vegetables, but it's why this dish is so flavourful.
Notes
- Try to cut the zucchini and eggplant into similar sizes so that they can bake evenly.
- For best results, there will need to be enough oil in the pan. Otherwise, you'll end up with watery sauce.
- An hour may seem like a long baking time for vegetables, but the long baking time (and olive oil) is why this dish is so flavourful!
- The chopped vegetables should be in a large enough pan, so they're not too squished together and have room to bake.
- You will likely need to stir the vegetables halfway through (around the 30-minute mark) and then again so that the vegetables don't brown too much.
Nutrition
Date Published: December 10, 2022
Greek Oven Roasted Vegetables (Briam Recipe)
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