Grilled Vegetable Salad
Veggies are charred to perfection and then drizzled with a bright-and-sunny herby lemon vinaigrette. Bites of creamy, salty blue cheese (or substitute Parmesan) are the finishing touch!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 medium ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed
- 4 small to medium yellow squash, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise
- 2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise
- 2 large red bell peppers, stems, seeds and any large ribs removed, and cut into 3 to 4 pieces each
- 1 large red onion, ends and skin removed, sliced into 3 to 4 large intact-rings
- 1 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- herby lemon vinaigrette (*recipe below)
- 4 oz. your favorite blue cheese, crumbled – if you don’t like blue cheese, use large, wide shavings of Parmesan!
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 400° F. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled. (To oil the grates, add some vegetable oil to a small bowl. Then fold a heavy paper towel a few times to make a smaller square. With a tongs, grasp the folded paper towel and dip it into the oil until the paper towel is drenched. Then run the paper towel over the grates, repeating until all grill grates are thoroughly oiled.)
- Place prepared/cut corn, yellow squash, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and asparagus on a large rimmed pan. The pan will be very full. Here’s my favorite large cutting board and my favorite knife for recipes that involve alot of cutting and chopping. Drizzle olive oil over all vegetables. Keep sliced rings of red onion intact, brushing the olive oil evenly over the cut surfaces. With your hands, gently fold the rest of the vegetables until they are all nicely coated with the olive oil. Sprinkle vegetables fairly generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and fold again using your hands. Sprinkle one more time with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and you’re ready to grill.
- Depending on the size of your grill, you may need to grill in batches. Cooking times will vary with each of the vegetables, so it’s just a matter of checking on them regularly and removing them when they’re done to your liking – you’ll want a good set of tongs for flipping the vegetables. I like the onion to get nicely softened, so that always takes the longest. I prefer the ears of corn to have some char, but to not be completely cooked – so we set the ears on the hottest part of the grill to get some quick char, and then remove them. The asparagus always cooks the fastest. Once the vegetables have charred and are cooked/softened to your liking, remove them back to the rimmed pan.
- Once the vegetables have cooled enough to handle, cut the kernels from the corn and chop the rest of the vegetables into bite-size pieces, about an inch or so in size. Place everything into a large-ish serving vessel – I like to use a low, wide bowl. Add the tomatoes and fold everything together. Drizzle with a bit of the herby lemon vinaigrette, and then fold. Add more vinaigrette if needed. Sprinkle with blue cheese. Serve just slightly warm or at room temperature.
*Herby Lemon Vinaigrette
This homemade lemon vinaigrette is like sunshine! It’s loaded with bright lemon flavor and mealtime versatility. It promises to be one of your favorite fresh dressings of the summer!
Ingredients
- 1 c. freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon juice)
- 1/3 to 1/2 c. honey (use a bit more when using regular lemons)
- 2 T. Dijon mustard
- 2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 T. minced shallots
- 1 T. minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 T. minced fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, and Dijon mustard. Then add the olive and oil and whisk again. Add shallots, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. I often like to place vinaigrettes in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and then shake to combine.