Veggie Kabobs

If you have time or want to work ahead, add the veggies to the marinade up to 4 hours in advance. That gives them time to soak up maximum flavor while you get ahead of dinner. Eggplant and cherry tomatoes would also be tasty and cook in a similar amount of time.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 183kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Equipment

Bamboo skewers

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon (reserve the fruit for garnish, see note 1)
1 large zucchini trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 ounces)
1 pound white button mushrooms trimmed
1 red onion cut into 1-inch chunks (see note 2)
1 red bell pepper or other bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
minced fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

To assemble the kabobs:

Add bamboo skewers to a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Soak bamboo skewers at least 30 minutes (or start them the day before and let them soak overnight).
In a bowl or zipper-top plastic bag big enough to hold all the vegetables, add olive oil, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest and stir or mash to combine. Add zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper and toss to coat.
Building one skewer at a time, thread one piece zucchini, one whole mushroom, one onion chunk (2 layers), and one pepper chunk on to a skewer, pushing to the end with the handle.
Repeat with additional vegetables until the skewer is full, then repeat with additional skewers until all vegetables have been skewered. Season generously with salt and pepper (I use at least 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

To grill the kabobs:

Preheat grill over medium-high heat for 10 minutes and clean and oil grates. Grill the skewers directly over high heat for 5 minutes. Turn the skewers over and continue grilling until they are nicely grill-marked and tender crisp, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Do not overcook.
Transfer to a platter, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Lemon: Zest the lemon for the marinade, then cut it in half and reserve the lemon halves for squeezing over the finished kabobs. To elevate your presentation, brush the lemon halves with olive oil and add to the grill until they are nicely browned.
Onion: Use any color onion you like or even green onions with the whole bulb attached. After cutting the onion into chunks, I break it apart into 2 or 3-layer sections for skewering.
Yield: This recipe makes about 8 skewers of vegetables, enough for 4 main-dish servings or 6 to 8 side-dish servings. This recipe doubles and triples easily.
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up 4 days. Leftover grilled veggies are especially delicious in scrambled eggs and omelets.

Nutrition