Grilled Vegetable Skewers
Cut your vegetables into uniform chunks, toss them in a simple oil and salt marinade, and grill them over medium-high heat until they have firm char marks and are tender-crisp. The secret is keeping the pieces large enough that they don't fall off the wood or metal skewers while flipping.
Size matters for even cooking
Cut all vegetables to the same size so the bell peppers don't burn while the zucchini is still raw. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from catching fire.
- Chef's knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Grill or heavy cast-iron grill pan
- Tongs
What goes in.
- 2zucchini, sliced into 1-inch rounds
- 2red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
- 1red onion, cut into 1-inch petals
- 8 ozcremini mushrooms, left whole or halved
- 1/4 cupolive oil
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspcracked black pepper
- 1 tspdried oregano
Controlled surface contact
Do not crowd the grill. Leaving space between skewers ensures the heat circulates and creates a sear rather than steaming the vegetables.
The method.
Prepare the marinade
Whisk the olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano together in the bottom of a large bowl.
Coat the vegetables
Add all prepared vegetables to the bowl and toss thoroughly until every piece is coated in the oil mixture.
Assemble the skewers
Thread the vegetables onto skewers, alternating colors and types for even distribution.
Grill
Place skewers over direct medium-high heat. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes until the vegetables show dark char marks and a knife passes through the thickest piece with minimal resistance.
Other turns to take.
Mediterranean Style
Add cherry tomatoes and halloumi cheese cubes to the skewers; grill until the cheese is browned.
Balsamic Glaze
Whisk two tablespoons of balsamic reduction into the marinade before coating the vegetables.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Place the onion pieces between two other vegetables to act as a buffer against the grill grate.
Use two skewers per row to keep the vegetables from spinning when you flip them.
If the vegetables start to blacken too quickly, move them to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking through.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use bamboo skewers?
Yes, but you must soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before threading the vegetables, or they will splinter and burn.
How do I keep the vegetables from falling off?
Keep your vegetable chunks large—about an inch thick—and pierce them through their most stable, dense parts.
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