Juicy Grilled Summer Veggies With Pesto And Feta
This recipe will convert anyone into a vegetable lover! It’s an incredibly flavorful mix of crisp summer vegetables, pesto, fresh herbs, and tangy feta. It’s a recipe that’s easy enough to throw together and serve with some grilled chicken or sausage for a weeknight meal, but beautiful enough to serve on a special occasion.
This recipe was specifically designed for my Nosh TV show where you learn how to cook one big dish and then convert it into two other amazing recipes. For that reason, you’ll notice there is an asterisk* by the potatoes and onion. If you don’t want to make the other recipes that utilize your leftovers feel free to make the smaller quantity of ingredients!
INGREDIENTS:
Marinade
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Veg
1 yellow onion, quartered through the root and peeled (*½ onion optional if not making deviled eggs)
3 zucchini, sliced vertically down the middle
1 bunch of asparagus
8 ounces of cremini mushrooms (one carton)
4 corn, with hulk and silks removed
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered (*½ pound if not making potato salad)
3 tablespoons butter
Tin foil
Toppings
¼ cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
2 ounces of feta
2 tablespoons parsley
LET’S COOK:
Fire up your grill on high heat.
First make your marinade. Whisk together the balsamic, oil, garlic, and thyme in the largest mixing bowl that you have and set aside.
Now it's time to prep your vegetables. Start by prepping your zucchini. Take each halved zucchini and score the cut side. Salt each scored zucchini generously and set aside for 15 minutes. Then use a paper towel to remove the excess salt and pat them down to remove any extra liquid that has accumulated.
To prep your asparagus either snap them at their natural snap point for a tender asparagus or to preserve more of the veggie cut off the bottom ½ inch and use a vegetable peeler to peel the ends. Place the asparagus into your large mixing bowl with the marinade.
If your mushrooms have any dirty spots on them use a paper towel to remove the debris. Pop off the stems and add the mushrooms to the mixing bowl.
Add the onion quarters and zucchini into the mixing bowl. Give the vegetables a really good mix and set aside.
Butter the corn with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.
Prep the potatoes by grabbing two sheets of tinfoil (each approximately 3 feet in length so you can make a packet to hold the potatoes) and place one on top of the other. Put all the cut potatoes in the center of the top piece of tinfoil and shape the potatoes into a 1-foot square. Dot the potatoes with 1½ tablespoons of butter and a generous pinch of salt. Fold all four sides of the top sheet of tinfoil over so the potatoes are wrapped up in a nice packet. Flip the packet over so that the seam is facing down, and repeat with the second piece of foil.
Prep your hot grill by oiling the grates to ensure that your vegetables don’t stick.
Your potatoes will take approximately 40 minutes to grill, so get them started first. Place the potato packet in a far corner of the grill and set a timer for 20 minutes. Then start on the rest of the vegetables as described below. After the 20 minute timer goes off, flip the potato packet and give them another 20 minutes.
Fill the grill with the remaining vegetables, making sure that the zucchinis are cut-side down and the tops of the mushrooms are facing down, touching the surface of the grill.
After 5 minutes you can remove the asparagus and flip the corn, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini.
After 5 more minutes the corn, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms should be done, but just to be sure that your zucchini is ready, poke with a knife. It should easily glide through the zucchini. If they’re still firm leave them on a few minutes longer.
Put asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, and half of your onion (saving half for your deviled eggs) back into the large mixing bowl and coat with pesto.
Snap the corns in half and spread the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter onto the corn.
If you grilled the full 2 pounds of potatoes, you’ll serve about one quarter of them (½ pound) on your veggie plate. The rest will be set aside and used in the potato salad recipe.
Arrange a serving platter with your grilled veggies, potatoes, and corn.
Sprinkle with feta, parsley, and sea salt to taste
[SERVES 4]