Oven-roasted zucchini, eggplant, red onion, tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers, fresh herbs, and plenty of olive oil. Briam is a must-try Greek vegetarian recipe!
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: vegetarian
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: briam, greek vegetarian side dishes, roasted vegetables
1large eggplant or 2 small Japanese eggplantswashed, skin-on, 1/4" - 1/2" slices
2teaspoonssalt for the sliced eggplant
2zucchiniwashed, skin-on, 1/4" - 1/2" slices
1red onionpeeled and thinly sliced
2bell peppersred, orange, or yellow or a combination of two - washed and chopped
4-5garlic clovespeeled and cut in half
1small can of Italian peeled plum tomatoes398 ml./14 oz.
1/2cupfresh Italian parsleywashed and chopped
1/4cupfresh dillwashed and chopped
1teaspoonwhite granulated sugar
1teaspoonblack pepperadjust to taste
1teaspoonsaltadjust to taste
1teaspoonseasoning saltadjust to taste
3/4cupextra 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.