Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad

5 from 1 vote

This healthy Mediterranean Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad recipe is made with grilled veggie skewers and topped with an herb tahini sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: grilled vegetable salad, summer vegetable salad, grilled veggie salad

Servings:

Calories: 276kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Equipment

Grill

Ingredients

For The Salad:

¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. red chili flakes
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 8 oz. package mushrooms any variety
2 small zucchini or summer squash
2 bell peppers any color
4-5 small eggplants such as Chinese, Japanese, or Fairy Tale eggplant, or 1 small Italian eggplant
1 small onion any color
1 cup quinoa or grain of choice

For The Tahini Dressing:

½ cup tahini paste
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup water
2 cloves garlic
¼ packed cup fresh parsley flat leaf or curly
¼ packed cup fresh cilantro
¼ packed cup fresh dill
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Salad:

Wipe any excess dirt from an 8 oz. package of white or Portobello mushrooms (or mushrooms of choice) with a dry towel. Cut the mushrooms in half if they are large. Feel free to leave any smaller mushrooms whole.
Cut 2 bell peppers (any color) into large chunks, removing the seeds and membranes.
Cut 2 small zucchini or summer squash into rounds. Make sure that the rounds are relatively the same thickness to ensure even cooking.
Cut 4-5 small eggplant (such as Chinese, Japanese, or Fairy Tale eggplant) into rounds, making sure that the rounds are relatively even in size. Alternately, you may cut 1 small Italian eggplant into chunks.
Remove the outer skins from 1 small onion (any color). Cut the onion into large chunks.
Place the chopped vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle ¼ cup olive oil over the veggies and toss to coat. Add ½ tsp. Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp. red chili flakes, and ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper over the vegetables. Toss until completely coated.
Feel free to add a bit more oil if the vegetables seem dry. They should be coated, but not saturated in the oil.
To make the kabobs, start by placing one of the chopped vegetables onto a metal skewer. You can start with any veggie you like.
If using wood or bamboo skewers, you may want to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling, so that they do not burn.
Place a different vegetable on the skewer and continue this process, alternating between vegetables, so that the skewer contains some of each. Repeat this process with the remainder of the vegetables.
Make sure to leave some room at the top and bottom of each skewer, so that the veggies don't become loose and fall off the skewer.
Leave a bit of room between each vegetable and don't squeeze them together. This allows the heat to penetrate each vegetables and ensures for even cooking and char.
Place the skewers on a cooking sheet or tray.
Heat a charcoal grill or gas grill to 375 - 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place each of the skewers over the direct heat, allowing for a bit of space between each skewer. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the skewers, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes on the second side.
Flip the skewers onto the third side, cover, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Flip once more onto the fourth side, cover, and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Alternately, you can roast the vegetables in the oven.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread the chopped vegetables that have been coated in the olive oil and spices out across a few large baking sheets. Make sure that the vegetables are not too crowded, or they will steam instead of roast.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and roast for 22-25 minutes, or until the veggies are tender, but not soft.
Remove from heat. Transfer the cooked veggies from the skewers to a clean large bowl or serving platter.
Feel free to move the skewers to a more indirect heat, cover, and cook for a few additional minutes if needed.
Prepare 1 cup of quinoa (or grain of choice) according to package instructions.

For The Tahini Dressing:

Peel 2 cloves of garlic.
Roughly chop ¼ packed cup each of fresh parsley (flat leaf or curly parsley is fine), cilantro, and dill.
Squeeze ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice into a measuring cup (equals 1-2 large lemons), making sure to remove any seeds.
Add ½ cup tahini paste (make sure brand is gluten free if gluten is an issue for you) to a food processor. Add the ¼ cup of lemon juice, ¼ cup water, the packed ¼ cup each of fresh parsley, cilantro, and dill, the peeled garlic, and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper to a food processor.
Pulse until the mixture is completely combined. Feel free to add more lemon juice or water if you'd like to thin out the dressing even more.
Tahini paste can be chunky when first combined with water or lemon juice. Continue to pulse if it's chunky and add more liquid for a thinner consistency.
To Serve: Serve the grilled or roasted vegetables alongside some quinoa (or grain of choice), drizzle with a generous amount of the herb tahini sauce, and squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top.

Notes

When cooking vegetable skewers on the grill, it's important that the veggies are charred, but not burned. They should be soft, but not mushy when done.

Generally, these vegetable skewers take 16-20 minutes to cook covered on the grill. The skewers are flipped four times throughout this process. Feel free to cook them covered longer over indirect heat if they are not done at the end of cooking time.

Cooking times will vary, depending on the type of grill used, the temperature of the grill, and the type of vegetables used.

Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you'd like a smaller amount.

Nutrition