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Fresh lemons, a garlicky marinade, and tender summer veggies combine in this easy recipe for Grilled Summer Squash Kebabs.
Easy Grilled Squash Skewers
There’s a lot to love about summer. It’s awesome to leave behind the pile of coats, scarves, gloves, and hats for a while, and just wear sandals and sundresses. It’s also a wonderful to enjoy some sprinkler time with the kiddos. AND who doesn’t love the long, lazy days that stretch into evenings, as opposed to the short days and early nights of winter? Exactly.
The ingredients of summer are so amazing! Fresh lemonade, grilled burgers, watermelon, and all the wonderful seasonal veggies.
For some of my gardening pals, that means a ton of yellow squash and zucchini. I don’t know why, but it seems like those tender summer squash sometimes take off and produce bumper crops! That’s when non-gardeners get lucky, because the zucchini owners often have to give some of the extras away before they go bad!
If you find yourself tempted by a beautiful bunch of squash, need to use up a ton of your own garden’s produce, or have some in your fridge that were gifted to you, try making these awesome veggie kebabs! They’re super fragrant, thanks to the lemon, herbs and garlic, and they go great with almost any main dish.
What You’ll Need
Talk about flavor! You’re going to love the fresh and zesty punch of these garlicky skewers, full of fresh veggies and lemons.
- Skewers: Typically, I use wooden skewers, but flat metal skewers are also great!
- Zucchini: Wash and cut one large zucchini into 1-inch thick half-moons.
- Squash: Just like the zucchini, wash a large yellow squash, then cut it into 1-inch thick half-moons.
- Mushrooms: Squash and mushroom is a delicious combo! For these skewers, you’ll need an 8-10 ounce package of baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half.
- Onion: You can use any type of onion that you have or prefer. I used 1 red onion. To prep, cut the onion into wedges, and then cut each wedge in half, crosswise.
- Lemons: So juicy! Cut two fresh lemons into wedges, then cut each wedge in half crosswise.
- Olive Oil: The base of the herb dressing is ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic: Mince or press 2 cloves of fresh garlic.
- Herbs: I used 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Salt & Pepper: To taste.
- Parsley: Some chopped fresh parsley is great for a colorful garnish.
How to Make Grilled Squash Kebabs
These beautiful veggie kebabs are super easy to whip up alongside your favorite grilled entree! Just assemble, season and grill.
- Prep Skewers & Grill: If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 20-30 minutes. Metal skewers don’t need to be soaked. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Brush grill grates with oil.
- Assemble Skewers: Thread the skewers with pieces of zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onions and lemons. Set aside.
- Make Seasoning Mixture & Season Skewers: In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, thyme and oregano; whisk until completely incorporated. Brush the skewered veggies with the oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Grill Veggie Skewers: Transfer the skewers carefully to the preheated grill. Allow to cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, turning occasionally. When they’re done, remove them from the grill and transfer to a serving plate.
- Enjoy! Garnish with parsley, squeeze some lemon juice, and serve warm.
Tips for Success
If you’re not familiar with making veggie skewers, keep reading for my best tips! Let’s make this satisfying side the best it can be!
- Don’t Peel the Squash: Even if you usually peel squash and zucchini, for this recipe, just give them a good wash with a clean tea towel or a paper towel and warm water. The peels taste great when grilled and help the veggies stay put on the skewers.
- Marinating is an Option: If you’d like to get a jump on the skewer process, try prepping the veggies ahead of time and chilling them in the olive oil mixture. They will be even more flavorful!
- Leave a Little Room: Any time you load up a skewer, leave a tiny bit of room between the items so that the heat can circulate around the ingredients. That will ensure more even cooking and help the veggies turn out crisp-tender all the way around.
Serving Suggestions
Because this is such a healthy and light side dish, I like to pair it with a hearty main course! These are some of my favorite easy dinner ideas to go with grilled vegetables.
- Grilled Salmon: The brightness of the lemon and garlic work well alongside this savory-sweet Brown Sugar Grilled Salmon. And you can make both on the grill. Easy!
- Chicken & Rice: My Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice is a super simple dinner idea that packs a ton of sweet umami flavor into one easy dish.
- Ribs: Another win for the Instant Pot, this fantastic recipe for Instant Pot Ribs has all the sticky barbecue taste you crave in a fraction of the time.
How to Store and Reheat Grilled Squash Kebabs
- To store leftover veggie skewers, remove the veggies from the skewers and place them in shallow, airtight containers or food storage bags.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, place the veggies in a skillet over low heat. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until just heated through. Don’t overcook or the veggies will get mushy.
Grilled Summer Squash Kebabs
Ingredients
- Wooden skewers
- 1 large zucchini,, cut into 1-inch thick half-moons
- 1 large yellow squash,, cut into 1-inch thick half-moons
- 8 to 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms,, cut in half
- 1 red onion,, cut into wedges, and each wedge cut in half crosswise
- 2 lemons,, cut into wedges, and each wedge cut in half crosswise
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic,, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
Instructions
- Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. You can also use metal skewers, and those do not need to be soaked.
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high.
- Brush grill grates with oil.
- Thread the skewers with pieces of zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onions, and lemons. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, and oregano; whisk until completely incorporated.
- Brush the skewered veggies with the oil mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to preheated grill; grill for 12 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, turning skewers occasionally.
- Remove from grill and transfer to a serving plate.
- Garnish with parsley, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the kebabs, and serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
More Grilling Recipes to Try
These satisfying recipes will have you spending all summer by the grill!
Loving all these veggies! So perfect for some grilling fun.
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Amazing summer dish, so full of flavor and refreshing!
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
So fresh and flavorful. A great vegetarian BBQ dish!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
These look amazing and full of so much flavor! We love all of these veggies and this is perfect for our gathering this weekend too! So excited to make these!
I hope you enjoy them! Thank YOU! 🙂
I love all these veggies! It’s exactly what I need for dinner tonight!
I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much! 🙂