With the 4th of July right around the corner, I found myself on the lookout for new side dishes that feature all of summer’s delicious veggies. This year we will be heading to my parent’s home for the 4th, and having a traditional bbq. Along with my red, white, and blue cupcakes and America Jell-O mold, this year I am SUPER excited to bring grilled summer succotash! (I always get to cook with a few extra ingredients when cooking for my parents, as my husband and daughter are not the world’s biggest veggie fans.)

I stumbled upon a recipe for succotash in my new Rachael Ray magazine, and as per usual, thought of a few ways to modify the recipe to make it more to our family’s liking. I am seriously so excited to grill up some veggies and toss them together to make one delicious succotash that no one will say, “Suffering Succotash!” about! (Let’s hope anyways..)

Here is what you’ll need to make this tasty summer salad.

Ingredients

3-4 ears corn

1-2 large bell peppers

1/2 to 1 large red onion

2 small zucchini (cut lengthwise)

1 small summer squash (cut lengthwise)

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

butter

parmesan cheese (although I also think cotija cheese would taste great in this salad!)

To Prepare

Remove the husks and silk from your corn. Coat the corn in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Rachael Ray places her corn directly on the grill, but many other cooks suggest grilling in the husk or aluminum foil. Whichever method you choose, grill your corn until it is lightly charred.

Prepare your bell peppers (I like red or orange) for grilling, by cutting in half, and removing stem and seeds. Coat with olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill for several minutes on each side, or until peppers have begun to soften.

Prepare your onion for the grill by removing the skin, and cutting into thick slices. Coat with oil, salt and pepper, and grill until softened and lightly charred.

*The corn and peppers and onion should take around 15 minutes to grill over medium heat. Grilling times and temperatures may vary, so keep a close eye, and always go by look and feel, rather than by watching a clock!

Next, place your zucchini and summer squash on the grill, having coated with oil and salt and pepper. Grill the squash, turning once, until charred and softened, about 10 minutes.

Cut the kernels of corn from the cobs, and place in a large bowl.

Remove the skins from the bell peppers, and cut the peppers into small strips or bite sized pieces, and place in bowl with corn.

Cut the onion into bite sized pieces, and place in bowl with other veggies.

Cut the squash into moon shapes, and add to veggie mix.

Toss the veggies with 1 T of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Top with freshly grated cheese. Serve warm. DELICIOUS! I cannot wait to make this!!