Grilled Vegetable Torte

This veggie torte is most definitely a showstopper. It makes a fantastic vegetarian main dish to feed a family or dinner guests. It’s the perfect way to take advantage of the bountiful summer produce, and you can support local growers if you pick up these veggies from your closest farmers market!

The choice to roast or grill the vegetables is up to you. You will get slightly different textures, as the grilled veggies need to be sliced thicker in order to hold up on the grill. When roasting, I was able to slice the veggies to about ⅛ inch thick, and roasted until they were quite dry and nicely golden brown. This made the torte more delicate and I had a little more control throughout the process.

Grilling the vegetables produced a more rustic, thicker construction. The grilled, smokey flavor was fantastic, but it had much thicker layers. I sliced the vegetables closer to ¼-½ inch thick. As those familiar with grilling know, it can sometimes be unpredictable, and so you may end up with more browning than expected if you’re not watching closely.

Don’t go into this recipe thinking this is a quick weeknight meal. This one is definitely a process. Grilling and roasting the vegetables take at least an hour to complete, and you will have to grill/roast in batches. If you are prepping for a dinner party, you can grill/roast and assemble the day ahead, and keep the assembled torte in the fridge until ready to bake. Be sure to store the assembled torte on a plate to catch any drips from the juicy vegetables!

Also be sure to bake this on a sheet pan covered with foil to catch any drips coming out the bottom of the springform. If not, your oven will sure to be a smokey mess! You’ve been warned.

This veggie torte recipe is very versatile to accommodate most dietary preferences or restrictions. The only exception is if you are allergic to nightshades–in that case, stay away, as the eggplant and tomatoes are (deliciously) prevalent. It is already gluten free, and you can just omit the cheese for dairy-free, or add cooked sausage for the meat lovers.

I would definitely recommend a serrated knife for slicing the torte. If you have the patience to wait a few minutes for it to cool, and use a gentle back and forth sawing motion, it should be easy to cut into slices. This also keeps and reheats well for breakfast the next morning. Throw a fried egg on top and enjoy! Check out our other grilling recipes for more summer grilling inspiration!

Print

Grilled Vegetable Torte

Prep Time

1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

2 hrs 30 mins

 

Vegetarian main dish to feed a family or dinner guests. It’s the perfect way to take advantage of the bountiful summer produce. Easily omit the cheese for a dairy free version. Adapted from NYT Cooking

Course: Main Course

Keyword: Grilled, Layered, Torte, Vegetables

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggplants
• 4 yellow summer squash
• 4 zucchini
• 3 portobello mushroom caps gills removed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 10 oz fresh goat cheese
• 2 oz Shredded parm
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• Fresh basil 10-12 leaves, sliced into strips

Recipe

Prep and Cook Vegetables

1. Slice eggplant, squash, and zucchini into ¼ to ½ inch thick long strips if grilling, or into ⅛ to ¼ inch thick long strips if roasting. Season eggplant, squash, and zucchini slices with salt and pepper and coat lightly with olive oil.
2. Grill eggplant for 10 Minutes, flipping halfway
3. Grill squash and zucchini slices for 6 Minutes, flipping halfway.
4. Grill portobellos for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway.
5. If roasting, roast vegetable for about 20-30 minutes at 400 ℉ on a sheet pan, or until they are soft and lightly browned
6. Let the vegetables cool and discard any liquid.
7. Slice grilled portobello and tomatoes into ¼ inch thick slices

Assemble Torte

1. In a 10 inch springform pan, place a layer of eggplant followed by a layer of squash and mushroom slices, followed by a layer of tomatoes. Press down to compress the layers. Add several dollops of goat cheese and a sprinkle of basil and parmesan. Repeat with 3 more layers, making 4 layers total.

2. Top the final layer with the rest of the parmesan.

Bake the Torte

1. Cover and refrigerated overnight if baking next day. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 ℉ uncovered, with a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Remove the outer ring and let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.