With Labor Day right around the corner and many friends and family getting together for the last official cookout of the summer, this dish will truly satisfy everyone in the crowd. It will feed a group of people and can be made and assembled ahead of time.

I like to pick out colorful vegetables to grill for this platter. I chose asparagus, red onions, a variety of bell peppers, summer squash, scallions, and beets. I usually make up my mind at the grocery store or farm stand as to which vegetables will look best on the platter. When picking out zucchini or summer squash, I look for them to be of similar size so they cook more evenly and look fantastic when presented.

1-1/2 lbs. asparagus
2 medium onions
3 peppers (red, yellow, orange)
5 Summer squash or zucchini
1 bunch scallions
2 large or 3 medium sized beets

Wash all vegetables prior to cutting. Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the tough bottoms, then with a vegetable peeler go over the bottom half of the stem to remove the outside skin. By doing this, they will be extremely tender all the way through. Whether you’re using summer squash or zucchini, trim the top of the stem off, then slice them all in half. Peel the onions, then slice into 1/2″ rings. Use different colors of peppers for a more festive look. Remove all the seeds and slice the peppers in strips measuring about 1-1/2″ to 2″. Trim the top part of the scallions keeping them uniform in size. When picking out the beets, look for the largest ones you can find in the loose beet bin. Wash well, and just cut off the rough end. Slice into 1/4″ rounds and they’re set to go. No need to remove the skin!

Preheat the grill. Once all the vegetables are prepared, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill in batches. Start on a high heat grill to get char marks on the vegetables, then move them to the cooler side of the grill for indirect cooking. Cook until fork tender. The asparagus and scallions will take the least amount of time, followed by the summer squash or zucchini, the peppers, then the beets. Once all the vegetables are cooked and cooled, arrange on a platter. To finish off the beets, I added some crumbled, herbed goat cheese, a few toasted nuts, such as walnuts, slivered almonds or even pistachios. Then drizzle with a balsamic vinegar glaze or a fine extra virgin olive oil. Use whichever vegetables that look good to you, you can use different types of peppers and even some Portobello mushrooms, which work very well. Serves between 6-8 people as a side.