Balsamic Vegetable Skewers Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated August 29, 2018
20140601-294502-balsamic-vegetable-skewers.jpg
A medley of fresh vegetables are paired with a balsamic vinaigrette in these bright and tangy skewers. . Joshua Bousel

Balsamic vinaigrette adds a tanginess to fresh vegetables that have been skewered and grilled until lightly charred.

Why this recipe works:

  • We carefully chose vegetables that are firm enough to stay on the skewers during grilling, and left off those that aren't (like eggplant).
  • Cutting the vegetables the same size ensures contact with the grill and more even cooking.
  • Tossing vegetables in a balsamic vinaigrette provides a light seasoning, while finishing them with more vinaigrette brings the stronger balsamic flavor.

Recipe Details

Balsamic Vegetable Skewers Recipe

Active 40 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

  • 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon

  • 2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Skewers:

  • 1 large zucchini, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 3/4-inch slices

  • 1 large yellow squash, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 3/4-inch slices

  • 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes and separated into 3-layer segments

  • 2 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes

Directions

  1. For the Vinaigrette: Whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and thyme in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place all vegetables in a large bowl, add vinaigrette, and toss to coat.

  2. For the Skewers: Skewer vegetables, alternating between zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Reserve any remaining vinaigrette in bowl.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill skewers, turning, until vegetables are browned around the edges and beginning to soften, 5-8 minutes total. Transfer skewers to platter and spoon on reserved vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Grill; wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
231Calories
15gFat
24gCarbs
4gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories231
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g19%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 319mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 24g9%
Dietary Fiber 5g18%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 152mg761%
Calcium 78mg6%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 818mg17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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