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Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad uses herb-infused oils to grill summer vegetables, plus a terrific homemade dressing!
Yesterday we showed you how to make herb-infused oils that can be used to add some great flavors to grilled vegetables – and today we’re sharing our recipe for a Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad.
We’ve taken all of those different herb-flavored grilled vegetables – corn, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and peppers – and then combined them with fresh tomatoes and basil. We also crumbled some blue cheese over the veggies – but you can also use goat cheese, feta, or any other crumbly cheese you like.
Finally, everything is tossed together with a simple dressing made from more of those herb-infused oils, plus the addition of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little Dijon mustard. It’s the perfect light and refreshing dressing to complement the smoky flavors of the grilled vegetables.
This grilled summer vegetable salad recipe is completely flexible so feel free to get creative in the kitchen! Make this salad with whatever favorite vegetables you and your family enjoy (the grilling technique is the same).
You may like these other summer salads:
- Caesar Salad with Grilled Caesar Chicken
- Pasta Primavera
- Grilled Corn and Jalapeño Salad
- Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad
- Kale Apple Walnut Salad
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 3 ears corn
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 small or one medium summer squash
- 1 whole red onion
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 red pepper
- 1/4 cup herb infused oil, for grilling
- 2 pounds mixed grape, cherry and mini sunglow tomatoes (or any of your own favorite varieties)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into a thin chiffonade
- 4 ounces Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup herb infused oil
- Zest of half a lemon
- Juice from one lemon (1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Few grinds black pepper
Instructions
- Heat grill to the hottest temperature.
- Cut ends from eggplant and cut lengthwise into three or four thick slices. Shave the skin off the two outside pieces so the flesh will get grill marks. Lay the slices on your board or plate and salt both sides liberally. This will draw out the bitterness.
- While the eggplant sits, prepare the other vegetables.
- Husk the corn and place on a tray.
- Cut the ends off the zucchini and summer squash then cut in half lengthwise. Place on tray with corn.
- Cut the top off the red onion but leave the root attached. Cut it in quarters, leaving root attached to each quarter. This will help keep it together while grilling. Place on tray with other vegetables.
- Cut the tough ends off the asparagus and place spears on tray with vegetables.
- Cut the red pepper in half. Remove core and seeds and place the two halves on tray with vegetables.
- Rinse and dry eggplant and add to tray with other vegetables.
- Brush all of the vegetables on all sides with your choice of infused oils. (We found that the Hot Hungarian Paprika infused oil went very well with the corn. The thyme infused oil or the mixed spice infused oil goes well with the other vegetables.)
- Once all of the vegetables are brushed with oil, lay them all out on your grill. As each side chars, turn and grill the other side. Depending on your grill, the time to cook will vary but different vegetables will take different amounts of time. The corn and onions took the longest and the asparagus took the least. Just remove back to the platter once each is grilled.
- Cut each vegetable into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. With a sharp knife or a corn stripper tool (like this one
), remove kernels and place in bowl. - Cut all of the tomatoes in half and add to the bowl.
- Make the dressing by combining all ingredients and add to bowl along with the fresh basil. Toss until combined.
- Top with the cheese and serve.
), remove kernels and place in bowl.Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Can I bake the vegetables instead of using the grill?
Thanks!
Sure Divya – If you don’t have a grill, you can roast in a very hot oven to cook and slightly caramelize. I’d just make sure that you spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan in a single layer to avoid steaming.
Sounds great can’t wait to try
We hope you love the recipe Ellen!
I’ve made this twice. It’s delicious! We don’t use eggplant because the family is not a fan, but everything else is yummy. I added some red potatoes to stretch it for a big party. I would say it serves a whole lot more than 8 as a generous side dish. Thanks!
Great idea adding the potatoes! So glad the recipe is a hit with you and your family. Thanks for taking the time to write to us today.
Could this salad be warmed before serving?
Hi Yvonne – Yes – you can serve this room temp or slightly warmed.
Hi, just wondering if you grill the tomato also? It doesn’t specify in the recipe and if so,
do you put them on a tray or in a grill pan? Or are they added after?
Thanks, I want to make this for the 4th of July…..looks perfect.
Hi Lia – We added the tomatoes at the end (see step 13) – but you could definitely grill the tomatoes if you’d like! If you are using the grape or cherry tomatoes, I’d suggest keeping them whole and using a grill pan and just grilling until the skin starts to blister a bit. Or cut the larger tomatoes into wedges and place them on the grill to give them some char. Hope that helps!
What unit of measurement is used for the fresh basil leaves under ingredients?
Hi Joyce – It should read 1/4 cup – thanks for alerting us to the error! We will get it corrected as soon as possible!
This looks amazing! Love the addition of corn…. yum!
Thanks Rachel!
Is there any way to make this ahead? Seems like a lot of work at the last minute, but looks wonderful.
Absolutely Sue – you can grill the vegetables the day before and then assemble and tossing in the dressing right before serving.
This salad looks great! I’m already a fan of roasted vegetables, so tossing them into a salad sounds great…thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jodee!
What a gorgeous salad. I love all the summer vegetables and the color. The herb oil is a genius idea. I can think of so many ways to use it. We have an eggplant in our garden that is almost ready. This would be a perfect way to eat it.
Thanks Christie!!