Grilled Veggies

Most people think of the grill as only a place to prepare meat, but veggies also have a place in the flames of a grill. Done right, grilled veggies should be charred, crispy, and super delicious, perfect as a main for a vegetarian or as the side dish for some grilled meats.

For more great vegetable side dishes, why not make some Roasted Green Beans? Or some Roasted Parsnips with Garlic Herb Butter Sauce instead? If you want a good pairing to go with these grilled veggies, try some grilled chicken breast!

Grilled Veggies

When summer appears, and the grill comes out, there is always the expectation that the only thing worth cooking is a big piece of meat.

However, while the flavor of a good grill obviously works really well with meat, that same flavor can work perfectly with some properly prepared vegetables.

A good mix of mushrooms, corn, and a few fresh tasting summer vegetables like tomatoes and zucchini pair perfectly with that smoky grill flavor, as long as you oil and season them properly and know when to take them off of the grill. Whether you serve these grilled veggies as the main dish to that one vegetarian that shows up to a barbeque or as a side dish for everyone, these simple grilled veggies are sure to be a hit at your next BBQ.

Grilled Veggies Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Button or cremini mushrooms

• Fresh corn

• Yellow squash (or yellow pepper)

• Cherry tomatoes

• Zucchini

• Red onion

• Green bell pepper

• Olive oil

• Salt & black pepper

How To Make Grilled Veggies

• Heat your grill to medium-high and spray with nonstick cooking spray

• Cut your vegetables into similar-sized chunks and spear onto 4 metal skewers

• Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper

• Grill the skewers for 8 minutes per side, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred

• Remove from the grill, season to taste, and serve with tzatziki, honey mustard, ranch dip, or your favorite dressing   

How To Ensure Your Grilled Veggies Don’t Just Fall Apart

One of the big problems with making any kind of grilled vegetables is that vegetables are much more likely to fall apart if you aren’t careful with them basically.

This is especially likely when you are doing a lot of different vegetables because each of them not only finishes cooking at different times, but they also have their own point at which they turn to mush.

Yellow squash, for example, will look like it is doing perfectly fine before all of a sudden turning into a disgusting mush without you even realizing it.

Sticking all of the vegetables onto a skewer can help because it helps to provide a little bit of structural stability, but the most important thing you can do is to make sure to cut all of your veggies into similar-sized shapes.

You want each of the pieces to be about the same size, as this will ensure a relatively even interior temperature when taken off of the grill.

The other thing you can do is to think of this recipe not as a way to completely cook your vegetables but instead a way to give mostly raw vegetables a good char and a crispy and grilled exterior.

If done right, all of your vegetables should still have that crunchy, fresh bite in the middle, with plenty of juiciness and snap in each bite, but the outside should be grilled and delicious. Using high heat is super important, as this helps to ensure that the outside softens a bit, crisps a little and takes on flavor without overcooking the inside.

What Other Vegetables Could You Use For This Recipe?

This recipe for grilled vegetables uses some really classic vegetables and mushrooms (because mushrooms are not a vegetable!), but you could just easily substitute out any of the veggies that you don’t look like or are not in season.

The list of veggies in this recipe is definitely focused on what is in season during the summertime, but there is nothing stopping you from focusing more on vegetables that are available at other times of the year.

Small pieces of cubed pumpkin, carrots, and turnips could make for an interesting Fall vegetable skewer, for example.

However, if you just don’t like any of the vegetables on this list, there is no reason to skip it entirely or just substitute it for a veggie that you prefer.

Just make sure that you are using something that will char well and won’t really overcook too much if you try to put it over high heat.

For example, though it might be tempting to try putting spinach, kale, or any other leafy greens on the grill, it probably won’t work well for you. The leaves will just shrivel up and burn before the rest of the veggies get a nice char, resulting in little bits of burnt, dry paper in-between all of your other vegetables.

Stick to thicker, meatier, and juicier vegetables, and you can’t go wrong. 

Looking for more delicious Side Dishes recipes? Try these out:

• Green Beans Almondine

• How to Roast Butternut Squash

• Crispy, Buttery Fried Zucchini

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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