Who wants to turn on the oven in the summertime? Summer days are meant for grilling, and a grilled veggie platter is your favorite summer dish. If it’s too hot to even contemplate being outside during the day, you can grill these vegetables in the morning or in the cooler night temperatures. Plus the vegetables taste great hot, cold, or even at room temperature. That means you have tons of wiggle room about when you cook it versus when you finally serve it.
To make this platter we prepared the following vegetables:
Carrots, baby broccoli, and asparagus:
Peel or trim ends as necessary, steam for 3 to 4 minutes or until barely tender. Lightly coat with extra-virgin olive oil, and grill over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Zucchini, onions, and mushrooms:
Peel or trim ends as necessary, cut into slices 1/2 inch thick (no need to slice the mushrooms). Place in a bowl with 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. balsamic vinegar, toss to coat, then grill over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Eggplant:
Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, place into colander, coat generously with kosher salt, and then place something heavy (a plate or bowl) on top of the slices. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours (this should drain out any bitter juices). Rinse, pat dry, then coat with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as above. Grill over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Bell peppers:
Place whole pepper directly on the grill, then grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the skin is black and charred. Remove the peppers, place them in a bowl and cover with plastic, and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then core, remove the seeds, peel off the blackened skin, and slice.
Finally arrange all of the grilled veggies on the platter, drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top, and garnish with black kalamata olives. And…voila! Grilled veggie platter perfection.
Happy grilling!
P.S. What to do with those leftover grilled veggies? Why not put them in these Vegan Muffaletta Sandwiches?
Hi! I'm Jeanne Fratello - a writer, reporter, and food enthusiast who is on a mission to write great stories about food and where your food comes from.
Grilled carrots! I wonder why I never thought of that before. I bet they caramelize nicely, all that sugar… GREG
Thanks for stopping by, Greg! Yep, they were tasty. Strangely enough, they were even tastier the second day – perhaps they had a chance to sort of mellow a little bit. : )