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These simple Greek grilled veggie skewers served over pesto quinoa are a healthy dinner idea ripe for summer.
With summer produce at its absolute peak, we’re firing up our grill more than ever. The dark char of a hot grill is the perfect treatment for veggies of all kinds, not just brats and burgers.
And for summer entertaining, there’s not much better than the sultry smell of a grill, a colorful meal al fresco, and a cold glass of brew or rosé. (That’s not hyperbole!) Since we can’t transport you to our actual deck, here’s a sort of virtual summer cookout starring our new favorite vegetarian grill recipe: these Greek grilled veggie skewers!
Tips for making Greek veggie skewers
This grilled veggie skewers recipe is one of my new favorite vegetarian grill recipes. Sometimes it’s hard to find grill recipes that aren’t meat, but this one is a keeper!
This recipe stars halloumi, a salty grillable Greek cheese that’s a savory balance to the colorful vegetables. Halloumi can be tough to find at some groceries, but we found a few stores near us that carry it.
I tried grilling large slabs of it in the past, but it melted over the grill! The halloumi skewering method works much better. If you try it, make sure to cut it into large pieces and take care when threading it on the skewers, as it can crumble. The halloumi adds a good amount of protein, making it a filling vegetarian main dish.
For another filling element, I served the veggie skewers over pesto quinoa. It’s a quick and easy side dish, and the bright green bed of grains looks beautiful for serving. For a vegan option, you could substitute baby bella aka cremini mushrooms; just make sure to load up on the quinoa to keep it filling.
Making veggie skewers as part of a meal
I served these veggie skewers as part of a summer patio party!. I did most of our grilling prep before our guests arrived, including threading our veggie skewers, making the pesto quinoa, and getting together a few summer appetizers and drinks.
Once the prep was done, we moved the party outside. I love hanging out with drinks and appetizers while we smell the meal sizzling on the grill. For drinks, a few recommendations: a chilled bottle of rosé, craft beer, cucumber water, or frozen lemonade.
Our summer grilling menu
A few summer sides round out this summer grilling menu! A great way to pull off a full menu is to ask guests to each make a recipe. Here’s the full menu (vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan with the subs listed):
Greek grilled veggie skewers with pesto quinoa (below)
Corn and black bean salsa
Lentil and rice summer salad
Summer panzanella
Lemon mint slush
Berries and yogurt whipped cream*
*For vegan, use coconut cream.
Dietary notes
This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan or plant-based, substitute baby bella mushrooms, and load on the quinoa to keep it filling.
Greek Grilled Veggie Skewers with Pesto Quinoa
Need vegetarian grill recipes? These simple Greek grilled veggie skewers served over pesto quinoa are a healthy dinner idea ripe for summer.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients
- Pesto Quinoa
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 medium yellow summer squash
- 1 zucchini
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 8 ounce package halloumi cheese*
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 10 skewers
Instructions
- Soak the skewers for 1 hour.
- Heat a grill to medium low heat.
- Start the Pesto Quinoa.
- Chop the bell pepper, onion, summer squash, and zucchini into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Chop the mint; save out a pinch for the halloumi (below). In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the mint, 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- Remove the halloumi from package and drain any excess water, then cut it into 20 cubes (keep them as large as possible). Place the halloumi in a smaller bowl and gently mix with the remaining olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the remaining mint.
- Gently thread the halloumi and vegetables on skewers, taking care as the halloumi can break easily.
- Place the skewers on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until tender and charred, about 15 minutes. Remove from the grill and squeeze with juice from a few lemon wedges.
- When ready to serve, place pesto quinoa on a plate and skewers over the top. Serve with additional lemon wedges.
Notes
*For vegan, use baby bella mushrooms, combine them with the veggies for flavoring, and add a few extra pinches of kosher salt.
Other grilling ideas
For us, summer grilling is all about vegetarian grilling ideas! It’s easy to think of veggie burgers, but often times their texture is not designed to hold up on a grill. Aside from our Greek grilled veggie skewers, here are a few of our favorite grilling ideas:
- Best Grilled Veggie Burger
- Grilled Vegetable Pasta
- BBQ Grilled Cauliflower (or Grilled Cauliflower)
- Grilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa
- Greek Grilled Portobello Burger
- Grilled Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich
- Grilled Veggie Fajitas
- Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini
- Grilled Cauliflower Steak with Corn Salsa
- Pesto Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacked Sandwich
- Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers
- Loaded Grilled Nachos
- Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt
- Greek Grilled Veggie Skewers
- Grilled Carrots with Lime and Cilantro
- Grilled Romaine Lettuce
- Simple Grilled Paella
- 100 Grilling Recipes
- Mint Pesto Grilled Cheese on the Grill
Oh I love that you shared your virtual summer cookout! Can never go wrong with grilled halloumi, veggies, quinoa and pesto. Thanks for listing out your whole menu too. Always appreciate the insight into how people pull a whole meal together.
You’re welcome! I always wonder about menus too! When I first started cooking, the hardest part for me was putting together a balanced menu. So glad you liked it!
Yum yum! Thank you for sharing the great recipe. I’m thinking of making this with some fried tofu and beancurd – hope it’ll turn out as good as yours!
That sounds so interesting! We have a very old recipe for tofu skewers: I think it could even work right on the grill (and not fried first)! https://www.acouplecooks.com/lemon-and-rosemary-tofu-skewers/