The best grilled vegetables are generously seasoned and then cooked until crisp tender and caramelized. Before serving, a delicious Italian marinade transforms the everyday veggies into a sensational side dish that everyone loves!
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The inspiration
The menu for dinner is set until I open the fridge's vegetable bin and see a drawer full of veggies needing to be used. The bell peppers catch my eye.
They'd been on sale, a colorful pyramid of green, red, yellow and orange. So naturally, I couldn't help but throw those glossy globes in a plastic bag and put them in the cart. I didn't have a recipe in mind but I knew inspiration would hit.
Unfortunately that didn't happened and now the beautiful peppers are loosing some of their youthful glow. As I look closer, I can see some early wrinkles forming.
I meant to use them. But you know how that goes, out of sight out of mind. { sigh } It seems like I'll have to update the dinner menu to include the peppers and a few of the other vegetables that were languishing in the drawer.
The ingredients
I start rummaging around the vegetable bin again. Aha! I find a package of mushrooms and several zucchini. Great! And onion will be perfect along with the other ingredients. It seems like the recipe is coming together by itself.
Item list
- Colored Bell Peppers -- red, yellow, orange
- Small zucchini -- sliced
- Cremini mushrooms -- halved
- Onion -- peeled and cut into thick slices
- Olive oil -- for tossing before grilling
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic salt -- you may use Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
The vegetable side for dinner will be a Grilled Vegetables Recipe starring colored peppers, zucchini, onions and mushrooms.
Putting it together
A good thing about grilling veggies is they don't require a whole lot of fuss. All you need to do is:
How to prepare the veggies for grilling
- Bell peppers -- cut them open, scrape out the seeds, and cut them into generous pieces.
- Mushrooms -- clean and slice them.
- Zucchini -- clean and slice them into circles.
- Onions -- peel and into thick vertical slices.
This is turning out great. Just what I want for dinner, a quick easy and healthy vegetable side.
Seasoning
- Put all the ingredients in a large bowl with lid.
- Drizzle olive oil on top.
- Season with Italian Seasoning.
- Put the lid on the bowl and shake up the vegetables until the oil and seasoning cover all of the ingredients.
TIP: Don't salt the vegetables before grilling, it draws out the moisture from the vegetables making them watery.
Grilling the vegetables
Once we were ready to make dinner and the grill is hot at a medium high temperature. I pour the cut vegetables into the grill pan.
At this point, Honey takes over. He's already finished grilling the entree so it's time to grill the vegetable side. He stirs the veggies occasionally with a wooden spoon.
When the veggies are crisp tender he takes the peppers off of the grill.
This will take about 8-12 minutes.
He puts them in a serving dish and then salts and peppers them.
If you like your peppers crunchy, make sure not to overcook the vegetables.
This grilled vegetables recipe is such a colorful side that it makes a beautiful accompaniment. We've made this dish many times and we find it especially good with Grilled Butterflied Chicken, or All Our Way Perfect Pork Chops .
FAQs
Zucchini — green or yellow work perfectly, cut into ⅓″ to ½″ slices before grilling.
Bell peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeño peppers sweet baby peppers — cut bell peppers and remove seeds before grilling.
Portabello mushrooms or large brown mushrooms — You can keep them whole. Start the mushrooms gill side down then finish cap side down to hold in moisture.
Eggplant — grilled is my favorite way to eat eggplant, where it becomes tender, creamy, and smoky
Carrots — grilling quickly softens carrots and makes a pretty tiger-striped presentation
Onions — any variety is good and sweetens as they cook.
Asparagus — fatter asparagus cooks more evenly than skinny and won’t fall through the grates
Corn — cooking corn on the grill is the best.
Cauliflower — slice as a steak so they hold together
Broccolini — better than broccoli because they lay flat.
Romaine lettuce — grilled the lettuce is amazing. Dress with a smokey Caesar dressing.
Tomatoes — best grilled only if halved or grilled whole. Be careful because they can leak or explode.
Yes you do. Brush or toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, coconut oil, or butter to prevent them from drying out and sticking to the grill.
Oil helps seasonings, like salt and pepper, stick better, too. You can also use a marinade or salad dressing for extra flavor and moisture.
Herbs such as oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, chervil, Tarragon, coriander, cumin, dill, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and curry.
Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves can also be added to really flavor up some vegetables.
Grilled vegetables are the best, healthiest way to grill. According to WebMD, grilled vegetables are safe to grill because risk-potential PAHs and HCAs don’t form on grilled fruits and vegetables.
Equipment
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We've used a Grill Basket just like this one for many years. It's easy to make your veggies in it and even fruit or fish. The holes in the basket makes it easy to cook your ingredients without having them fall through the grates.
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More vegetable side recipes
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Spicy Peppery Couscous With Fresh Vegetables
Lemon Garlic Roasted Mushrooms
Never get bored with your vegetable sides with these amazing recipes.
Best Grilled Vegetables Recipe With Italian Marinade
Grilling the vegetables transforms ordinary vegetables into a sensational side dish. The veggies turn out perfectly crisp tender and the tangy marinade lets the natural goodness shine through.
If you like this recipe please give it a 5-star rating.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
Best Grilled Vegetables with Italian Marinade
Ingredients
- 4 colored bell peppers cleaned and cut into large pieces
- 2 small zucchini sliced into ½" thick
- 1 onion peeled and cut vertically into long slices
- 8 oz mushrooms cleaned and whole if small or halved if larger
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Basil leaves for sprinkling on top
Italian Marinade
- 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ fresh lemon squeezed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Equipment Needed
Instructions
For the vegetables
- Place all the vegetables in large bowl with the olive oil and Italian seasoning. Toss to combine.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Spray the grill pan with vegetable spray oil.
- Pour the vegetables into the grill pan and place pan on baking sheet for easy transport.
- Place the basket on the grill and close the lid. Cook for about 15 minutes stirring with the wooden spoon occasionally. Don't overcook. You want the veggies crisp tender.
- Take the grill basket off of the grill with oven mitts and place on the baking sheet.
- Pour the veggies into a serving bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Pour the marinade over the veggies and mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve immediately.
Italian marinade
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together.
- Pour over the grilled vegetables and mix well.
Notes
Nutrition
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