Vegetables on the Grill: Basic Marinade

By Susan Belsinger
June/July 1999
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This simple grilled vegetable marinade keeps in the refrigerator for a month if herbs or ­garlic are omitted; otherwise, use it within 10 days. Vegetables may be ­marinated for from 1 to 24 hours. The longer you leave them in the marinade, the more flavor they will absorb. I use a glass 9-by-13-by-2-inch dish; you may ­alternatively use a stainless steel dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated or in a cool place; turn the vegetables occasionally. If you are in a hurry or decide to grill at the last minute, just toss the marinade with the prepared vegetables and then brush on more as they cook. Makes 1 cup, enough to marinate two batches of vegetables

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• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a lidded jar, shake all the ingredients well until they are well blended.

Variations: Adding herbs to this basic marinade gives distinctive flavors to your grilled vegetables. These are the three that I use most often; feel free to experiment with your own combinations of herbs and spices. I often divide a batch of Basic Marinade in half and make two different variants.

• Asian Marinade 
• Southwestern Marinade 
• Italian-Style Marinade 

Susan Belsinger, a frequent contributor to The Herb Companion, treats her family to grilled vegetables all summer long. She is the author, with Thomas DeBaggio, of Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide (1996) and several other books from Interweave Press.

Click here for the original article Vegetables on the Grill.


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  • susan belsinger_3 6/21/2010 12:03:54 PM

    here are three blends that i use most often--enjoy!
    Italian-Style
    Use ½ cup of basic marinade and add 1 tablespoon fresh, rough chopped oregano leaves or crumble in 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves. Add a handful of fresh, whole basil leaves and bruise them against the side of the marinade dish or chiffonade them, or crumble in about 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves. For a more robust flavor, delete the basil and lay 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary in the dish with the vegetables and pour the marinade overall. Sometimes I add about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste; I like it especially with eggplant and onions.

    Southwestern
    Use ½ cup of basic marinade and add 3 or 4 fresh sage leaves or 2 dried and crumbled sage leaves, or half dozen 4-inch sprigs of thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves crumbled. If you like cilantro add a generous handful of torn leaves along with ½ teaspoon roasted and ground cumin seed. Aficionados of the capsicum (chileheads like myself) should add 1 or 2 fresh chopped chiles, or 1 dried chile, crumbled into small pieces (use gloves when you handle hot peppers).

    Asian Flavors
    Use ½ cup of basic marinade and add 2 teaspoons fresh grated gingerroot, 3 to 4-inch long piece of lemon grass, sliced very thin, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.

  • Peggy Feagins 6/18/2010 10:01:54 PM

    In the recipe above for Grilled Vegetable Marinade, the author, Susan Belsinger, suggests herb variations, stating "these are the three that I use most often." But she doesn't tell which 3 they are. Can you enlighten me?

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