The light oven-baked fall vegetables au gratin are a tasty and healthy seasonal side dish.
My mixed gratin vegetables: cauliflower, fennel, mushrooms, and pumpkin.
Easy and quick to prepare, gratinated with whole wheat breadcrumbs and without béchamel sauce.
Don’t forget to account for the breadcrumbs in the total carbohydrate count of your meal.
You can vary the seasonal roasted vegetables according to your taste.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower (white)
- 1 fennel
- 4 cremini mushrooms
- 2 slices pumpkin
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- as needed breadcrumbs (or whole wheat breadcrumbs)
- as needed cheese (grated: caciocavallo or grana or parmesan)
- as needed chopped parsley
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (raw)
Variable quantities.
Suggested Tools
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Baking sheet 9.8×11.4 inches
- Parchment paper
Preparation
Cut the cauliflower into florets and slightly score the stems with a knife.
Place the florets in a colander and rinse them thoroughly under running water.
* for a more thorough cleaning, soak the florets in water with a bit of baking soda for at least 20 minutes.
Drain the florets and depending on their size, keep them whole, cut them in half, or into smaller pieces.Clean the fennel: cut the green stems and the base, and remove any damaged outer leaves.
Cut each fennel into four wedges.
Spread the leaves apart and wash them thoroughly.
Slice them not too thinly.I chose cremini mushrooms.
Regarding cleaning: despite various opinions, mushrooms should always be washed and dried thoroughly before use.
Personally, I decide based on the type and degree of cleanliness: I usually buy them in a tray and they are always quite clean, I occasionally rinse them under running water, paying particular attention to the space between the gills under the cap and the typically earthy stem, then let them drain in a colander.Slice them in half lengthwise.
Wash the pumpkin.
Slice the pumpkin.
Remove the skin and seeds.
Sometimes, for convenience, I buy pre-cleaned pumpkin – just the flesh – in a tray.
Cut the flesh into strips or pieces.Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet in a single layer.
Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs or whole wheat breadcrumbs and grated cheese, grind a bit more pepper.
Preheat the oven.
Bake in a fan oven at 356°F for 20 minutes and until golden brown.Add chopped parsley and drizzle with raw extra virgin olive oil.
Serve.
Your light oven-baked fall vegetables au gratin are ready.
Enjoy your meal!
You can enjoy them as a vegetable and fiber component at the beginning of a meal or as a side dish.
Don’t forget to account for the breadcrumbs in the total carbohydrate count of your meal.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
You can use other varieties of cauliflower or broccoli.
You can use other types of mushrooms.
You can use Swiss chard, radicchio, and leeks.
Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet without overlapping them for an even gratin, but without leaving gaps: they shrink in volume when cooled.
You can omit the cheese.
With simple substitutions, this recipe easily adapts to:
– a lactose-free version;
– a gluten-free version;
– a vegan version.
Gratin vegetables can be stored in the fridge for one day in an airtight container.
You can reheat them in the oven.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How many calories do gratin vegetables have?
It naturally depends on the ingredients and quantities.
For light gratin vegetables:
– I don’t add béchamel sauce;
– I sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of whole wheat breadcrumbs;
– I sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese;
– no oil during cooking, I add a drizzle raw just out of the oven.Pumpkin and diabetes
glycemic index of all types of pumpkin GI 75.
Besides the glycemic index, it’s important to consider the glycemic load which is determined by the amount of food consumed.
Pumpkin has a high glycemic index but a low glycemic load.
Can I eat pumpkin? That’s a question you should ask your diabetologist.
Can someone with diabetes eat pumpkin? Follow your meal plan, ours includes it.
That said, here are my personal notes on the subject.
Generally, in case of hyperglycemia, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes pumpkin can be consumed without exceeding portions.Can I use frozen vegetables?
Better not: they release water and compromise the gratin.
Can I cook gratin vegetables in an air fryer?
Yes.
Follow the instructions – program, temperature, and time – indicated in your appliance’s user manual.
Check the level of doneness from time to time.
In general, with an air fryer, cooking times are reduced:
– in a fan oven at 356°F for 20 minutes;
– in an air fryer at 320°F for 16 minutes.
