Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Tender marinated zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and red onions are grilled to smoky perfection, and topped with tangy goat cheese in this delish grilled vegetable salad. This warm salad is a filling and healthy side dish, salad, or light summer entrée.
How long it takes: 25 minutes plus time to marinade
Equipment you’ll need: large zip-top bag or bowl, grill basket, tongs, grill
Servings: 8
Don’t you love the flavor that grilling adds to food? Slightly charred and subtly smoky, the natural flavors of meat, veggies, and even fruit are intensified by the high heat of grilling. The grilled food gets an outdoorsy flavor.
This grilled vegetable salad is a good example. Summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions aren’t really terribly exciting vegetables but marinate them and put them on the grill to cook and magic happens! These regular vegetables become so flavorful and delicious, you can hardly believe it.
I almost hesitate to call this recipe a salad. I hope you’re not conjuring up crisp lettuce leaves or arugula. This salad consists of grilled vegetables with goat cheese, and can be served warm, room temp, or cold.
Serve grilled vegetable salad as a side dish with grilled meat, or make it a light summer lunch or dinner, with warm bread. Now that I think about it, I guess it would be pretty awesome tossed with arugula and drizzled with a bit of the marinade.
Add this grilled vegetable salad to your grilling repertoire this summer. The vegetables are readily available in the grocery store or farm markets, they’re inexpensive, and this salad is so good for you, too. Low in carbs and calories but packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and all sorts of good stuff. You’re going to love it!
P.S. Be sure to try my grilled peach salad with burrata, too! For dessert, serve grilled pineapple with ice cream and warm caramel sauce.
Easy Grilled Vegetable Salad
There are two easy ways to make it. Grilled vegetable salad is easy to make. The recipe details two different methods for grilling the vegetables: in a grill basket or on skewers. Choose the method that works best for you.
It features a flavorful marinade. The marinade/dressing is basically a red wine vinaigrette with chopped fresh herbs, garlic, red pepper flakes, and enhanced by lemon. Whisk it up and set it aside while you clean and cut up a couple of zucchini, a few summer squash, and a package of mushrooms. This chicken thigh marinade is also made with red wine vinegar. Why not marinate some chicken to grill, too?
Cooking Tip
This makes a pretty big salad so if you’re cooking for one or two, you may want to cut the recipe in half.You can marinade the vegetables ahead. Put everything into a large zip top bag, or a big bowl and mix it with the marinade. Let it marinate at least thirty minutes, or up to three hours. I love that you can do all this ahead and then just grill the salad when you’re ready.
It’s so easy to assemble. Choose your grilling method, and fire up the grill. Once the vegetables are perfectly done, slide them into a serving bowl, sprinkle with goat cheese, and drizzle with a little of the marinade. So good!
Firm vegetables like summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant can be marinated a few hours or even overnight.
Most vegetables can be grilled. If they are small, a grill basket is very helpful. Marinating is optional. Some of our favorites are sliced zucchini, potatoes, baby potatoes, and portobello mushrooms (stuffed!).
When the weather is bad or I don’t feel like grilling, I grill on the stove using my cast iron grill pan.
Make It Your Own
- Shortcut marinade: Marinate the salad with store bought balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing instead of the homemade marinade.
- Experiment with different veggies. Try bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, etc.
- Make it a vegetarian meal. Add canned beans (garbanzo or cannellini), rinsed and drained to the salad. Make it vegan by omitting the cheese.
- Try different cheese. Change it up with feta, sharp aged provolone, or fresh mozzarella. Another option is shredded Parmesan. Be sure to try my grilled haloumi kebabs, too!
- Roast the vegetables instead. Not in the mood for grilling? Roast the vegetables in your oven instead at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes or so. My family is crazy about these lovely sautéed summer squash and zucchini ribbons, made in a skillet and ready in just 15 minutes!
- Make it a panzanella salad. Add homemade croutons and turn your grilled vegetables into a panzanella salad.
Prep the zucchini, summer squash, and zucchini up to a day ahead. Make the marinade and let the veggies marinate in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.
Grilled vegetable salad is good leftover. Wrap leftovers well and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or enjoy it cold.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #26. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Summer Salads
Grilled Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, more for garnishing
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Salad
- 2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch half moons (about 16 oz.)
- 3 summer squash, cut into 1-inch half moons (about 32 oz.)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, halved
- 1 large red onion, unpeeled, halved from top to bottom (see note if using grill basket)
- 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
If using grill basket:
- Combine garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, and oil in a bowl.
- Place zucchini, squash, and mushrooms in a large zip-top bag and pour marinade over them. Seal bag and marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
- Heat grill to high (500ºF).
- Peel onion, and cut into thin vertical slices (about ¼ inch). Add onions to a grill basket. Grill for 5 minutes before removing vegetables from marinade (reserve marinade) and adding them to the grill basket. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally with tongs, or until zucchini and squash are tender. Carefully transfer vegetables to bowl
- Taste and season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of the marinade if desired. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and serve.
If using skewers:
- Combine garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, and oil in a bowl.
- Place the zucchini, squash, and mushrooms in a large zip-top bag and pour marinade over them. Seal bag and marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak 8 to 10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat grill to high (500ºF). Place onion halves directly on grill and grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until charred. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.
- Remove vegetables from marinade (reserve marinade) and place on skewers. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until tender.
- Peel onions and slice. Remove vegetables from skewers and toss with onions in a bowl. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of the marinade if desired.
- Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and serve
Notes
- Experiment with different veggies. Try bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, etc.
- Vegetarian: Add canned beans (garbanzo or cannellini), rinsed and drained to make it a main course salad.
- Cheese: Change it up with feta, fresh mozzarella, or Parmesan cheese.
- Oven method: Roast the vegetables in your oven instead at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Not yet im going shopping tomorrow
I’ll add a sprinkle of crushed peppers i like hot stuff
The veggies are the perfect thing for our so hot summer
Thank you
I hope you love this salad, you’re right, it’s perfect for summer!
tasty fun
For sure! It’s the perfect summer salad!
a great summer salad, thank you, love the goat cheese
Thanks Sabrina! It really is perfect for summer!