Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne is the perfect combo of smoky, savory goodness and fresh garden vibes. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s going to be your new favorite summer pasta dinner. It’s gluten free (optional) and you can even make it plant based, Fire up your grill… It’s grilling time!!!
Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne
I’ve been making a version of Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne for as long as I can remember, primarily because it’s fast, easy, and the family loves it. With only a couple of ingredients, I have a dinner that had all the elements: Protein, Vegetables, Starch. I can adjust based upon how many zucchini are just this side of usable in the fridge, and how much penne I have left in the cabinet. You can find the original recipe, re-posted from my blogger account back in 2011 (meaning it’s way older than that!), in the Stir Fry Kielbasa & Zucchini post. The recipe was created during my “spice packet recipe” phase.
This is the original Stir Fry Kielbasa & Zucchini. I created the recipe during my epic spice packet phase. It’s still one of my favorite go-to recipes, but now I make it gluten free. I still love the multi-colored penne but need to find them gluten free 😉
For reference, the daughter on the left in the photo just got married and graduated from nursing school, the one on the right graduated from University of Illinois with a degree in Scenic Technology! Time flies (and I’m SO proud of them KIH)!!!
Updating the original to Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne
The truth is, you can make the original recipe gluten free with just a few simple modifications: Gluten free spice packets and pasta. Super simple.I updated the recipe to make it summer friendly and gluten free. 
The Spice Packet
Before I became a GFE, I was obsessed with the Good Seasonings dressing mixes – A.K.A spice packets. I made Spice Packet Shnitzel (there’s even a movie with me like 75 pounds lighter on YouTube lol), Spice Packet Roasted Potatoes, Spice Packet Grilled Vegetables, and Original Stir Fry Bow Tie Pasta with Chick Peas and Corn, just to name a few. At one point I even went as far as trying to duplicate the Good Seasonings mix, awesome but not worth the effort.
I even went as far as making the spice packet mix from scratch. You can do it too and store it in an airtight container!
I also was madly in love with the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix and made the best treif chicken on the planet…until I found out it was actually dairy 😮 (the package wasn’t marked properly with the “D” symbol – so I thought it was pareve… oops)!
Prepping Spice Packet Zucchini. You can see all the wonderful spices!
The Spice Packet Issue
While I might have been a huge fan of the “spice packet”, it turns out that as of the writing of this post, Good Seasonings Italian Dressing mix is glutenous!!!
Sadly, my favorite spice packet actually contains WHEAT!!! WHY????!!!!!
So… I had to come up with another plan. I could make the packets from scratch or find something new.
I found the Haddar Kosher for Passover spice packet mix. It’s awesome and is extremely close to the original.
Haddar Spice Packet Mix is gluten free!
Additionally, I’ve been known to use McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning too. The ingredients are similar enough that they work fairly well.
McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning ingredients are fairly similar to the original spice packet.
Problem solved.
Making Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne
I LOVE to grill. I grill year round, in snow storms and rain.
I grill year round, kind of like the Post Office Motto: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” or even frostbite, will keep me from grilling under the skylight!
We have a grill on our deck, but even growing up when at camp, my camp friends knew they would eat because I was an expert fire maker (read: pyromaniac) and could build the best grilling fire ever!!
One of my mottos is: GRILL EVERYTHING!
Since it’s grilling season for most people, I figured that a nice update to this recipe would be grilling the zucchini and kielbasa.
When zucchini is in season, we grill it nearly every Shabbat. It’s one of my all time favorites.
If you aren’t able to grill outdoors, you can use an indoor grill like a George Forman, or a stovetop grill pan (I love my All Clad one).
Prepping the kielbasa
I like to use the Meal Mart Kielbasa. It’s gluten free and tastes great. You can also use any other brand of kielbasa or your favorite sausage. Making this dish plant based is also simple, just use Beyond Meat or Impossible sausages, prepping them just like you would any beef kielbasa.
Prepping the kielbasa. Make sure to remove the plastic covering the kielbasa!!!
I threw nearly everything on the grill
It was fairly simple to throw the kielbasa and the seasoned zucchini on the grill. I did cut the ingredients so they would get the best grill flavor without falling under the grates. I could have used a grill mat but really wanted those gorgeous grill lines!
I like to grill the zucchini until it’s soft, and the kielbasa until it’s got grill marks on both sides.
After they were cooked through, I cut the grilled ingredients into smaller, bite size pieces.
Add the cooked gluten free penne…
Looks great now…but it’s naked! Add more spices!!
One more spice packet and we’re good to go.
OMG! Just OMG!!!
Here’s the Recipe for Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne
While I love this recipe as written below, you can modify it any way you like. If you’re not a zucchini fan you can use eggplant, broccoli or cauliflower. Don’t have kielbasa, use your favorite sausages or even hot dogs. Make it plant based by using plant based sausages! You are the Executive Chef in your kitchen!!! Just make sure to send pictures and tag @koshereveryday!!!
Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
- Diet: Kosher
Description
Grilled Kielbasa and Zucchini Penne is the perfect combo of smoky, savory goodness and fresh garden vibes. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s going to be your new favorite summer pasta dinner. It’s gluten free (optional) and you can even make it plant based, Fire up your grill… It’s grilling time!!!
You can find my original Stir Fry Kielbasa & Zucchini recipe here!
Ingredients
- 1 pound gluten free penne, cooked and rinsed
- 1 pound kielbasa, plastic removed
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds fresh zucchini
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 spice packets (around 1/4 cup), divided
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 350°F.
- Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Set aside.
For the Zucchini
- Cut the stem off of the zucchini and discard. Slice the zucchini into approximately 1/2-inch disks, then place in a large bowl.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the zucchini, then sprinkle a whole spice packet over the zucchini. Mix well until all the zucchini is evenly coated.
For the Kielbasa
- Cut the kielbasa into four pieces, then cut each piece lengthwise in half.
For Grilling
- Place the zucchini and kielbasa on the grill. Grill covered for around 5 minutes, until grill marks appear on the zucchini and the kielbasa is browned.
- Flip the zucchini and kielbasa and grill for another 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer to a pan or bowl, and allow the zucchini and kielbasa to cool enough to handle.
- Slice the kielbasa into half moon slices, then cut each zucchini round in half.
- Add the kielbasa and zucchini to the pasta, then drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle a whole spice packet over the bowl contents.
- Stir until all the spices and oil are evenly distributed over the pasta, kielbasa and zucchini.
- Quickly serve to your hungry hoard.
Equipment
All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick Square Grill Cookware, 11-Inch
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Cuisinart CIT-102 Locking Grill Tongs
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Cuisinart Deluxe Grill Set, 20-Piece
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Haddar, Gluten Free Italian Dressing & Seasoning Mix
Buy Now →Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 466
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 605.9 mg
- Fat: 24.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.1 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 14.7 g
- Cholesterol: 41.4 mg
More Great Grilling Recipes!
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