I absolutely love this Grilled Veggie Salad with Orecchiette! The grilled flavor of the vegetables, the zesty taste of the homemade dressing, and the lovely texture of the pasta! I mean, what could be better than all of that together?
The grill is the perfect tool for grilling vegetables. Maybe you are looking to serve a side dish from the grill, like this amazing Grilled Romaine Lettuce or this exotic Curry Grilled Cauliflower. Or maybe you are looking to serve a main course, if so you have to try this Flank Steak Salad!
You can grill any of your favorite vegetables for this salad; that’s one of the things I love about it. It is so versatile!
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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE Grilled Veggie Salad with Orecchiette?
There are a few basic ingredients that you need to prepare this fantastic salad, but you can change it up to suit your family’s tastes. That’s what makes this such a great recipe!
INGREDIENTS
Salad
- Orecchiette Pasta – Orecchiette just seems to work with this salad, but you can use any type of pasta that you like.
- Dried oregano – Use Mediterranian oregano, not Mexican oregano, unless that’s all you have on hand.
- Garlic powder – You can substitute granulated garlic if that’s what you have on hand.
- Onion powder – This adds a nice flavor to the background of the salad.
- Extra virgin olive oil – I always use Extra Virgin olive oil when cooking, it really does make a big difference in the taste of your food.
- Kosher salt – Use Kosher salt for cooking, flake or sea salt to finish, and table salt to melt the ice on your sidewalk :).
- Fresh ground pepper – Fresh ground pepper is always best for cooking.
- Zucchini – The perfect vegetable to cook on the grill.
- Eggplant – Adds great texture and flavor to the salad.
- Red onion – I like the taste of red onion in salads, especially when grilled.
- Yellow bell pepper – Has a nice sweet flavor and adds a pop of color to the salad.
Dressing
- Lemon juice – Adds a bit of both sweet and sour notes to your salad.
- Lemon zest – Be careful only to use the yellow part of the lemon skin; the white pith can be quite bitter.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a more complex taste to the salad.
- Granulated garlic – You can substitute garlic powder if that’s what you have on hand.
Finishing Touches
- Feta cheese – For that hint of Greek flair.
- Fresh parsley – Adds a splash of green to the salad.
- Fresh Dill – Completes the salad with a hint of citrus with grassy undertones.
HOW TO MAKE Grilled Veggie salad with orecchiette
Start by preheating your grill to medium-high, about 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Next, we need to prepare the vegetables for the grill.
Cut the zucchini on the bias into 1/2-inch thick slices. Then, slice the eggplant the same way. If your eggplant is on the larger side, cut the eggplant slices in half.
Slice your red onion into 1/2-inch thick slices. Core and seed the yellow pepper and slice it into 1-inch wide pieces. The key thing with the vegetables is that you want them in large pieces so they don’t fall through the grates of your BBQ when you are grilling them.
In a medium bowl, combine the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper with half the olive oil. Whisk together and set aside.
Grilling the vegetables
Place all the cut vegetables on the preheated grill and brush with the olive oil mixture. Turn the vegetables and continue to brush the vegetables while they grill. You want the veggies to have nice grill marks on
Once grilled, remove the vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet and set aside to cool.
Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized pieces and place them in a larger serving bowl. Make sure you pour in any of the juices from the grilled vegetables from the baking sheet.
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, granulated garlic, and remaining olive oil, as well as any of the basting oil that you might have left over. Continue to whisk until the dressing is nice and smooth.
Add the cooked orecchiette to the grilled vegetables in the serving bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over the vegetables and the pasta. Gently stir. You want to ensure that everything is coated with the dressing.
Finishing the Grilled Veggie salad
Sprinkle the top of the salad with crumbled feta, chopped parsley, and chopped dill. Gently stir the salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning with finishing salt and fresh ground pepper as needed.
Serve immediately or keep at room temperature for a few hours until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Grilled Veggie Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 medium zucchinis cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices on the bias
- 1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices on the bias
- 1 large red onion cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 large yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch-wide slices
Dressing
- 1 tbsp lemon zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
Finishing Touches
- 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium-high.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, ½ tsp of Kosher salt, and ½ tsp fresh ground pepper with 1/3 cup olive oil. Set aside.
- Grill all the cut vegetables on the grill, brushing with the olive oil mixture while they grill. Turn the vegetables so that they get nice grill marks on both sides, and continue to brush them with the olive oil mixture.
- Once grilled, remove the vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet. Save any of the basting oil to add to the dressing later.
- Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces and place them into a large serving bowl along with any juices from the baking sheet.
- To make the dressing, combine in a small bowl the lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, granulated garlic, remaining 1/3 of a cup of olive oil, and any basting liquid that remains. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the cooked orecchiette to the grilled vegetables, and pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables, gently stirring to ensure that everything is coated with the dressing.
- Add the crumbled feta, chopped parsley, and chopped fresh dill to the salad and stir again.
- Adjust the seasoning with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately or keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours until ready to serve.
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an air-tight container.
This salad looks delicious! Definitely going to try it!
Best Grilled Veggie Salad!!