Vegetarian Recipes

Grilled Vegetables

https://www.loveandlemons.com/grilled-vegetables/

It’s getting to be my favorite time of year for produce. Peppers, zucchini, and corn are coming into season, and tomatoes and peaches are just around the corner. Around here, it’s been too hot to turn on the oven, so we’ve been taking advantage of our summer bounty by making kabobs with gorgeous grilled vegetables.

To make kabobs, you can grill just about any vegetable that can fit on a skewer, but in my opinion, peppers, summer squash, onions, mushrooms, and corn are the best vegetables to grill. Cut into similar-sized pieces, they all cook at about the same rate. And when you slide them off the skewer, you get a mouthwatering mix of textures and flavors – the mushrooms are meaty, the corn is crisp, the squash is soft, and the peppers and onions are nicely sweet. Drizzled in a punchy sauce, they become a delicious summer meal that you can make in about 20 minutes from start to finish.

How to Make Kabobs with the Best Grilled Vegetables

Want to make perfectly charred, super flavorful grilled vegetable kabobs? Check out these tips before you fire up the grill:

Cut everything to a similar size to ensure even cooking. Plus, you’ll be able to get multiple vegetables (aka more flavor) into each bite!
Use metal skewers. Wood skewers burn easily on the grill!
Flip halfway. This one may seem obvious, but it’s important. Good grilled vegetables have a little char on all sides, so make sure you rotate your skewers halfway through cooking. We usually grill ours for around 8 minutes per side.
Season before and after cooking. To give my grilled vegetable kabobs maximum flavor, I season them with olive oil, salt, and pepper before I put them on the grill. Afterwards, I season to taste and drizzle them with a tasty dressing, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and serve them with a sauce.
Don’t skip the sauce. Grilled veggies are good on their own, but a flavorful sauce can take them over the top. See below for my best suggestions!

What to Serve with Grilled Vegetables

Grilled vegetables are one of my favorite summer cookout sides. If you already have the grill going for veggie burgers, mushroom burgers, or black bean burgers, putting on a few grilled vegetable kabobs is an easy way to complete the meal. These skewers would also be a yummy side with BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches, Oyster Mushroom Po’ Boys, or a hearty salad like my couscous, orzo, pasta, or potato salad.

Alternatively, make them the main meal! Drizzle the finished grilled vegetables with tangy Greek salad dressing and serve them alongside lots of pita and tzatziki sauce. Not in the mood for tzatziki? Pesto, cilantro lime dressing, or chipotle sauce would all be great sauces to go with your kabobs.

Save leftover grilled vegetables and sauce for making sandwiches throughout the week! Head over to this post to see my best meal prep tips.

If you love these grilled vegetables…

Try my grilled asparagus, grilled corn on the cob, grilled corn salad, grilled avocado, or Mexican street corn salad next!

Grilled Vegetables

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: main dish

1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed
1 small red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 ear fresh corn, cut into 1-inch rounds
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
tzatziki, pesto, or Greek dressing for drizzling/serving

Heat a grill to medium-high and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the vegetables into similar sized chunks and thread onto 4 metal skewers. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the skewers for 8 minutes per side or until the vegetables are charred and tender. Remove from the grill, season to taste, and serve with desired sauce or dressing.

Vegetarian Recipes

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Here’s a quickie recipe for those nights when you just need something fast and delicious. This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is super fast, light, and fresh, which makes it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner during the summer. The bright lemon flavor perfectly compliments the light and creamy ricotta, and the little pops of sweetness from the peas make every bite a little more interesting. Simple, fresh, and easy.

Originally posted 3-4-2011, updated 6-8-2022.

Do I Have to Use Fresh Lemon?

This is one of those recipes where you really do want to use a fresh lemon instead of bottled juice. The zest from the lemon adds a ton of bright, summery lemon flavor to the pasta without making the sauce too sour. We add just a little of the juice to balance the creaminess of the ricotta, but the zest is where you’re getting all that gorgeous sunny lemon flavor!

Not All Ricotta is Created Equal

I find there is quite a bit of variation in the quality of ricotta from brand to brand. Some are smooth, mild, and sweet like fresh milk, while others are bland and grainy. My preferred brand is Galbani, but they didn’t have any at the store when I went, so I got the generic Kroger brand. It was definitely a bit grainy, but the pasta was still quite delicious despite that!

Also, make sure to get whole milk ricotta. Low-fat ricotta just doesn’t hit the same in this recipe.

What Else Can I Add?

This simple pasta is a great jumping-off point for making a more elaborate pasta, if that’s what you’re in the mood for. Try adding some sliced chicken breast, fresh basil, or fresh spinach. Garlic butter shrimp would also go great with this pasta!

What to Serve with Lemon Ricotta Pasta

This pasta is so light and fresh that I suggest keeping any side dishes really simple, light, and fresh as well. I would go with a super simple side salad, or maybe some roasted asparagus and tomatoes.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Lemon Ricotta Pasta is light, fresh, and quick to prepare, making it the perfect pasta for weeknight dinners in the summer.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Total Cost $4.27 recipe / $1.07 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

1 lemon $0.89
8 oz. pasta* $0.67
1 cup frozen peas $0.50
1 clove garlic, minced $0.08
1 Tbsp butter $0.11
1 cup whole milk ricotta $1.60
1/4 cup grated Parmesan $0.36
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) $0.02
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste) $0.02
1 pinch crushed red pepper (or to taste) $0.02

Instructions

Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy water from the pot.
Place the frozen peas in the colander before draining the pasta so the pasta will thaw the peas as it drains.
Add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the drained pasta and peas, and about ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to the skillet with the butter and garlic. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
Add the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the skillet. Stir until everything is well combined, the residual heat from the skillet and pasta have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has formed a creamy sauce. Add more of the warm reserved pasta water if needed.
Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

*Use any short shape pasta.

Nutrition

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta – Step By Step Photos

Zest and juice one lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp of zest and 1 Tbsp juice.

Cook 8oz. pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.

Add 1 cup of frozen peas to a colander, then pour the boiled pasta over top to thaw the peas as you drain the pasta.

Add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 clove garlic to a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Add the still-hot pasta and peas to the skillet along with about ½ cup of the hot reserved pasta water. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.

Add 1 cup whole milk ricotta, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the pasta. Stir until the ingredients are combined, the residual heat from the pasta and skillet have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has turned into a creamy sauce.