Grilled Summer Vegetables with Roasted Garlic Aioli

There are so many beautiful vegetables in season during the summer! Discover how to grill summer vegetables and the best way to serve them. This partnership with Marie’s has donated 8,100 meals to those in need. While the post is sponsored by Marie’s, our love for giving back to the community and grilling summer veggies is our own!

Summer is here and that means it’s time to fire up the grill. Whether you are having a BBQ with friends or just cooking a weeknight dinner for the family, grilling your food gives it a flavor like no other! Plus, if you are grilling your meal you don’t have to worry about heating your nice cool kitchen 😉

There are so many amazing fresh vegetables available during the summer, and many of them take on an entirely new and delicious flavor when they are grilled. Vegetables that you can find in abundance during the summer are asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, summer squash, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and corn just to name a few. Not sure what else is in season? We got you! Check out our What’s In Season Guides.

By knowing what’s in season you can save money at the grocery store and feed your family vegetables that are at peak freshness. If you aren’t exactly sure how to choose, prepare and store a particular vegetable then check out this produce tips guide for help. 

All of these colorful veggies not only taste great, but they are loaded vitamins and nutrients that you need to stay healthy and feeling great all summer long.

So you may be wondering how to grill your vegetables, and it is really easy. I mean, really easy. You don’t even have to season your fresh veggies if you don’t want to! If you do want to season them just use a little kosher salt and pepper to taste. 

Before placing your vegetables on the grill, take a paper towel and wipe the grill grates down with olive oil. This will keep your vegetables from sticking to the grill. 

So how do you prepare your vegetables for grilling? That depends on the type of vegetables you are using. 

Tips for preparing summer vegetables for grilling

Bell Peppers – Bell peppers will need to be washed, seeded, and quartered. 

Squash, zucchini, and eggplant – These vegetables should be washed and cut lengthwise into thick slices. 

Asparagus – Trim the woody end pieces off. 

Onions – Remove the peel, and quarter or cut into thick slices. 

Mushrooms – Brush off the dirt, remove the stems, and slice if very large. 

Tomatoes – Wash them and slice them to your desired thickness. Grape or cherry tomatoes can be placed on the grill whole (just make sure they don’t fall through the grate!)

Carrots and Parsnips – Remove the greens, peel the carrots, and keep them whole. 

Next, simply lightly spray or brush your vegetables with olive oil then place on on your preheated your the grill.

Now that you know how to prepare your vegetables before grilling, let’s talk about grilling time. 

Grilling times for summer veggies

Bell peppers and onions – Grill towards the back of the grill, where it is hotter for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Squash, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms – These vegetables will cook on the grill for 7 to 8 minutes. 

Asparagus – These will cook quickly. Your grilled asparagus will be done in 3 to 5 minutes.

Use tongs or a metal spatula, to move your vegetables around and turn them over during the cooking time. You want to have a little char on each side. 

*Grilling Tip: Want those pretty grill marks? Simply move your veggies back and forth on the hot grates once or twice using tongs.

You may notice that I grilled a few jalapenos too, my family loves spicy foods. Just a warning, a grilled jalapeno tends to get even hotter…and not just temperature-wise.

Best way to serve grilled summer vegetables

Once you remove the vegetables from the grill you can season them if you want to with kosher salt and pepper, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You do not have to season them at all if you prefer not to.  I didn’t! I simply served mine with roasted garlic aioli for dipping.

This roasted garlic aioli from Marie’s is perfect for pairing with your summer grilled vegetables. You can drizzle it over the top of your vegetables, or serve it in a bowl on the side to dip them in. 

The best part about having this roasted garlic aioli in your refrigerator is that it’s also delicious as a sandwich spread (my kiddos have been doing this almost daily for lunch), or as a flavorful topping for a hot dog, or hamburger. You could also dip grilled chicken or pork in it! 

If getting your kids to eat their veggies is a challenge try grilling some for dinner. You might just find that it is their and your new favorite way to eat vegetables, especially with that roasted garlic aioli for dipping!

Which vegetables are you excited to try grilling first?