Now that spring is here, it’s time to get outside and start grilling Mediterranean-style. This recipe for pork kabobs with vegetables is brought to us by our Italian recipe developer, Giorgia Fontana. Check out her write-up below!
Who doesn’t love some delicious grilled meat and vegetable kabobs? If you like grilling outside and enjoy tasty and healthy food made with high quality ingredients, this is the perfect recipe for you! In fact, these pork kabobs with vegetables are not only loaded with flavor, but also quite good for your diet.
Here in northern Italy, this recipe is an evergreen of outdoor spring and summer grills as it takes a very short time to prepare and it’s loved by adults and kids alike. For the same reason, these kabobs are also one of the most common dishes you can find at any Italian country fair, especially inland.
For me, this recipe tastes a little bit like my childhood, when I used to spend the summer at my grandparents’ house in the mountains of the Ligurian Apennines. There we used to have huge family gatherings outdoors, grilling food and spending a lot of quality time together. They are a quintessential dish of summer holidays! Today, I live in the city, but whenever I make these skewers I immediately think of the breathtaking landscapes I could see from my grandmother’s garden.
As I said before, this version of the dish is a little healthier than the most classic ones you could find here in Italy. My recipe only uses only lean pork loin, whereas especially in Tuscany it’s quite common to find fattier cuts. This said, if you really want to go for it, you can replace one third of the meat with some delicious Italian sausage. This recipe is enough for 8 pork kabobs with vegetables.
Enjoy!
Note: if you are using wooden skewers (as I usually do) remember to soak them in water for at least 10 minutes before assembling the kabobs. This way, they won’t burn or catch fire while on the grill.
Giorgia’s Italian Grilled Vegetables make a nice addition to these kabobs.
If you are interested in finding out what vegetables are in season, click here.
More traditional Italian recipes from Giorgia Fontana
Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce – Spaghetti alla Portofino
Pesto Genovese (Traditional Italian Pesto)
Grilled Pork Kabobs with Vegetables (Italy)
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork loin
- 1 yellow bell pepper or any color you like
- 2 small white onions
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 8 sage leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean and prepare the vegetables. Deseed the bell pepper and remove the white part. Then, cut it into 1-inch squares. Peel the onions and cut them into 8 wedges each.
- Dice the pork loin into 1-inch cubes, trying to keep the size consistent for a better result.
- Assemble the skewers by alternating one piece of meat and one piece of vegetable. In the end, you should have around 8 skewers.
- Lay the skewers on a large tray and toss with coarse salt, extra virgin olive oil and black pepper. Add rosemary and sage. Cover and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the grill on medium-high heat.
- When the grill is nice and hot, add the skewers and cook for 15 minutes, rotating them one quarter at a time.
- While cooking, you can spread the marinade on the skewers using the rosemary sprig as a brush.
Nutrition
About the Author: Giorgia Fontana
Excellent! So yummy better than expected!
Thanks Sheila, Glad you enjoyed the recipe. – Bill