Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Salad
This is the heartiest of all hearty salads, and a hit at barbecues and potluck dinners! It is a modification of California Pizza Kitchen’s Roasted Vegetable Salad.
Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
Grilled Vegetables
- 1-2 Cups asparagus or green beans whichever is in season
- 1 Red bell pepper chopped
- 2 small zucchini squash chopped
- 1 Cup frozen corn
- 1 15 oz. can artichokes in brine
Salad
- Romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped fine
- 1/3 Cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 avocado chopped
Vegetable Marinade:
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce I use BRAGG Liquid Aminos for my Gluten-Free friends
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- dash of cayenne pepper
Balsamic Dijon Dressing:
- 1/2 Cup olive oil
- 1/3 Cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop all the veggies except avocadoes. Combine the green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, corn, and artichokes into a large bowl. Prepare the vegetable marinade in a jar with a lid. Give it a few shakes and pour it over the veggies. Let it marinade while you prepare the Balsamic Dressing.
- On an electric griddle grill the veggies until the asparagus (or green beans) are crisp-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently so vegetables cook evenly/ Let them cool for 5 minutes and serve over a bed of romaine lettuce, topped with green onions, avocado chunks, sundried tomatoes, and 1/8 to 1/4 Cup of dressing. (Don't use ALL the dressing you made. It will be too greasy. Save some for another salad some other time.)
Notes
Pro tip: Chop your vegetables a couple hours before you need them (or just before the mass chaos of the dinner hour begins). The longer they marinate, the better they taste.
Also, I have cooked the vegetables in both a stovetop skillet and the electric griddle. They both taste great, but the griddle allows for better flavor and crisp texture. You could also use a wok as well, but the vegetables still won't have that smokey grilled flavor like they do with a griddle.
For potlucks, I mix everything together with dressing so it is easier to serve a large group. At home, we always have leftovers, so I serve the veggies on a bed of lettuce. This allows us to eat it the next day without soggy lettuce. I pair this salad with garlic cheese bread to make it a complete meal.
There’s a lot of chopping that goes into this salad, so check out my “Chopping Tips” to speed up the process.
