Grilled Mediterranean Marinated Vegetable Kabobs

 
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By Ramona Cruz-Peters of Fab Everyday

As soon as the weather gets warm, you can find me grilling out as much as possible. There’s just something about food cooked out in the open air. It just feels like summertime! Cookout food doesn’t have to be limited to meats. In fact, veggies, plant-based burgers and sausages, and appetizer bites turn out wonderfully when prepared on the grill.

Today I’m sharing a recipe for delicious and hearty vegetable kabobs. These vegan veggie skewers sit in a Mediterranean-style marinade before being grilled. The recipe makes 18 skewers, so it’s great for a BBQ or cookout party, but you can reduce the ingredients if you don’t need that many servings. Don’t have access to an outdoor grill? You can roast these kabobs in the oven as an alternative.

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This recipe starts by preparing a simple marinade and prepping your vegetables. To best complement the Mediterranean-flavored marinade, the recipe calls for vegetable varieties commonly used in Mediterranean cooking. That being said, if you aren’t a fan of any of these particular vegetables, or want to throw in another of your favorites, this is a really versatile recipe that can be modified to your preferences.

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In a small mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.

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When chopping the eggplant, start by cutting it into ½” rings, then cutting the rings into 1 ½” pieces.

The recipe calls for 2 small zucchinis, which you’ll cut into ½” rings.

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For the red onions, you’ll need 1 to 2 onions depending on the size. To cut smaller onions, halve them, then cut them into wedges. I got 8 wedges out of 2 small red onions.

Depending on the size of your Baby Bella mushrooms, you can leave them whole, halve, or quarter them. The red and yellow bell peppers should be seeded then chopped into 1 ½” pieces. The grape tomatoes can stay as they are.

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Place all the vegetables into a large container and pour the marinade over them. Give the container a shake, then cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Feel free to shake the container again half-way through the marinade time.

After marinating, place the vegetables onto skewers (this recipe will make approximately 18 11.75” skewers, with room on each end) in whatever order you’d like. Personally, I like to distribute them with the colors spread out so that the skewers have a lovely rainbow look to them.

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Cook the skewers on a pre-heated grill, flipping halfway through, until they are cooked to your preference (softness and amount of grill marks on the outside), anywhere from 5-7 minutes per side.

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Aren’t these vegan grilled veggie kabobs beautiful? They are so hearty and satisfying.

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Here’s the recipe. Happy grilling!

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Grilled Mediterranean Marinated Vegetable Kabobs

Serves 9 (18 kabobs) | Prep time: 40 minutes; Cook time: 14 minutes; Total time: 55 minutes

vegan, nut-free, dairy-free 

Ingredients:

For the Marinade

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • 2 teaspoons oregano

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

 

For the Kabobs

  • 1 eggplant, cut into ½” rings then into 1 ½” pieces

  • 16 oz. whole Baby Bella mushrooms, halved or quartered if large

  • 2 small zucchinis, cut into ½” rings

  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1 ½” pieces

  • 2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1 ½” pieces

  • 1-2 red onions (depending on size), halved and cut into wedges

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes

 

Instructions:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.

  2. Place all the vegetables into a large container and pour the marinade over them. Give the container a shake, then cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

  3. After marinating, distribute and place the vegetables onto 18 11.75” skewers, with room on each end, in whatever order you’d like.

  4. Cook the skewers on a pre-heated grill, flipping halfway through, until the vegetables are cooked to your preference, anywhere from 5-7 minutes per side.