Colorful Grilled Veggie Skewers

Growing up, my mom always boiled vegetables until they were mushy and bland. It wasn’t until college that I discovered grilling could make vegetables taste amazing. My first attempt at grilled veggies was a disaster though – everything fell through the grates and ended up charred beyond recognition.

That’s when a friend introduced me to veggie skewers, and it was like a light bulb moment. Threading vegetables onto skewers keeps them from falling into the grill, and they cook evenly every time. Even my kids, who usually push vegetables around their plates, get excited when they see these colorful kebabs coming off the grill.

What Kind of Bell Peppers Should I Use?

For these colorful skewers, you can actually mix and match any colors of bell peppers you find at your store. While red, orange, and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter and more mellow, green peppers add a slightly more sharp, peppery kick that creates nice flavor contrast. The key is picking peppers that feel firm and heavy for their size, with smooth, shiny skin and no soft spots. If you can’t find all the colors listed in the recipe, don’t worry – just use what’s available and fresh at your market. When prepping them for the skewers, try to cut the pieces in similar sizes (about 1-1.5 inch chunks) so they cook evenly on the grill.

Options for Substitutions

One of the great things about these grilled veggie skewers is how easy it is to mix and match ingredients:

• Bell peppers: Feel free to use any color combination of bell peppers you can find. You can also swap in other grillable vegetables like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, or chunks of eggplant.
• Red onions: Yellow or white onions work just as well. If you’re not big on onions, you could use shallots for a milder flavor.
• Fresh herbs: Don’t have fresh herbs? Use dried ones instead – just remember to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh. You can also mix up the herb combinations – basil, oregano, or thyme all work great.
• Olive oil: Any neutral cooking oil like avocado or grapeseed oil will work for grilling. For the marinade, stick with olive oil for the best flavor.
• Balsamic vinegar: You can skip this or try a squeeze of lemon juice instead. A drizzle of aged balsamic glaze or even a honey-mustard sauce works well too.
• Fresh garlic: In a pinch, use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic cloves. The flavor won’t be quite as bold, but it’ll still taste good.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Grilling

The biggest mistake when making veggie skewers is cutting your vegetables in different sizes, which leads to uneven cooking – keep all pieces roughly the same size (about 1-1.5 inches) so they cook at the same rate. Another common error is placing the skewers directly on a cold grill; instead, preheat your grill for 10-15 minutes to achieve those perfect grill marks and prevent the vegetables from sticking. To avoid sad, mushy vegetables, don’t overcrowd your skewers – leave a small space between each piece to ensure even cooking and proper charring all around. For the best results, brush your vegetables with oil just before grilling (not too early, or they’ll absorb too much), and remember to soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.

What to Serve With Grilled Veggie Skewers?

These colorful veggie skewers make a perfect side dish, but they can easily become the star of the meal with the right accompaniments! For a complete dinner, serve them alongside fluffy quinoa or brown rice to soak up all those tasty grilled vegetable juices. If you’re cooking for a crowd, these skewers go great with grilled proteins like chicken, fish, or tofu – just use the same herb-garlic marinade on everything for consistent flavors. I also love serving them with a big bowl of hummus or tzatziki sauce for dipping, plus some warm pita bread on the side. For a Mediterranean-style feast, add a simple Greek salad with feta cheese and olives to round out the meal.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These colorful grilled veggie skewers can hang out in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. They’re actually pretty good cold, but they’re even better when you plan to use them for quick meals throughout the week!

Prep Ahead: Want to get a head start? You can cut all your veggies and make the herb marinade up to 2 days before grilling. Keep the prepped veggies and marinade separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, just thread the veggies onto skewers and brush with the marinade.

Warm Up: To enjoy leftover skewers warm, pop them in the oven at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes, or give them a quick 30-second zap in the microwave. Just be careful not to overheat them, or your veggies might get a bit mushy. You can also toss them cold into salads or grain bowls!

Preparation Time	20-40 minutes
Cooking Time	10-16 minutes
Total Time	30-56 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Easy

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 800-900
• Protein: 10-15 g
• Fat: 70-80 g
• Carbohydrates: 50-60 g

Ingredients

For the skewers:

• balsamic vinegar
• 4 red onions (cut into 1-inch wedges)
• olive oil (for brushing, I like Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil)
• 2 green bell peppers (cut into 1-inch squares)
• 4 zucchini (cut into 1-inch thick rounds)
• 2 yellow bell peppers (cut into 1-inch squares)
• 2 red bell peppers (cut into 1-inch squares)
• 2 orange bell peppers (cut into 1-inch squares)

For the garlic herb sauce:

• salt
• black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro (minced)
• 5 garlic cloves (freshly minced for best flavor)
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley (minced, for bright flavor)
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary (minced)

Step 1: Soak the Skewers

Start by soaking approximately 8-12 wooden skewers in water for at least 15-30 minutes.

This helps prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.

The total number of skewers needed will depend on factors like the size of each vegetable and the size of your vegetable pieces.

Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables

Get your vegetables ready for skewering.

Take each red onion, peel it, slice it in half, and then chop each half into thirds (resulting in 6 pieces per onion).

For the bell peppers, remove the seeds and cut them into approximately 1-inch by 1-inch pieces.

Lastly, slice the zucchini into rounds.

Step 3: Make the Garlic Herb Sauce

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, chopped parsley, cilantro, rosemary, salt, and pepper to create your garlic herb sauce.

Once combined, set the sauce aside for later use.

Step 4: Assemble the Skewers

Carefully thread the vegetables onto the soaked skewers, alternating between red onion, zucchini, and the different colored bell peppers.

Once assembled, brush each skewer with a light layer of olive oil to help with grilling.

Step 5: Grill the Vegetable Skewers

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the vegetable skewers to the grill.

Grill them for approximately 5-8 minutes per side, or until the vegetables are slightly soft and browning around the edges.

Step 6: Finish and Serve

Remove the skewers from the grill and brush them with the prepared garlic herb sauce.

Optionally, drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette for extra flavor.

Serve hot and enjoy your delicious grilled vegetable skewers!