Grilled Vegetable Salad with Tarragon Dressing

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A spectacular, smoky charcoal-grilled vegetable salad, bursting with flavor, this is an easy side that you can make ahead or make with the family!

Hi! Today I’m sharing with you one of my best and favorite sides to make for parties and celebrations. We grill year-round, because we can, and also – we love the smoky wood-fired flavor that grilling our food gives us.

The thing I most love about this salad is that you can get everyone involved. I love when we have guests over for celebrations/events/holidays and them wanting to help. We LOVE the inclusiveness of this. I can cook AND socialize, which is super important to me. Everyone can be outside, playing, drinking, having fun while the food cooks on the grill. You just don’t get that with a slow cooker or instant pot, right?

This salad is perfect at room temperature OR chilled, OR hot. Super versatile!

This recipe is a GREAT option for a Thanksgiving spread or get-together. It’s simple, pretty and tastes amazing. I like that it’s not your typical side, and it’s great for vegetarians, gluten-free, and keto folks.

I tend to make this in bulk – grilling up lots of vegetables, making sure there’s always enough for everyone (and leftovers in a panini grilled with a little cheese never hurt anyone).

Ingredients:

• PEPPERS – Red, orange, yellow, green – I use all four colors because they’re so pretty. If you have to pick, go with red and yellow.
• ZUCCHINI – choose small to medium sized ones, they have a better flavor!
• RED ONION – super pretty, they hold together well when grilled and taste AMAZING with the smokey flavor.
• FRESH CORN – you can cook these with or without the husk, seriously! I get a better color on mine when I take it off, but either way works
• ASPARAGUS – choose small, bright green asparagus, and break off the woody ends.
• LIME – we use both the juice and the zest in the dressing!
• OLIVE OIL –
• DIJON MUSTARD
• GARLIC
• HONEY
• SALT & PEPPER

How to make this recipe:

• MAKE THE TARRAGON DRESSING – whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
• PREP THE VEGETABLES – remove the seeds from the bell peppers, cut the red onion into thick slices, and cut the zucchini lengthwise into 3-4 slices each. Shuck the corn, and cut the woody ends off the asparagus.
• Place everything in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss the bowl gently to coat.
• LIGHT THE COALS: We use a chimney starter to accomplish this!
• COOK, turning often until you get softened grilled veggies with gorgeous grill marks.
• CUT into bite-sized pieces, and add to a large salad bowl
• TOSS with dressing, and add mozzarella balls.
• SERVE warm, chilled or at room temp.
• Devour.

FAQs and Kylee’s Notes

• SWITCHING IT UP
  • Parmesan, goat cheese and blue cheese are both awesome in this.
  • No tarragon? Use basil, or cilantro – both of these herbs will hold up well in this salad.
  • If you can’t find limes, use lemons!
  • Add cherry tomatoes to the last few minutes of grilling – they add a delicious bit of moisture to the salad.
  • Yellow squash is also awesome in this!

• GOT LEFTOVERS?
  • Add them to a panini grilled with a little cheese. YES!!!

What food will you be charcoal grilling help you make the most of this season? 

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Grilled Vegetable Salad with Tarragon Dressing

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Kylee Cooks

Want to scale this recipe?Simply click on the serving amount and move the slider up or down – the recipe will automatically adjust!

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers
• 2 zucchini
• 1 red onion
• 2 fresh corn
• ½ lb asparagus

DRESSING

• 2 limes – we use both the juice and the zest in the dressing!
• 6 Tbs olive oil –
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic minced finely
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 Tbs fresh tarragon minced finely
• salt & pepper

TO FINISH

• 12 oz mozzarella balls

Instructions

• Remove the seeds from the bell peppers, cut the red onion into thick slices, and cut the zucchini lengthwise into 3-4 slices each. Shuck the corn, and cut the woody ends off the asparagus.
• Place everything in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss the bowl gently to coat.
• LIGHT THE COALS: We use a chimney starter to accomplish this! See post for details.
• Cook, turning often, until you get softened grilled veggies with gorgeous grill marks.
• Cut into bite sized pieces, and add to a large salad bowl, toss with dressing, and add mozzarella balls.
• Eat warm, chilled or at room temp.
• Devour.

Notes

• SWITCHING IT UP
  • Parmesan, goat cheese and blue cheese are both awesome in this.
  • No tarragon? Use basil, or cilantro – both of these herbs will hold up well in this salad.
  • If you can’t find limes, use lemons!
  • Add cherry tomatoes to the last few minutes of grilling – they add a delicious bit of moisture to the salad.
  • Yellow squash is also awesome in this!

• GOT LEFTOVERS?
  • Add them to a panini grilled with a little cheese. YES!!!

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2236IU | Vitamin C: 89mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @kyleecooks or tag #kyleecooks!