Grilled Vegetables {Grilled Vegetable Marinade}

We love grilled vegetables around here, and this grilled vegetable marinade is the best I’ve ever tasted. Made with lemon, butter, and thyme, it is the perfect marinade and basting sauce for summer! It’s also Paleo, Keto, low-carb and Whole30 compliant!

I love to make a large platter of these grilled vegetables for a big summer BBQ, but even if I make this amount, just for my family , we end up eating twice as many vegetables when I serve them grilled with this amazing marinade.  (This post was originally published on June 29th, 2011. It has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn commission on qualifying purchases) 

Perfect for any diet or lifestyle

If you want to make this marinade Paleo friendly and Whole30 compliant; simply substitute the butter for clarified butter or ghee. Make sure that you check your mustard if you are being really strict! If you’re following a gluten free, low-carb or keto diet, you won’t need to change a thing!

Not interested in the dietary labels? It’s just another method to indicate that this is a simple and unprocessed recipe. The ingredients are just butter, olive oil, chopped shallots, mustard, lemon juice and fresh thyme, which makes it a healthy addition to any meal.

What are good vegetables to grill?

Just about any vegetable is great on the grill. Well, maybe not broccoli or cauliflower! While not low carb, sweet potatoes or corn on the cob are also great as well. If I purchase small mushrooms, I’ll skewer them. Portobello mushrooms are fabulous too!

In our house asparagus, mushrooms, and onions are everyone’s favorites. Eggplant is also wonderful, but not a family favorite, so I only add it when I’m making them for a large crowd. Surprisingly, carrots are wonderful on the grill. I love to use the exotic Dutch carrots that are purple and yellow in addition to orange carrots.

How do you grill vegetables?

It’s common sense, but you’ll want to start with the firmest vegetables first. So I’ll start with the carrots and onions, then add the peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini and finish with the asparagus.

How do you make this grilled vegetable recipe?

The marinade ingredients are simple and clean. Olive oil, shallots, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and butter. I like these little glass dishes for my prep or mis en place.

If you have any leftover marinade, you can heat it up and serve it on the side.

Wash and trim the asparagus, quarter the bell peppers, and slice the zucchini and onions. Lay all the vegetables on baking sheets. You’ll want to keep the onion and zucchini slices around 1/4″ thick.

If they’re too thin, they’ll become to soft and won’t hold their shape. Portobello mushrooms are great on the grill, just remove the large stem. For small mushrooms you can skewer them if you don’t want to chase them around the grill.

Just heat up all the marinade ingredients and brush on both sides of the vegetables. I usually do this about 30 minutes before I plan to grill them, or about the time it takes to heat it up the BBQ. These colorful brushes are great for all sorts of kitchen tasks.

Can you make grilled vegetables ahead of time?

I usually prepare the vegetables a few hours before I plan on grilling them. They will stay warm after grilled wrapped well in foil in the oven set at 200 F. for about an hour. (If you’re planning on keeping them warm for longer, I suggest undercooking the vegetables slightly)

What can you make with leftover grilled vegetables?

Don’t worry if you have leftovers! I like to put the leftover grilled vegetables in sandwiches, omelets, or in salads. This Grilled Steak Salad would be a great way to repurpose leftover grilled asparagus. (recipe and photo courtesy of Keto Focus)

Or what about a Grilled Summer Vegetable Quesadilla for the leftover grilled zucchini or peppers? (Recipe and photo courtesy of House of Nash Eats)

This Soba Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Tofu would be another delicious option for grilled vegetables! (Recipe and photo courtesy of Life Currents.)

What to serve with grilled vegetables

These vegetables go well with Greek Grilled Chicken or Rosemary Shrimp. This Golden Rice Pilaf is another dish that pairs well with grilled vegetables.

This grilled vegetable marinade with lemon and thyme recipe comes from Bon Appetit, from about 1993.

Grilled vegetable marinade with lemon, thyme and butter

Cynthia

Grilled Vegetables with Lemon Thyme Butter, recipe adapted from Bon Appetit circa 1993. This recipe makes enough marinade for the amount of vegetables listed. Recipe can be doubled.

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Mediterranean

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 8

Calories 155 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Grilled Vegetable Marinade

• 4 ounces unsalted butter diced (if Paleo or Whole30, use clarified butter)
• 1/3 cup shallots chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 Tablespoons lemon juice about 1
• 1 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Vegetables for Grilling

• 2 onions sliced 1/4" thick
• 2 zucchini sliced vertically, 1/4" thick
• 3 bell peppers cut into quarters
• 1 bunch asparagus spears ends trimmed
• 1/2 pound mushrooms brown, white or 2 portabellos
• 3 carrots sliced vertically or into wedges

Instructions

 

Grilled Vegetable Marinade

• Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Whisk over medium heat until butter melts and sauce is well blended.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cool. Whisk over low heat to rewarm before using.)

Vegetables

• Cut zucchini, carrots and onions about 1/4" thick.
• Slice bell peppers into quarters
• Skewer the mushrooms if using small mushrooms or remove tough center stem if grilling portobello mushrooms.
• Brush both sides of veggies with marinade. They can be wrapped and refrigerated if making them ahead. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes before grilling.
• Over a medium heat, begin grilling vegetables starting with thickest vegetables first (carrots) and end with the most delicate last. (Asparagus needs just a few minutes)
• If there's extra sauce, reheat it and serve it on the side or drizzle over warm vegetables.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1personCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 91mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 5832IUVitamin C: 80mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg

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Grilled vegetables with Lemon-Thyme basting butter. Whole30 compliant, Paleo, gluten free, vegetarian and low-carb!