Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta and Tabbouleh

roasted veggie salad with tabbouleh

I’m just going to come right out and say it… I could eat this salad every day.

I’d (almost) turn vegetarian if I could eat this Grilled Vegetable Salad every day! I realise that’s a pretty big call to make – especially given how I feel about ribs – but it contains some of my favourite things; eggplant, zucchini and feta cheese.

It’s colourful, healthy, pretty quick and easy enough to prepare for a midweek meal, and works well as either a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to any almost kind of grilled meat. It tastes great warm or at room temperature so it would be great to take to a picnic. The leftovers make a great lunch the next day. You’ll make your colleagues jealous, I promise.

roasted veggie salad with tabbouleh

The recipe was the cover star of Jamie Oliver magazine (which I love!) a few months ago. I saw it while walking around Santa Monica, the image just got me and just had to buy it for this recipe alone! Jamie always comes up with the best salad recipes. My favourite part is the grilled feta that gets crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle, but the caramelised pistachios also give it a really great textural contrast.

Here are a few ways you can mix up this Grilled Vegetable Salad, if you’re going to eat it every day like me!

  • Use your favourite combination of vegetables like grilled mushrooms, capsicum, asparagus, pumpkin, corn etc
  • Swap out the cous cous with cooked quinoa for a different texture and extra boost of protein. Especially good if you’re a vegetarian!
  • For a more substantial dinner, toss in some grilled sliced steak, lamb, chicken or fish
  • Try some different herbs in the tabbouleh. I think coriander would be a nice addition too!
  • Serve with grilled pita bread or flatbread
  • Swap the grilled feta for a slab of grilled haloumi

roasted veggie salad with tabbouleh

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta and Tabbouleh

This Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta and Tabbouleh is colourful, healthy, quick and easy. Great for a midweek meal, and works well as either a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to any almost kind of grilled meat.

Course Dinner, Salad, Side Dish
Keyword Salad, Side Dish, Simple Dinners, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 150 g feta
  • 1 red onion, sliced into wedges
  • 1 large eggplant, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 2 zucchinis, cut into 2cm slices
  • 3 medium potatoes, cut into small wedges
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
  • 50 g pistachio kernels
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Caramelised balsamic vinegar
  • Flatbreads to serve, optional

Tabbouleh

  • 1/2 cup raw cous cous
  • 1 bunch mint, leaves picked, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch parsley, leaves picked, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Light your BBQ and give it time to preheat. Steam the chopped potatoes for 5 minutes or until nearly tender. I’ve also done this by placing them in a freezer bag in the microwave. Toss onion, eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and cooked potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated in oil.
  2. To make the tabbouleh, place the cous cous in a medium bowl and pour over 1/2 cup boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool a little. In a large bowl, combine the chopped mint, parsley and cucumber, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir through the cous cous, test for seasoning and adjust. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
  3. In a frypan, cook the pistachios for 2 or 3 minutes, tossing regularly. Add honey and swirl around the pan for a further 3 minutes. Pour out onto a piece of baking paper and allow to cool. When caramel has hardened, roughly chop.
  4. Once your BBQ is hot, cook the vegetables until cooked and slightly charred. Brush the feta with olive oil and cook on BBQ plate until lightly charred on both sides.
  5. To serve, place the tabbouleh onto a serving platter. Pile the grilled vegetables on top with drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Place the grilled feta on top, scatter with chopped caramelised pistachios and serve with flatbreads, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Jamie Oliver Magazine

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish

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