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Grilled vegetables in a frying pan

Grill-Pan Vegetables

Light, healthy, pretty, and quick to make! Grill-pan vegetables use just a little oil, which makes them healthier than veggies fried the classic way. Serve them as a component in other dishes, as a side, or as an appetizer all on their own.

Pirko Rita

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Zucchini

Eggplant

Bell pepper

Onion (red)

Mushrooms

Olive oil

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 10 % 1 g

Fats 40 % 4 g

Carbohydrates 50 % 5 g

63 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you grill vegetables in a grill pan? Gather all your ingredients. I'm using eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion, plus some button mushrooms alongside the vegetables. Go for smaller vegetables — they taste better and cook faster. Wash and dry everything well. Trim the stem ends off the zucchini and eggplant, peel the onion, and seed the pepper. It's best not to wash the mushrooms for grilling — wipe them with a sponge instead, since wet mushrooms won't sear.
Step 2:

Cut vegetables like the zucchini, eggplant, and onion into rounds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (0.5 to 1.0 cm) thick. Cut the bell pepper into rectangular pieces, or simply in half if it's small — in that case you can leave the stem on, since it looks even more appetizing that way when served. Slice the mushrooms. Honestly, the cut doesn't matter much; slice everything however you like.
Step 3:

Now season all the vegetables with salt and ground black pepper. If you like, add a little sugar or any other spices to taste. I'm keeping it basic here.
Step 4:

Next, set the grill pan over medium heat, brush it with a thin layer of olive oil, and let it get good and hot. Lay the prepared vegetables out in a single layer.
Step 5:

Grill the vegetables until they get nice char marks on both sides — literally 2–3 minutes per side. They taste better and are healthier if they stay a little crisp, but cook them to your liking; you can grill them longer, just don't burn them. Serve the vegetables right away. Enjoy!

You can grill any vegetables you like in a grill pan (tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and so on). Small ones like cherry tomatoes or Brussels sprouts can be grilled whole, while larger vegetables should be cut up. For extra flavor, make a marinade, brush it onto the vegetables with a silicone brush a while before grilling, and let them soak it up. Always heat the grill pan well before adding the vegetables so the slices don't stick to the surface.
Which zucchini works best? Choose young ones with tender skin. Wash and peel them — though you don't have to peel off very thin skin. If you use more mature zucchini, cut off the tough peel and scoop out the seedy center.
Note that in some cases you don't need to draw the bitterness out of eggplant — young eggplant usually isn't bitter, and neither are certain special varieties.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for grilling! Any oil is only healthy up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, where it starts to burn and forms toxic compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with rare exceptions, have a low smoke point: they're full of unfiltered organic particles that quickly start to burn. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. When cooking in the oven, in a skillet, or on the grill, make sure to use an oil with a high smoke point. The most common high-smoke-point oils are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed.