A cross between a vegetable side dish and a salad, this Balsamic Burrata and Grilled Squash Salad screams summer.
This Balsamic Burrata and Grilled Squash Salad is everything you want on your summer table. Why should you only grill meat and corn at a barbecue? This dish is slightly smoky from the barbecue char, a little sweet from the balsamic glaze, herby and zesty, creamy and crunchy. If you’re not sure whether or not you wanted to make a salad or a veggie side, make this – you’ve got both!
The great thing about this is that all the components can be made ahead of time. That is, if you’re choosing to pre-grill the squash. Just plate the veggies, burrata, hazelnuts, herb sauce, and balsamic when ready to serve. However, if you’d like to serve the zucchini freshly grilled, it’s easy to do that, too!
I’ve been wanting to make a recipe with burrata for a long time, and this is the perfect recipe. Depending on the quality of the burrata you have, you may only want to use the creamy inside of it. Some brands have a thicker exterior that doesn’t taste very good. Use your judgement based on the product you have.
Ingredient Notes:
- Blanched Hazelnuts – If you can only find skin-on hazelnuts, that’s okay too.
- Yellow Squash – If you can’t find yellow squash, adding an extra zucchini works fine as well.
Balsamic Burrata and Grilled Squash Salad
Equipment
- Grill or Grill Pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup blanched hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchinis
- 1 large yellow squash or 2 small yellow squash
- 8 oz. burrata
- Balsamic glaze to taste
- Flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. If using an outdoor grill, preheat on high heat.
- Spread the hazelnuts onto a sheet pan and roast until golden, 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely, then roughly chop (TIP: I placed them into a Ziplock bag and crushed them with a meat mallet to make it easier to chop).
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the chives, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic, ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (double the amount of Kosher salt and olive oil if doubling the recipe). Set aside until ready to use.
- Trim the ends of the zucchini and squash. Using a mandoline (or a knife if you don’t have a mandoline), slice the zucchini lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. I used the 4th thinnest setting on the mandoline for this. Place into a large mixing bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (double this amount if doubling the recipe), a big pinch of Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Grill the zucchini and squash until charred and cooked through, about 1 ½ minutes per side. If using a grill pan, heat over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and squash and cook until charred and cooked through, 1 1/2 minutes per side.
- Serve the zucchini and squash on a serving platter. Tear burrata into pieces and dollop on top of the zucchini. Top with the chive mixture, as much of the balsamic glaze as you’d like, the hazelnuts, freshly ground black pepper, and a big pinch of flakey sea salt.
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