1 poundassorted vegetables cut into ½-inch or so thick slices(such as red onions, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, whole cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, or lightly cooked cauliflower or broccoli; see Note)
Olive oil (for brushing the vegetables; about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt(to taste)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste; optional)
Instructions
Trim, clean, and cut the vegetables. For larger pieces, let the vegetables dictate their shapes. For instance, you might want to cut bell peppers into thick planks, or simply halve them lengthwise, and remove the membranes and seeds. Eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash can be sliced crosswise or lengthwise. Tomatoes should be halved. Smaller veggies, like mushrooms or cherry tomatoes, or skinny vegetables, like asparagus, should be left whole. Again think about a grill basket.
Brush the vegetables on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Grill the vegetables 4 inches from the heat source, turning them every few minutes, until the vegetables are tender and everything has a nice grill-marked exterior, anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on which vegetables you choose.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Don’t raise the heat too high, or they can burn.
Move the vegetables around to cooler areas of the grill if they seem to be browning too fast.
Wooden (or bamboo) skewers need to be soaked for at least 30 minutes in enough water to cover before skewering the vegetables (or anything else); this prevents them from burning.
For either wooden or metal skewers: If you can find skewers that are flat vs. round, they will help you turn the food on the grill more easily, without the food spinning around the skewer. Some foods are spinnier than others, and this you find out by experience.
Use a grilling basket or rack for smaller pieces of vegetables to prevent them from falling through the grates.
If you are looking to grill more dense vegetables, like potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, winter squash, and the like, it is usually smart to par-cook them before grilling them, meaning to cook them part way through. Try steaming them until they are somewhat tender but still firm in the middle before skewering them and grilling them. Your other option is to cook them lower and slower over indirect heat on the grill, but that takes some time and attention.