Grilling vegetables is a great way to add a hint of smoky goodness and flavor to the summer season's best vegetables. The leftovers for this grilled salad can be used on pizzas, pastas and sammies.
Course:
Salad, Sandwich, Vegetable
Cuisine:
American, Italian
Servings: 4people
Ingredients
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
3clovesgarlic, minced
1poundzucchini, sliced into 1/3″ planks lengthwise
1pintbutton mushrooms, sliced in half
1largered or yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1largered onion, cut into 1/2-inch discs
6cups baby spinach, washed and dried
Instructions
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.
Skewer together mushrooms. Coat grates with oil and heat grill to medium-high — approximately 400 F degrees.
Drain balsamic marinade off vegetables and reserve (never reserve marinade on raw meat, but on vegetables it is fine)
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.
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.
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