Perfectly grilled vegetables with garlicky, yogurt tahini sauce
The heart of Summer is upon us and who doesn’t love this time of year for the chance to grill simple dinners outdoors and enjoy all the perfectly fresh produce just now hitting the shelves of local farmers markets, or if you’re really lucky, ripening in your own garden! It seems a shame to me, however, just how few people realize how good all that wonderful produce is on the grill. Many don’t know where to start when it comes to grilling vegetables, or maybe they’ve had vegetables in the past that have been less grilled than have met their untimely demise on the grill! Grilling vegetables isn’t hard but there are a few important steps that make the difference between a mushy and/or charred catastrophe and crisp, caramelized, flavorful perfection. I use a gas grill for it’s convenience but this recipe can be made with a charcoal grill as well – just make sure to get the coals very hot before letting the veggies anywhere near it.
The truth is, grilled vegetables not only make a worthy side dish for your favorite grilled meat, they can be the meal when you add a delicious sauce or extra fixings like the rich and satisfying garlicky, yogurt tahini sauce in this recipe. I’m far from a vegetarian but this time of year, when produce is so fresh and good, I naturally find myself flipping the main/side paradigm by making vegetables the star of the meal. With my husband out of town this past weekend and most of the kids occupied with work or friends I was left with the rare freedom to make dinner whatever I wanted it to be. And with several perfect heads of broccoli peeping through their broccoli leaves, a rapidly reproducing zucchini plant, and an overabundance of kale and collard greens, meals straight from the garden all weekend were a no-brainer. I concocted this recipe on Saturday night and it was the standout winner of the weekend – even with my 10 year old! (Full disclosure: the eggplant was from the supermarket – not from my garden.) The combination of chewy, crunchy, and caramelized vegetables with the cool, creamy, and slightly nutty sauce is just melt in your mouth good. Makes a great healthy appetizer or a surprisingly satisfying, and well balanced, light meal. The sauce, made with plain, full fat Fage greek yogurt and tahini paste (made from ground sesame seeds) packs about 7 grams of protein per 1/4 cup serving and plenty of heart healthy fat to help your body absorb all those wonderful vitamins and minerals in the eggplant, zucchini, and broccoli.
The beauty of cooking vegetables on the grill is that the high, direct contact heat cooks the vegetables ultra quickly – bringing out the vegetables natural sugars without overcooking – resulting in veggies that retain their natural crunch and texture but obtain a deep, delicious caramelized flavor. Yum!! This recipe walks you through the steps necessary to perfectly grill two very different types of vegetables – fibrous, crisp broccoli and soft, moist eggplant and zucchini. Most vegetables fall into the fibrous/crips or soft/moist categories and can be grilled in either of these two ways – for example, carrots can be grilled in exactly the same way as broccoli while tomatoes have more in common with zucchini and eggplant and therefore benefit from the same preparation and grilling method.
The grilling method for harder, more fibrous vegetables like broccoli and carrots is pretty straightforward – use plenty of olive oil and salt, make sure the veggies don’t fall through the grates (I use aluminum foil to ensure this), and make sure the heat is nice and high (just short of full blast on a gas grill.) Softer, water-filled vegetables like eggplant and zucchini require a bit more prep and attention while grilling to create chewy, crunchy and caramelized texture, rather than soggy and/or burnt results. The key is in taking the extra step to draw out some of the moisture from these spongier veggies before putting them on the grill. This can be done by laying the sliced vegetables out on a paper towel, salting them liberally, and letting them stand for at least a half hour. This causes the water in the vegetables to bead to the surface where it can then be sopped up with more paper towels.
Once you master these simple tricks for vegetables on the grill you won’t want to eat them any other way, I promise. Oh, and I would highly suggest pairing it all with an ice cold bottle of hard cider… or two. Enjoy!
Perfectly Grilled Vegetables with Garlicky Yogurt Tahini Sauce
Equipment
- Grill
- Grilling tongs
- 2-3 large sheet pans
- Basting brush
Ingredients
Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini, and Broccoli
- 1 Large Eggplant
- 1 Medium Zucchini
- 4 Cups Broccoli
- Plenty of Sea Salt
- 2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (Optional)
- Lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil You will be using olive oil liberally on all vegetables
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Roasted Red Peppers Sliced into strips (Optional)
Garlicky Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- 1 Cup Full Fat Greek Yogurt I highly recommend using Fage Total 5% Milk Fat greek yogurt – the texture and creaminess are outstanding.
- 3 Tbsp Sesame Tahini
- 2 Medium Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Lemon Juiced
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Draw out Moisture – Eggplant & Zucchini
- Slice eggplant and zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds – try to be as consistent as you can – this will make grilling easier.
- Lay eggplant and zucchini rounds out on paper towels and sprinkle liberally on both sides with salt.
- Let salted eggplant and zucchini stand for at least a half hour to draw out moisture.
- In the meantime cut up and season the broccoli and make the sauce.
Prepare & Season Broccoli
- Trim tough outer stem if necessary and cut broccoli up into spears leaving plenty of stem (the stem grills up beautifully and holds everything together.)
- Spread out broccoli on a large piece of aluminum foil set on top of a sheet pan.
- Drizzle on about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil to coat all broccoli spears.
- Season with about 1 Tbsp sea salt and 1 tsp crushed red pepper, if using.
- Drizzle on 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar and toss well to coat and set aside.
- Turn grill on high at this point to preheat and make the sauce.
Garlicky Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Juice lemon half into a small bowl.
- Finely mince garlic and place in bowl with lemon juice.
- Add all other ingredients and mix well until everything is incorporated.
- Cover and place in the fridge to chill.
Season Eggplant & Zucchini & Grill all Vegetables
- Going back to your eggplant and zucchini, you should now see obvious beads of moisture standing out from the sliced rounds.
- Use paper towels to firmly press eggplant and zucchini slices to draw out as much moisture as possible.
- Next coat the bottom of a sheet pan with 3 or 4 Tbsps of extra virgin olive oil and place all the eggplant and zucchini slices in a single layer (use two sheet pans if necessary.)
- Pour 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil into a small bowl and use a basting brush to coat the tops of all the eggplant and zucchini slices. If you don't own a basting brush you can use a combination of a spoon and your fingers to evenly distribute the olive oil – the idea is to evenly coat without absolutely soaking the slices in olive oil.
- The grill should be nice and hot at this point – turn it down just a little from full high to just a bit below full high and place the eggplant and zucchini directly on the grill.
- The eggplant and zucchini should only take about 4-5 minute per side but should be watched very closely and turned often to get the most even browning on all sides.
- When done pieces should appear dry with slightly curled edges – not floppy or soggy! If pieces are browning too quickly and are still floppy turn down heat and cook a bit longer.
- Next place the broccoli on the grill on the aluminum foil (so that it won't fall through the grates) and grill stirring frequently for 4 or 5 minutes until pieces are golden brown in many places (a little charring in spots is fine too.)
- Serve vegetables immediately with sliced roasted peppers and sauce.
Notes