Grilled Vegetable Salad plus Goat Cheese

At a glance

What stands out: 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 lighter 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

Straightforward Grilled Salad

Summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions aren’t terribly exciting vegetables but marinate them and put them on the grill to cook and magic happens! These regular vegetables become so flavorful and rich, you can hardly believe it.

Serve grilled vegetable salad as a side dish with grilled meat, or make it a light summer lunch or dinner, with warm bread. It can be served hot, warm, room temperature or chilled.

P.S. Be sure to try our grilled peach salad with burrata, too! For dessert, serve grilled pineapple with ice cream and warm caramel sauce.

Straightforward Grilled Vegetable Salad

There are two straightforward ways to make it. Grilled vegetable salad is straightforward to mix. 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 so we usually 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.

It’s straightforward to assemble. Choose your grilling method, and fire up the grill. Once the vegetables are evenly done, slide them into a serving bowl, sprinkle with goat cheese, and drizzle with a little of the marinade. So good!

Ways to change it

• Shortcut marinade: Marinate the salad with store bought balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing instead of the from-scratch marinade.
• Experiment with different veggies. Most vegetables can be grilled. If they are small, a grill basket is helpful. Marinating is optional. Some of our favorites are sliced zucchini, potatoes, baby potatoes, and portobello mushrooms (stuffed!). 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 our grilled haloumi kebabs, too!
• Skip the grill. When the weather is bad or we don’t feel like grilling, we grill on the stove using our cast iron grill pan. Sometimes we roast the vegetables instead at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes or so. If you don’t want to use your oven, try these lovely sautéed summer squash and zucchini ribbons, made in a skillet and ready in just 15 minutes!
• Make it a panzanella salad. Add from-scratch croutons and turn your grilled vegetables into a panzanella salad.

Make Ahead Ideas

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. Firm vegetables like summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant can be marinated a few hours or even overnight.

Keeping leftovers

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 our Meal Plan #26 or Meal Plan #88. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 55 minutes

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 ounces)
• 3 summer squash, cut into 1-inch half moons (about 32 ounces)
• 8 ounces mushrooms, halved
• 1 large red onion, unpeeled, halved from top to bottom (see note if using grill basket)
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Method

1. Combine garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, oil and red pepper flakes (optional) in a bowl.
2. Place zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms in a large zip-top bag and pour marinade over them. Seal bag and marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
3. Heat grill to high (500ºF).
4. 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
5. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of the marinade if desired. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and serve.
6. Combine garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, and oil in a bowl.
7. 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.
8. Meanwhile, soak 8 to 10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
9. 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.
10. Remove vegetables from marinade (reserve marinade) and place on skewers. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until tender.
11. 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.
12. 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.