Experiments With Traditional Italian Veggies - Fresh, Sautéed, Grilled, or Roasted?

Vegetables are miraculous foods; they are nutrient-rich, easy to digest, and light on the pocket. Traditional Italian veggies, whether sautéed, grilled or roasted, are one of the most common side dishes that can turn any meal into a low carb one. Here’s how you can add some extra nutrition to your diet without trying too hard or spending too much! 

If you’re struggling to serve nutritious meals to your family each day, this blog is for you. We have listed three different ways to cook vegetables the tasty, Italian way. These easy recipes of sautéed, grilled, roasted, and raw traditional Italian veggies are irresistible - even your fussy kids will like a quick batch on the side. Sneakily but effectively, you will be able to push more nutrition into their meals. 

Let’s get started!

RECIPE 1: Prep Time - 10 Min. | 6 Servings

Fresh Exotic Italian Veggies And Olive Oil Dressing 

• Lettuce - 8 cups (romaine or iceberg)
• Radicchio - 2 cups 
• Italian sun-dried tomatoes - 2 cups (halved)
• Red onion - 1/4 (thinly sliced)
• Seasoned croutons - 1 cup
• Black olives - 1/2 cup (pitted)
• Tutto Calabria crushed Calabrian chili peppers - 6 (halved)

Olive Oil Dressing - 1/2 cup (Put the below-mentioned ingredients in a mason jar and shake well before pouring.) 

• Olive oil and vegetable oil - 1/4 cup each
• Red wine vinegar - 3 tablespoons
• Dijon mustard - 1 teaspoon 
• Chilli flakes & Oregano - 1/4 teaspoon each
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon 
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Garlic - 1 small clove
• Crushed fresh herbs - 1 tablespoon (parsley or basil)

Topping - Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (freshly shredded)

Instructions

1. Chop radicchio and lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry.
2. Put all exotic Italian veggies and olive oil dressing in a big bowl and mix well.
3. Use parmesan cheese for topping.

RECIPE 2: Prep Time - 40 Min. | 6 Servings

Grilled Italian Veggies  

Ingredients

• Red bell peppers - 3 (seeded and halved)
• Zucchini - 3 (sliced into bite-sized rectangles)
• Cremini mushrooms - 12
• Japanese eggplant - 3 (sliced into bite-sized rectangles)
• Green onions - 12 (roots cut off)
• Asparagus - 1 bunch/pound (trimmed)
• Olive oil - 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons 
• Black pepper - freshly ground
• Salt - to taste 
• Balsamic vinegar - 3 tablespoons 
• Fresh basil leaves - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
• Fresh rosemary leaves - 1/2 teaspoon (finely chopped)
• Garlic cloves - 2 (minced)
• Fresh Italian parsley leaves - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped)

Instructions

1. Over medium-high heat, place a grill pan. 
2. Take 1/4 cup of the oil and brush the vegetables to coat them lightly. Sprinkle salt and pepper. 
3. Beginning with bell peppers, grill until tender, about 7 to 9 minutes.
4. 7 minutes or until charred all over, for zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant.
5. Then, 4 minutes for the green onions and asparagus. 
6. To get those perfect grill marks, don’t shift the veggies too frequently once placed.
7. Arrange the grilled Italian veggies on a platter. 
8. Quickly mix balsamic vinegar, basil, rosemary, garlic, and parsley with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. 
9. Drizzle over the vegetables before serving.

RECIPE 3: Prep Time - 12 Min. | 4 Servings

Sautéed Italian Veggies Recipe

Ingredients

• Butter - 3 Tbsp.
• Broccoli - ½ Cup
• Carrots -  ½ Cup
• Bell peppers -  ½ Cup
• Zucchini - ½ Cup
• Small onion - 1 (chopped)
• Dried Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp.
• Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (freshly shredded)

Instructions

1. In a large non-stick pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
2. Put all vegetables and sauté for about 8 minutes until crisp and tender, stirring occasionally. 
3. Sprinkle Italian seasoning.
4. Top with Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

This is the ultimate sautéed Italian veggies recipe that requires neither time nor expertise. The product, however, is a crunchy concoction of wholesome veggies that serve as a great antipasto or side dish. 

Want more? Here’s how to roast veggies the Italian way!

We have also brought the ultimate recipe of Italian style roasted veggies that makes 6-8 servings in 1 hr and 20 min. If you’re up for a pro-level experiment, this will be a great start.  

With little work (mainly chopping, mixing, shaking,  and stirring), you can do incredible things with vegetables. Cooking them the Italian way will make veggies everyone’s favorite. And you will have a side dish to serve along with almost all grilled meats, rotisserie chicken, or even pasta and brekkie eggs.

Finally, now you can have fun cooking (and eating) vegetables!