Making sure you eat your veggies has never been easier or more delicious. Gilled vegetables is such a versatile and easy way to add some greens to your meals that are bursting with flavor and doesn’t involve too much time prepping or cleaning up. They can be used as the star of the dish or as a side that just adds a little something to your meal—all while giving you the nutrients and minerals that your body needs.
If you’re unsure of how to incorporate grilled vegetables into your diet, here are some recipes that you can try.
Grilled Vegetable Skewers
A good ol’ classic for a bbq, you can never go wrong with skewers. Make a colorful skewer consisting of your favorite vegetables. This recipe from Love and Lemons recommends red and green bell pepper, yellow squash, red onion, mushrooms, corn and zucchini as well as metal skewers as the wood ones will burn.
Cauliflower Steak
A cauliflower steak is a great alternative to a meat steak. Whether it’s as a side dish or a meat-free option for vegetarians and/or vegans, it’s a delicious meal.
It’s also fairly simple to make requiring just a few common household ingredients for your seasoning. Check out this Grilled Cauliflower Steak recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Charred Leeks with Honey and Vinegar
This recipe from Epicurious has only one vegetable as the star—leeks. With a total of five ingredients, you can prepare a creamy and sweet dish that really takes charring to a new level.
You will need to stay closer to the grill for this one, as the leeks need to be turned every few minutes but it will be worth the wait.
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger
A Couple Cooks show how you can use any grilled vegetable as part of a meal in this recipe. They take a grilled portobello mushroom and make it as part of a burger. The grilled method of cooking adds a delicious smokey flavor to it while the fresh vegetables add a cool, crunchy texture.
Tips for grilled vegetables
While grilled vegetables are simple enough to make, there are some tips that you can follow that can really just make them better than ever.
Cut them evenly
When it comes to grilled vegetables, the way you cut them up can make a difference to the end product. The best way to do this is to cut your veggies up evenly prior to grilling. By this, we mean that all your bell peppers should be the same size to each other and so forth for each vegetable group. This will ensure that they’re grilled evenly and you won’t have any pieces that are under or overcooked.
Different vegetables need different grill times
Time your grilling so that all the vegetables are done at the same time and you can eat it when it’s fresh and hot. Vegetables such as carrots or potatoes are going to need longer to grill than others such as mushrooms or onion. Allow denser veggies longer time on the grill and place accordingly.
Flip your veggies halfway
When you grill your food, you want that little char on all sides. It just adds a that crisp texture to them that you won’t get through other methods of cooking veggies. To get this, make sure that you flip your vegetables over halfway through grilling so it gets an even cook as well as that texture on both sides. Some recipes though, like the Charred Leeks require turning every few minutes, so adjust according to the recipe.
Season your vegetables beforehand
To maximize the flavor profile of your grilled vegetables, make sure you season them before (and after) you grill. A little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper will go a long way or you can marinate them with whatever marinade you like. This way, the seasoning will seep through the vegetables as they’re being grilled, giving every bite that juicy flavor when they’re done.