Skip to main content
Epicurious
Cookbooks

Smoked Vegetable Kabobs With Roasted Garlic Smoked Butta

By Terry Sargent

5.0

(2)

Grilled smoke vegetable kabob with squash tomato onion and peppers.
Photo by Bites and Bevs

A barbecue staple. These smoked vegetable kabobs are always a hit at the many different functions we cater. We kick it up a bit with a smoked butter to finish. Healthy? Maybe! For this recipe, you will need to soak eight to twelve 8-inch wooden skewers in water for 15 to 30 minutes.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Vegan Barbecue’ by Terry Sargent. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more veggie skewers here →

What you’ll need

Ingredients

For the Roasted Garlic Smoked Butta

½ cup unsalted vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s
1 head garlic
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, or chives
¼ tsp. kosher salt (optional)

For Smoked Vegetable Kabobs

4 medium red onions, halved
4 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
2 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups roasted garlic
Smoked Butta
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preparation

  1. Make the Roasted Garlic Smoked Butta

    Step 1

    Remove the butter from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.

    Step 2

    Remove the excess peels from the outside of the garlic head. Slice off and discard ¼ inch (5 mm) from the wide/root end to expose the cloves. Make a little bowl of foil to set the head of garlic in, which will help hold the garlic cloves together and upright. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic, then cover completely with foil. Roast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the garlic is soft throughout and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before handling.

    Step 3

    Peel the garlic. Combine the garlic, vegan butter, fresh herbs, and salt in a food processor. Blend until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.

    Step 4

    Using waxed paper, form the butter into a log and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until chilled. Slice and serve as needed, storing leftovers in the refrigerator. This compound butter will keep for 1 to 2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or for up to 6 months in the freezer.

  2. Make Smoked Vegetable Kabobs

    Step 5

    Skewer the vegetables by alternating between red onion, zucchini, and the different colored bell peppers. Brush the veggies with a light layer of olive oil.

    Step 6

    Prepare the smoker for a 60-minute smoke session over low heat.

    Step 7

    Smoke the vegetables for 60 minutes. Remove from the smoker, brush with the smoked butter, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if desired. Enjoy!

Vegan Barbecue-COVER.jpg
Recipe excerpted from Vegan Barbecue © 2023 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2023 Terry Sargent. Photography © 2023 Bites and Bevs LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon or Harvard Common Press.
TagsCookbooksVegetarianBell PepperVegetableEggplantTomatoGarlicRoot VegetableSmokeVegan

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Halloumi Lasagna
In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.
Charred Vegetable Ragù
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Eggplant Roasted in Satay Sauce
Among the top tier of sauces is Indonesian satay sauce, because it is the embodiment of joy and life. In fact, this sauce is also trustworthy and highly respectful of whatever it comes into contact with—perhaps it is, in fact, the perfect friend?
Zucchini, Pea, and Bulgur Pilaf
This fragrant salad uses bulgur wheat as its base, an endlessly versatile, slightly chewy grain that’s very popular throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio
Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.
Fufu
Fufu is a dish that has been passed down through many generations and is seen as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and heritage. Making fufu traditionally is a very laborious task; this recipe mimics some of that hard work but with a few home-cook hacks that make for a far easier time.
Sofrito Bolognese
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.