Grilled Italian Veggie Platter
Hold on to your tongs, ladies and gentleman. It’s grillin’ time.
Last week I polled you for Mangia Paleo’s first ever reader choice recipe. The grilled veggie platter won 45% of the votes on Facebook and email. No worries, though. The runner-up chicken wings and egg cups will make a blog appearance in the future.
My grilled italian veggies are gonna blow you away. Save this recipe for your summer picnics. It serves 6 and is wicked easy to double up. Sure, you’ve probably made grilled veggies before. This platter is different. Note the combo of veggies. That’s important. Little bit of tender squash, little bit of sweet onion, little bit of soft eggplant, little bit of crunchy pepper, and a little bit of earthy asparagus. The platter has it all. I’ve also got some tips for you including what I put on top. This is where I write my introduction to entice you to keep reading. It’s pointless because you’ll probably just scroll down to see what I’m talking about anyways. Here are the tips that make these veggies stand out.
Tip #1 – Use a grill mat
My dad discovered this paper thin piece of heaven. It’s a gem! You place the mat on the grill. Then place the veggies on the mat. Nothing falls through the grates. Nothing sticks. AND it leaves grill marks. What the what?! You can search online but here’s an Amazon link for the lazy.
Tip #2 – Get saucy
Roasted veggies with little seasoning is cool and all. But have you tried to sauce it up? I always need something to enhance veggies. Am I the only one who thinks vegetables can be super boring by themselves? Blending roasted red peppers is a yummy way to add a smoother texture to the grilled veggies AND making them more interesting.
Adding red pepper sauce on top of red peppers is kind of like wrapping pork in bacon. It’s the same ingredient in a different form making it even more delicious.
- 1 eggplant
- 1 red onion
- 1 green zucchini squash
- 1 yellow zucchini squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 bundle asparagus
- 2 tbsp olive oil for red pepper sauce & veggies
- 12 oz jar roasted red peppers for red pepper sauce
- 1 handful basil leaves for red pepper sauce
- 1 clove garlic roasted, if possible
- salt and pepper to taste
- First, prep the roasted red pepper sauce. Drain jar of roasted red peppers. In a food processor add roasted red peppers, 1 tbsp olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. You can prep ahead of time and even freeze this.
- Then, cut all veggies to cook evenly. Slice zucchini on an angle 1/2 inch thick. Slice eggplant lengthwise about 1/2 thick. Cut whole round onion a little less than 1/2 inch, and chop bell pepper into quarters or about 2 inches in diameter. Trim root ends of asparagus.
- Once the veggies are prepped toss them in 1 tbsp olive oil, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Add veggies to the grill. Be sure they do not overlap one another.
- Grill covered or uncovered for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway. When tender, remove from grill. Spoon over roasted red pepper sauce to serve.
Laura, what makes this Italian? Hey paisano, do I really need to tell ya? These veggies are all popular in Italian cooking. Additionally the roasted red pepper sauce brings that bright flavor and color most Italian dishes represent. As my blog shows you by now, it’s not all about the pasta and pizza. Italian cuisine highlights fresh veggies and herbs all the time!
After I wrote this recipe I realized something… it’s totally vegan. Whaaaat am I doing? Bring on the meat. Pair this with a steak and we’re good to go. Or load up on this rainbow of food. After all the healthiest way to eat is by eating all the colors.
Mmmm – sounds delicious!
Thank you! Enjoy 🙂
Is there a recipe for the red pepper sauce?
Yes, it is all included in this recipe. It is step 1 in the directions.
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Do you have a sauce recipe that doesn’t include nightshades? It is one of the hardest things to literally be in love with peppers and tomatoes and told you can’t really have them much at all. 🙁 I have to follow the auto-immune paleo protocol, it’s new to me and your recipes look so appealing and less like emotional food suicide that people feel when they find out they have to eat “restricted”. THANK YOU for your dedication and going before the rest of us to lead the way.
Sure! Here are some nightshade free sauce options:
Nomato sauce here – https://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/the-best-no-mato-sauce-autoimmune-paleo-marinara
And this one with pumpkin is great for spaghetti squash! http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/no-mato-sauce-tomato-free-pasta-sauce-for-secret-recipe-club/
A beautiful one with root veggies http://theurbanposer.com/tomato-less-marinara/
Enjoy 🙂