This Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta is everything a summer salad should be. Smoky, charred vegetables tossed with a bright lemon garlic vinaigrette, t hen finished with kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and crumbled feta cheese. It comes together quickly, is perfect for a crowd, and the leftovers are incredible.
I love this salad because it works as a side dish for just about anything coming off the grill like BBQ Chicken Thighs, Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Flank Steak, or Chicken Kabobs. It also holds up beautifully at room temperature which makes it ideal for potlucks and backyard entertaining.
Quick Summary: Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Calories: 178 per serving (based on 8 servings)
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten free, vegan option
- Cook Method: Grill or grill pan
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavour Profile: Smoky, bright, herby and briny
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Jump to:
- Quick Summary: Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Grilled Vegetable Salad
- Expert Tips
- What to serve with Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad
- Storage
- What to do with leftover grilled vegetables
- Recipe FAQs
- More Vegetable Side Dishes:
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's made for summer entertaining. Big, colourful, and bold. This salad can be made ahead and served at room temperature eliminating last-minute stress.
Dressing it warm is the secret. Tossing the vegetables with the lemon garlic vinaigrette while they're still warm lets them soak it all up. The flavour is completely different from dressing a cold salad.
It gets better as it sits. Leftovers the next day are genuinely excellent. The vegetables continue to absorb the dressing and the flavours deepen overnight. Leftovers can be added to a pasta or fritatta the next day for an entirely new meal.
Vegetarian and easily vegan. Leave out the feta and this salad is completely plant-based. It's also naturally gluten free. Just like this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.
Endlessly flexible. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. The Mediterranean additions like olives, garlic, lemon, and feta do the heavy lifting on flavour.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
Asparagus: One of the best vegetables for grilling -- it chars quickly and adds a wonderful smokiness to the salad. Look for medium-thickness spears. Very thin asparagus will cook too fast and very thick ones can be woody. Trim the woody ends and use a vegetable peeler on the bottom third of any thick stems.
Bell peppers: Red, orange, or yellow are sweetest for this salad. Green peppers work but are more bitter. You don't need to peel the skins after grilling -- just cook them until slightly charred but still holding their shape, not until the skins blister and peel.
Zucchini: Cut lengthwise so you get nice long planks that won't fall through the grill. Yellow summer squash works just as well if you have it.
Artichoke hearts: Canned artichoke hearts are perfect here. Rinse them well, cut in half and dry them thoroughly on paper towel. They get lovely and golden on the grill. If they're on the smaller side, skewer them so they're easy to turn (great tip from a reader!). You can also skip the grilling and add them to the bowl after the other vegetables have grilled if you prefer. If you love artichoke hearts, check out my Marinated Artichoke Hearts, they're incredible!
Radicchio: Adds a beautiful colour and a slightly bitter edge that balances the sweetness of the other vegetables. That said, it's not for everyone. If you'd rather leave it out, add some fresh baby spinach or arugula to the finished salad instead.
Red onion: Cut into wedges keeping the root end intact so the wedges hold together on the grill. White or sweet onion works as well. Whole green onions grilled alongside everything else would also be wonderful.
Kalamata olives: The briny, salty pop that makes this salad feel Mediterranean. Slice them in half so you get olive in every bite. Regular black olives will work but kalamatas have much more flavour.
Feta cheese: Crumbled over the top at the end. Don't mix it in or it disappears into the salad. It adds a creamy, salty finish that ties everything together. Leave it out for a vegan version.
Lemon garlic vinaigrette: The dressing is simple, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, but it's exactly right for this salad. Fresh lemon juice makes a big difference here; bottled won't give you the same brightness. Want to switch things up? Try one of my 12 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes.
For a complete list of ingredients see the recipe card below.
🔪How to Make Grilled Vegetable Salad
Step 1 - Preheat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Prepare all the vegetables, place on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 2 - Prepare the vinaigrette and set aside. Place vegetables on hot grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until softened and charred, turning halfway through.
Step 3 - Remove vegetables from grill and let cool slightly. Once cooled enough to handle, chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and drizzle with half of the vinaigrette to start. Toss well to coat. Taste and add more vinaigrette if necessary and salt and pepper to taste.
For detailed instructions see the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
Use a hot grill. Medium to high heat is key. A hot grill gives you proper char and caramelization. A low grill just steams the vegetables.
Dry the artichoke hearts really well. Any excess moisture will cause them to steam rather than char. Pat them dry thoroughly with paper towel before grilling.
Don't overcook the peppers. You're not going for the fully blistered, peel-the-skin style here, just char marks and a little softening. They'll continue to soften slightly after you remove them from the grill.
Dress while warm. This is the most important tip. Warm vegetables absorb dressing in a way that cold ones don't. Don't let them cool completely before tossing.
Make it ahead. This salad is excellent at room temperature and holds up for hours, which makes it ideal for entertaining. You can also make it the day before and serve cold. It's a different but equally delicious experience.
What to serve with Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad
This salad is a natural partner for anything off the grill. A few favourites:
- BBQ Chicken Thighs -- the combination of smoky BBQ chicken and this bright, herby salad is a perfect summer plate
- Grilled Pork Chops with Bacon BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Flank Steak
- Chicken Kabobs with Margarita Marinade
- BBQ Shrimp and Creamy Corn
Storage
This salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing as the vegetables will become soft and watery when thawed.
The salad is best served at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving. When reheating, a quick warm-up in the microwave takes the edge off.
What to do with leftover grilled vegetables
- Toss with mixed greens for a quick next-day salad
- Add to your favourite pasta with a drizzle of olive oil
- Serve with eggs for a hearty breakfast or brunch
- Add to a sandwich, wrap, or flatbread
- Add to a frittata. Use the base for my Spring Vegetable Frittata recipe.
- Add to a Roasted Vegetable Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini for an even heartier bowl
Recipe FAQs
Yes, brushing with oil before grilling helps prevent sticking, adds flavour, and promotes charring. Season with salt and pepper as well. That said, you can grill vegetables successfully without oil if you prefer.
Almost any vegetable works on the grill! Some favourites: bell peppers of any kind, zucchini or yellow summer squash, eggplant cut into thick rounds, onions of any type, asparagus, broccoli cut into large florets, cauliflower cut into steaks, mushrooms (especially portobello), carrots (the charring brings out a wonderful sweetness), and corn on the cob.
Marinating vegetables before grilling isn't necessary. The vegetables will absorb more flavour if you marinate or add a vinaigrette after grilling while they are still warm.
Yes! Preheat the oven to 400F and roast the vegetables on a large baking sheet. Cooking times will be approximately the same as the grill, just keep an eye on them and check for that golden charred colour. Finish with the vinaigrette, olives, and feta exactly as written.
Absolutely! This is one of the best salads to make ahead. It holds up well at room temperature for several hours and the flavours actually deepen overnight in the fridge. Leftovers keep for up to 5 days.
More Vegetable Side Dishes:
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Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice freshly sqeezed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
The Salad
- 1 lb (454g) asparagus, 1 to 2 inches trimmed from bottoms
- 2 bell peppers cut in half, seeds removed
- 2 small zucchinis, ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 can whole artichoke hearts, rinsed well, dried, cut in half
- 1 head radicchio, cut into 4 wedges
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges leaving the core intact
- olive oil for brushing
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted and cut in half
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat outdoor grill or grill pan to medium high. Prepare vinaigrette and set aside. Drain olives. crumble feta, and chop parsley, if using, and set aside.
- Wash and dry vegetables. Placing vegetables on a large tray as you go, trim the ends from asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin from the bottom third of any larger, woody stems. Trim the ends from the zucchini and cut in half lengthwise. Drain the artichoke hearts, rinse well, cut in half and dry on a paper towel. Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of radicchio and cut into 4 wedges leaving the core intact to hold the wedges together. Peel onion and cut into 8 wedges keeping the root intact. Brush vegetables with olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper.
- Place on hot grill. The vegetables will take different amounts of time. Asparagus , artichokes and radicchio (5-7 minutes). Zucchini and peppers (6-8 minutes). Onions (up to 10 minutes.). Times will vary depending on your grill and how you like your vegetables cooked. Keep an eye on them. Remove from grill and let cool just enough that you can handle them.
- Cut vegetables into large bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add olives and half of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat. Taste and add salt and pepper and more vinaigrette as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature garnished with crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley. Serve extra vinaigrrette on the side.
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John G says
Despite loosing my status as an amazing cook (thanks to your recipes) I have relented and told all my friends about your website. It wasn’t fair to keep you all to myself! Thanks to the Zucchini Fritters recipe ,my Granddaughters can hardly wait for the garden zucchini to ripen .
Andrea says
Thank you so much for sharing your secret 😉 I love hearing how excited your granddaughters get for the zucchini harvest! Enjoy!
Christina says
I'm not quite understanding this - the veggies go on a sheet pan that then sits on the grill? If not, how does one "grill" kalamata olives & tiny canned artichokes? FYI - I love grilling zuchinni, carrots and mushrooms. Just not getting the recipe for all.
Andrea says
Hi Christina!
If you look at the recipe card it has the full instructions. The olives are added after the veggies have grilled. The canned artichokes should be large enough to grill otherwise you can leave them whole or add them at the end also 👌
Melissa says
I skewer my artichokes and grill, that way you can turn them all over at once.
Linda Ogle says
Absolutely loved the recipe!! As suggested, cut up the cauliflower like steaks…what a brilliant idea! You have such wonderful recipes Andrea. Always look forward to your recipe(s) of the week. 😊. Thank you.
Andrea says
Hi Linda! I'm so happy you are enjoying the recipes and tried the grilled vegetables too! Thanks so much for commenting!
Judy says
I cannot wait to make this!!! Making a big batch Monday and will switch up the protein each night. How could I make the dressing a creamy garlic…could I add a little yogurt or mayo?
Andrea says
Hi Judy! Okay so I haven't tested converting the dressing into a creamy version but what I would try is omit the oil and replace it with half yogurt, half mayo. You also may not need as much lemon juice so start with less and add more to taste. Hope that helps and that you enjoy it! 😃
Joyce k says
Looking forward to making this. Do the grilled peppers need to be peeled. The skins typically get charred when grilled and are peeled away for other preparations.
Andrea says
Hi Joyce! I don't like to cook the peppers as long as you would if you were making roasted peppers ment to be peeled. However if you prefer to peel the skins you can totally do that. Hope you try out the recipe!
Pam says
This was so delicious. This alone was my dinner. I added some chopped Marcona almonds for some crunch and added protein and my second pepper was a poblano to add a bit of heat. I didn't have enough room for everything on my BBQ so used my air fryer for the quicker cooking veggies.
Thank you Andrea for another fabulous recipe. You never disappoint.
Andrea says
That sounds like an efficient way to take care of everything. I love that! So happy you enjoyed it and thanks for your comment!
Marion Thorp says
Thank you Andrea for another amazing recipe! I have never tried grilling artichokes but I will add them this time. Just love they can be added to so many leftover dishes!
Andrea says
They are fantastic grilled! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Barb mousseau says
Hi Andrea, looks so amazing, will make it on Canada day. It looks like you have artichokes on your tray, are they the ones in jar from Costco? Or do they need to be raw? So excited to make this all summer long.
Cheers
Barb
Andrea says
Hi Barb! They are canned artichoke hearts 👌😊
Debbie Belbin says
Hi Andrea. This sounds fabulous. Would I be able to oven roast the veggies instead of grilling? I’d like to try the dish this weekend but just can’t go out in this heat. Please advise. Thanks so much. I’m sure this is another winner. Love your site. So grateful to have found you from Gina’s program.
Debbie
Andrea says
Hi Debbie!
Yes you absolutely can. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cooking times should be approximately the same but keep an eye on them so they don't overcook. Hope you enjoy it!