Roasted Vegetables

Known in Greece as: Briam

A colourful Greek vegetable bake with aubergines, courgettes, and tomatoes.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1h 30m
Total: 1h 50m
Vegetarian
✅
Nuts
❌
Serves
6 - 8
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 large aubergines, cut into 2cm chunks
  • 4 medium courgettes, cut into 2cm chunks
  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
  • 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
  • 2 large onions, roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 800g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 2 x 400g tins)
  • 3 tbsp tomato purée
  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Large bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Crumbled feta cheese to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan).

  2. In a very large roasting tin or baking dish (approximately 35cm x 30cm), combine all the chopped vegetables - aubergines, courgettes, potatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic.

  3. Add the chopped tomatoes (or tinned tomatoes), tomato purée, olive oil, oregano, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything together thoroughly with your hands to ensure all vegetables are well coated.

  4. Spread the vegetables out evenly in the tin. Don't pile them too high - they should be in a relatively even layer for proper roasting.

  5. Cover the tin tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.

  6. Remove the foil and give everything a good stir. The vegetables will have released their juices and be softening nicely.

  7. Return to the oven uncovered and bake for another 30-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through. The vegetables should be tender, slightly caramelised at the edges, and the sauce reduced and concentrated.

  8. If there's too much liquid, increase the oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan) for the final 10 minutes to evaporate excess moisture.

  9. Remove from oven and stir in the fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

  10. Serve warm or at room temperature, scattered with crumbled feta if desired. Briam is delicious as a main course with crusty bread and feta, or as a side dish to grilled meats or fish. It's even better the next day as the flavours deepen. A quintessential Greek summer dish that celebrates the bounty of the garden.