Naturally gluten-free, a colorful plate of grilled or roasted veggies brightens any table and offers something for everyone! Perfect for feeding a crowd, as part of a meal or for meal prep! This post will give you all our best tips for getting perfectly grilled and roasted veggies every time, and for making a gorgeous platter!
Grilled or Roasted Veggies are the perfect addition to just about everything!
They’re festive, pretty, flavorful and delicious!
Plus, they are entirely adaptable and always different based on taste, availability and the rest of the menu.
Grilled v. Roasted Vegetables:
I use the terms grilled and roasted interchangeably in how we use them, but they are two entirely different methods of cooking and people have preferences for both.
Roasting is simply cooking at a high heat in the oven. And in this post, I give lots of tips on how get perfectly roasted vegetables that are super tender and tasty, some crisp around the edges when you want it.
Grilling, is just as it sounds, cooking on the grill. And in this post, I give lots of tips on how to grill vegetables so that they are tender and have those fabulous grill marks.
Everyone has preferences for grilling or roasting and I share what I’ve learned about cooking different vegetables below.
In the winter, I roast vegetables nearly weekly because the produce isn’t as fresh and it really brings out the flavor.
And because there’s less fresh produce to turn into a quick meal, we love having roasted vegges in the refrigerator because they are so versatile.
In the summer, I tend to eat more fresh produce or just quick saute but every few weeks, I love to roast or grill a bunch of veggies because they can be used for so many dishes.
They can be eaten room temperature or heated up (I like to heat them up in a skillet so that they get crispy).
And they can be eaten any number of ways:
as is, with some hummus or tahini or avocado
as part of a big salad
with any additional protein of choice
they can added to a pizza
used as a topper for toast
as filling for a sandwich, grilled cheese or quesadilla
served with savory oats
added to a grain bowl
a simple side dish.
with zoodles
My husband and I love to eat them for lunch as part of a big salad, alongside zoodles or with just some hummus or avocado.
No matter how you enjoy them, they are always good to have in the fridge.
This festive and colorful platter is from a big family barbecue we had in celebration of my Dad’s birthday a few years ago and it was the largest grilled veggie platter I had ever made at the time.
And while the platter was quite the show stopper, the “behind the scenes” was quite the scene — but I learned so many lessons about grilling and roasting veggies!
And now I can grill or roast just about anything!
This platter of grilled and roasted veggies is included:
grilled zucchini
grilled yellow squash
grilled portobello mushrooms
grilled baby eggplant
grilled radicchio
grilled red onions
roasted broccolini
roasted red and yellow peppers, and
roasted tomatoes.
It was colorful, loaded with everyone’s favorites and so yummy!
But did I mention the mayhem behind the scenes?
Even several years ago when I made this platter, I grilled and roasted veggies all the time but had never made so many different vegetables or such a large quantity at once… let’s just say I did not allot enough time and ended up with the outdoor grill, indoor grill and oven going all at once!
So many lessons learned but it was all worth it!
So here is what I learned about making such a large platter:
Plan ahead in terms of type and quantity of vegetables.
Think of your guests and their favorite vegetables and consider limiting it to those, and maybe adding in a smaller quantity of other vegetables if you want some additional color. That way you can make sure you have enough of the preferred vegetables.
If making a platter, choose your favorite vegetables first, look at the colors and then choose a few with different colors so the platter is balanced and vibrant in presentation.
Grill or roast a day ahead of time! This will be a huge time saver and they will taste just as great. Just make your platter and let it get to room temperature before serving.
Invest in a grill tray for outdoor grilling. This was key in keeping vegetables from falling through the grill.
Some vegetables can be prepared in the oven equally well as the grill to help save on time and space. In my opinion, all vegetables taste great roasted in the oven but I do like grill marks and some of the grill flavor on some.
Here is my opinion on what where to roast and where to grill if you are short on space and/or time:
Grill (an indoor grill works great for grill marks on zucchini and eggplant): onions, radicchio, zucchini, squash, eggplant, portobello mushrooms
And here are some tips getting them perfectly tender and crispy every time whether grilling or roasting!
Make sure the veggies are well dried after rinsing and scrubbing off any dirt
Cut them as evenly as possible so that they cook evenly
Make sure they are coated but not dripping in oil
If Grilling:
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
One vegetable at a time, gently toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic if desired.
In batches, lay in a single layer on grill tray or on grill pan. Grill in batches, one type at a time so that they cook at the same rate.
The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they’ve been placed on the hot grill. I tend to flip only once. I find the best grill marks are easiest on the grill pan.
If Roasting:
Place them on the baking sheet so that they are not touching and with enough space in between each vegetable so that they can get crispy.
Roast them at a high temperature (I like to roast them at 400 degrees, except sweet potato fries which I like to roast at 450 degrees if possible). If short on time, roast at 425 degrees, but do for shorter time.
My general rule of thumb is to roast at 400 degrees, for 30 minutes. Some vegetables will take a little longer, some a little less but this will work for most veggies.
You can purchase the veggies pre-cut or cut them yourself, then place them on the baking sheet with some oil, sprinkle with salt and any other seasoning you like, and let them bake!
And for the most part they can all be roasted at the same time.
The only exception is roasted peppers which I like to blacken at a very high temperature so the skin peels off easily.
I actually use my grandmother’s way of making them which is to broil them, turning once to make sure they are blackened on both sides. Then place them in a paper bag for 15-20 minutes, then the skin just peels right off!
As an aside, you may see lots of references to my grandmother on this website. She was an important person in my life who cooked the best food and hosted constantly! I don’t recall cooking with her but when I started cooking on my own, I would often call her and ask for advice, tips and recipes!
Storing your grilled or roasted vegetables:
Whether you grill or roast your vegetables, store each vegetable separately in air tight containers in the refrigerator for several days.
Serve at room temperature or heat up in a skillet to get warm and crispy again!
Hope you love them as much as we do!
PIN it!
Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment with your favorite roasted or grilled veggie.
Naturally gluten-free, a grilled/ roasted vegetable platter is always a good idea. It adds color, nutrients and works well with just about everything. Perfect for entertaining or for meal prep. Here I used a combination of roasting and grilling to maximize time and space, but either one will work.
Prep Time20mins
Cook Time30mins
Total Time50mins
Course: Sides, Veggies
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
Quantity depends on number of people serving. I tend to always end up with too much of some and not enough of others! And I like having extra for the next few days.
For all: Clean and leave skin on. The most important thing is to cut vegetables in similar thickness to make cooking easier.
Pepper: 2 red2 yellow, cut in half, stem and seeds removed
Zucchini - 2-3sliced long ways in 1/8 -1/4 inch pieces, then in half OR cut in 1/4 inch slices
Squash- 2-3sliced long ways in 1/8 -1/4 inch pieces, then in half
Baby eggplant - 5-6sliced in 1/4 inch circles (my family loves eggplant so can't make too much!)
Portobello mushroom 5-6can be grilled whole or roasted sliced
10roma tomatoes or 20 cherry tomatoes
Radicchioapproximately `10 pieces gently peeled off
Red onionapproximately 10 slices, 1/8 in thick
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Garlic optional
Rosemary optional
Instructions
Roasted Peppers:
In preheated broiler, roast peppers for approximately 20-30 minutes, rotating midway through, or until blackened. You want them black so that the skin peels off easier.
Remove from oven and place in a brown paper bag, seal and let cool for about 15 minutes. Then remove from bag and the blacked skins should peel off easily and the seeds remove easily. Slice peppers into strips.
Roasted Veggies:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
One vegetable at a time, gently toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, if desired, so lightly coated but not dripping. Lay in a single layer on individual baking sheets or bake in batches. Alternatively, you could lay flat in a single layer first, then brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for:
Tomatoes - 10 minutes or until tender
Broccolini - 15 minutes or until tender and slightly crispy
portobello - 15-30 minutes or until tender (depends on size)
Zucchini - 30 minutes or until tender and slightly crisp
eggplant - 30 minutes or until tender and slightly crisp
Grilled Vegetables
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
One vegetable at a time, gently toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, if desired, so lightly coated but not dripping. In batches, lay in a single layer on grill tray or on grill pan. Alternatively, you could lay flat in a single layer first, then brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill in batches, one vegetable type at a time so that they cook at the same rate. Grill, flipping once, until tender and lightly charred, approximately
Zucchini - 15 minutes
Squash - 15 minutes
Eggplant - 15 minutes
Raddichio - 5 minutes
Onions - 7-8 minutes
Portobello - I place directly on the grill whole, flipping once, 15 minutes or until tender
Pro Tip: The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they've been placed on the hot grill. I tend to flip only once. I find the best grill marks are easiest on the grill pan.
Store each vegetable separately in air tight containers in the refrigerator for several days.
Serve at room temperature or heat up in a skillet.
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
