Grilled Zucchini Salad Recipe
Grilled zucchini salad is a quick and healthy side dish that tastes delicious on its own or served with chicken.
If you love dishes like bruschetta then you’ll definitely love this salad! In fact, if you chop it smaller, you can absolutely serve it on crostini or toasted baguette slices as bruschetta. It’s delicious!
How Do You Keep Zucchini From Getting Soggy On The Grill?
If you’ve ever grilled zucchini, you know that sometimes, the pieces can get a bit soft and mushy. How do you avoid that? The secret is in the heat. It can be tempting to turn the heat up high to sear the zucchini, but you’ll get the same marks on your zucchini over medium heat, and your zucchini is more likely to stay firm. Yes, it takes longer to cook that way, but it works.
Should You Salt Zucchini Before Grilling?
While it’s not a requirement, salting your zucchini pieces will benefit from salting in two ways.
- They will be well flavored! But if you opt for this, back off on the salt added to the dressing or it may be too salty. (I did not salt mine for this recipe)
- Because salt pulls out moisture from foods during cooking, it can help them stay slightly firmer. So if you are worried about them getting mushy, it could help a bit with that. But again, pull back on the salt in the dressing if you do.
What Is The Best Way To Cut Zucchini For Grilling?
The best way to cut zucchini for grilling is lengthwise. Cut it in half, and then cut lengthwise to get thinner chunks You can watch how it’s done in the video found in the recipe card below if that doesn’t make sense in writing.
Recipe Variations
- Turn this into a quinoa salad by stirring in 2-4 cups of cooked quinoa.
- Add corn!
- Mix it with shrimp or chicken or even scallops!
- Add more fresh herbs such as parsley, oregano or even fresh mint leaves if you’re feeling adventurous.
- Add crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
- Add pine nuts or even raw pumpkin seeds for extra nutrition and crunch.
- Sprinkle with plenty of parmesan cheese.
- Make it more of a green salad by mixing in some fresh greens such as spring mix or arugula.
- Add some zest by sprinkling in some fresh lemon zest or lemon juice.
- Try adding other types of grilled squash such as yellow squash or patty pan squash.
What To Serve With Grilled Zucchini?
- If you chop this small, you can serve it like bruschetta, over slices of bread or crostini.
- Serve it as a side dish to any barbecued main dish.
- Mix it into rice or pasta to round out the salad.
About The Ingredients
Zucchini – Just pick up one that is fairly large. Something around ¾ of a pound or so.
Grape tomatoes – You can also use cherry tomatoes. Any small tomato will do.
Red bell pepper – You can use any color you like. I just find that red peppers have the best flavor for this salad. Green will add a bitter element that is best avoided. But orange or yellow peppers will work here too.
Red onion – a.k.a. purple onions. These are the sweetest and will taste the best.
Fresh basil – It’s hard to overdo the basil in this recipe, so find a nice bushy bunch to bring home!
Balsamic vinegar – For a better-tasting balsamic, you can simmer some vinegar down by half to get a better-tasting vinegar. It’s the cheaper way to get expensive-tasting vinegar.
Oil – Sunflower or grapeseed oil are good options here. Olive oil will work really well here too.
Garlic granules – Garlic powder will work too.
Italian seasoning – You can use store-bought or make it yourself.
Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever salt you normally use in the kitchen.
Ground black pepper – Avoid white pepper. Black pepper works best here.
Honey – You can use any sweetener you prefer here if you don’t want the flavor of the honey present.
How To Make Grilled Zucchini Salad
Grill the zucchini until it’s done to your preference. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Chop or slice the remaining vegetables as called for, and place them all in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a measuring cup.
Toss the salad with the dressing in a large bowl just prior to serving.
Options For Grilling
You can use a regular outdoor grill with grill grates, or try a grill pan on the stove. Either way will work just fine for this.
How To Store Grilled Zucchini Salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Note that this will only keep well if the dressing is NOT on the veggies. For this reason, you should only pour the dressing on when you are ready to eat, and only on the amount of salad you will want to eat. If you store it with the dressing, it tends to get a bit mushy.
Freezing is not recommended.
Recipe Supplies
For this recipe, you’ll want a mixing bowl and cutting board, and a good knife. A wooden spoon for mixing would be a good idea as well. Click on any image below to be taken to that item on Amazon for purchase. (Affiliate links)
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Grilled Zucchini Salad Recipe Card
Grilled Zucchini Salad Recipe
CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!
Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 good kitchen knife
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 large zucchini
- ½ pint grape tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup finely sliced fresh basil
Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup oil (anything light in flavor)
- ½ tsp. garlic granules (or garlic powder)
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp. honey (or any sweetener you prefer to use)
Instructions
- Grill the zucchini until it's done to your preference. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Chop or slice the remaining vegetables as called for, and place them all in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a measuring cup.
- Toss the salad with the dressing in a large bowl just prior to serving.
