This coming weekend, I’m teaching 200 carnivores how to grill vegetable side dishes to go along with their beef. It’s hard to upstage a delicious, juicy flat iron steak — but I think a couple of my recipes can come close — especially this Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad!
Grilled vegetables is super easy, and in the heat of the summer — there is no need to also turn on an oven or stove if the grill is already going. At BeefLovingTexans.com, I’m sharing Five Tips for Grilling Vegetables – go check that out! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy grilled vegetable salad that is the perfect way to take advantage of your favorite fresh seasonal vegetables — feel free to swap in the veggies you love. It’s also a great dish for my Paleo diet and low-carb peeps.
And, if you have any leftovers, these vegetables are so good in a sandwich! Or in an egg scramble, or on a pizza, or tossed with pasta.
What is your favorite vegetable (or fruit) to toss on the grill? Please share in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsely
- 1/4 cup finely chopped basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound zucchini, sliced into 1/3″ planks lengthwise
- 1 pint button mushrooms, sliced in half
- 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch discs
- 6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
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In small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, parsley, basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place veggies in large zip-top bag and add balsamic mixture; close bag and turn a few times to coat contents. Let marinate at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
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Skewer together mushrooms. Coat grates with oil and heat grill to medium-high — approximately 400 F degrees.
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Drain balsamic marinade off vegetables and reserve (never reserve marinade on raw meat, but on vegetables it is fine)
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Grill veggies for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Vegetables will be done when they are becoming tender (a little “crunch” is desired and have golden brown grate marks. Let vegetables cool on cutting board for several minutes and then cut down into bite sized pieces.
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In small sauce pan, bring balsamic mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, let simmer for a couple minutes to reduce a volume a bit.
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Add spinach to serving platter and top with grilled vegetables and balsamic dressing (made from the marinade). Toss with tongs and serve warm — or make the vegetables in advance, chill and serve as a cold salad