Grilled Vegetables
Grilled Vegetables Recipe
Grilling Vegetables is Really Quite Simple
Start with a clean grill, cut or slice washed vegetables into consistent size pieces. Small vegetables and pieces do very well when speared on kabobs or wrapped in heavy duty foil. Larger vegetables can be placed directly on the grill. Cooking times are fast for vegetables, its best not to leave them unattended. For more tips on how to grill vegetables see Grilling Tips.
Whether they are the main or side dish, part of a grilled salad or salsa, flavors and textures are enhanced on the barbeque. Zucchini, squash, asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms are particularly suited to the grill and are perfect when marinated, drizzled with oil, or seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper.
The results are healthy and delicious. Try a grilled vegetable pizza, or puree grilled vegetables to add a brilliant smoky flavor to soups. Visit our Recipes section now!
How to Barbeque
Everyone loves a barbeque. Whether you are cooking for family or friends, there are many grilling recipes and barbeque recipes to choose from. Grilling is also a very healthy way of cooking because you don't have to add much fat to the food, if any.
Grilling
Grilling is for everybody. You might have a small portable barbeque or a huge outdoor kitchen but as long as you have a heat source, you can make healthy and tasty vegetable recipes.
Vegetable Recipes
Vegetable recipes and vegetable side dish recipes are particularly great for grilling because many vegetables hold their shape well when being grilled and also keep all their flavor. Grilling corn on the cob is easy and a particular barbeque favorite. You can grill vegetable recipes at the same times as meat or fish, so you are able to cook everything outdoors at once.
Vegetable Side Dish Recipes
Vegetable side dishes range from one or two vegetables grilled in foil, on a skewer on over the coals to more elaborate grilled vegetable recipes with seasonings, sauces or marinades.
How to Make a Grilled Vegetable Recipe
If you are new to grilling, have a look at some of our grilled vegetable recipes or grilling articles and you can be a barbeque expert in no time!
Grilled Vegetables Recipes
Here is a delicious recipe which you might like to try grilling. This recipe is for novices and grilling experts alike and is something the whole family can enjoy.
Featured Grilled Vegetables Recipe:
Grilled Vegetables Shish Kebab Recipe with Homemade Croutons
For a shish kebab recipe bursting with healthy vegetables, this grilled vegetables recipe is perfect. It is also very versatile. You can change the vegetables you use and you can also change the dressing. In fact, when making grilled vegetables shish kebabs, you can use any marinade you like, including French, Italian or ranch salad dressing, sweet and sour, barbeque or teriyaki sauce.
The homemade croutons give plenty of flavor and homemade croutons are always tastier than store bought ones! With this crouton recipe, you can use whichever fresh or dried herbs you prefer, to give them your own personal touch. So get the bbq fired up because everyone will love this delicious grilled vegetables recipe!
Grilled Vegetable Kebabs and Homemade Croutons
Ingredients -
½ cup olive oil
3 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 onion
12 oz halved mushrooms
¼ cup red wine vinegar
For the Croutons:
4 slices bread
¼ cup olive oil
Herbs and spices to taste
Preparation:
How to Make Croutons:
Preheat the grill to 300 degrees F.
Mix your favorite herbs and spices into the olive oil. Brush the flavored oil on to both sides of the bread. Place the bread slices on heavy duty foil on the top rack of the grill and grill until they are crisp and dry.
This should take about 45 minutes.
Let them cool completely.
These croutons will freeze for up to 6 months so you can make extra if you like. and will have a wonderful flavor. Also excellent to do in a smoker grill.
How to Make Vegetable Kebabs:
Whisk the vinegar and oil and set aside.
Cut each bell pepper into 12 inch wide pieces. Cut the zucchini into 12 half inch slices. Cut the onion into 12 pieces. Thread the vegetables, alternately, on to 4 large skewers.
Marinate the kabobs in the oil and vinegar mixture for 15 minutes.
Grill them over medium coals for 12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned, turning them once. Serve hot.
(Makes 4)
Photo Description:
A Picture of a classic grilled vegetable recipe for our Grilled Vegetables Shish Kebab Recipe with Homemade Croutons. This is very indicative of grilled vegetable dish and is simple, quick, and easy to prepare and cook on the barbecue grill. This is a perfect summer grilling season recipe and is wonderful when you pick the veggies fresh from the garden, rinse, cut, and grill. Nothing is more flavorful than a fresh picked and grilled vegetable treat.
An Introduction to Grilling Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are very popular and there are lots of different vegetables you can grill, including mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, zucchini, eggplant, marrow, corn on the cob and many more. Grilled vegetables make a delicious side dish or a main meal and you can cook them in different ways, such as directly over the heat, threaded on to skewers or in foil packets with seasoning.
Grilled veggies have a special flavor all of their own although cooking them in foil can reduce the nice smoky taste. If you are using small vegetables or sliced ones, you can thread them on to metal skewers or wooden ones which have been soaked in water for at least half an hour, to make mouthwateringly good veggie kabobs.
The Truth about Grilled Vegetables and Health
Since vegetable can be grilled without any fat, such as butter or oil, they can be very healthy choice. When you fry vegetables or bake them, it is normal to add fat but this is not necessary with a lot of grilled vegetable recipes and you can baste them with another liquid or use a low fat marinade instead. You can use a healthy oil, such as olive oil, if you want to drizzle some over your vegetables while they grill. Adding herbs and spices gives more flavor to your barbecued veggies too.
Vegetables are part of a balanced diet and making delicious barbecued veggies means that you can enjoy eating vegetables rather than finding it a chore.
It is not possible to grill all vegetables because those with a high water content such as cucumber, lettuce, celery, and most leafy green vegetables wilt and go floppy and unappetizing on the grill. However, there are a lot of veggies, which grill nicely, so you can use this cooking method to transform all kinds of raw vegetables into hot, tasty grilled vegetable recipes.
Which are the Best Loved Veggies for Grilling?
Vegetable kabobs are very popular and these look nice when you use different colored vegetable combinations, such as onion, mushrooms and red bell pepper or eggplant, cherry tomatoes and zucchini, for example. Asparagus and squash also grill well, making them popular additions to the barbecue.
You can grill corn on the cob if you are having a barbecue because it makes a great accompaniment to meat or fish and baked potatoes. You can also grill baby potatoes by threading them on to a kabob skewer although boiling them first cuts down the grilling time. Big potatoes grill slowly but nicely and you can wrap them in foil to stop the skin from burning while the inside cooks.
One reason why grilled vegetables are so popular is that they are so easy to do. You simply wash and clean the vegetables, put them on the grill and cook them to perfection - that is all there is to making tasty barbecued vegetables!
You can get creative with grilled vegetables and make such recipes as teriyaki vegetable kabobs, marinated summer vegetables, or whole-wheat vegetable pizza with ease. Vegetables take on a wonderful taste and texture when you grill them and grilled vegetables make the perfect accompaniment to your summer barbecue meal.
Adults and kids alike love grilled vegetable recipes and you do not have to make a choice between eating healthy food and eating delicious food because with grilled vegetable recipes you can have both!
Inside Grilled Vegetable Recipes
Easy Grilled Vegetable Recipes
Delicious and Easy Grilled Vegetable Recipes - There is nothing complicated about making grilled vegetable recipes and most people adore the way vegetables become so tender and full of flavor on the grill. There are plenty of easy grilled vegetable recipes to choose from and you can cook vegetables whole, such as potatoes or corn on the cob or you can make vegetable packets with foil or even veggie kabobs...
Vegetable Side Dish Recipes
Tasty Vegetable Side Dish Recipes for Everyone - Vegetable side dish recipes are always popular at barbeques because they will delight the vegetarians, give the meat, and fish eaters something to complement their meal and they are nutritionally rich yet heavenly tasting. There are many vegetable side dish recipes you can make, such as salads, veggie kabobs, marinated vegetable foil packets and lots more, depending on which vegetables you fancy using...
Vegetable Kabobs
Cute and Colorful Vegetable Kabobs - Vegetable kabobs are a great way of encouraging people to eat their vegetables. These kabobs look so delicious and colorful that they are hard to resist. You can marinate your vegetables first to give them added flavor or even serve the vegetable kabobs with an herb butter or your favorite dressing. Vegetable kabobs are bursting with juiciness, flavor, and goodness...
Vegetable Pizza Recipe
Vegetable Pizza Recipe Ideas for the Grill - A vegetable pizza recipe is always a good idea if you want to make something vegetarian on the grill. Not only are vegetable pizza recipes full of nutrients but they taste wonderful too. Grilling is a great way to cook veggies because it releases their flavors perfectly, makes them tender and delicious and vegetable pizzas come out perfectly when you grill them...
Grilled Soups
How to Make the Very Best Grilled Soups - The best soups start off with the best ingredients and grilled vegetables are wonderful to use in soups because they taste so good. You can use different grilled vegetables to make soups including bell pepper, onion, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and more and grilled soups are a great appetizer or a tasty meal on a cool evening. Chilled grilled soups are great too!
Vegetable Salad Recipe
Delicious Vegetable Salad Recipe Inspiration - If you are bored with plain salads, why not try a grilled vegetable salad recipe? It is no secret that grilled vegetables are bursting with flavor and have a tender texture so they are wonderful for making salads with among other things. You can use asparagus, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, or any other grilled vegetable and make a delicious salad side dish...
Herb Butter Recipe
Herb Butter Recipe Ideas for Every Dish - No matter what grilled dish you are serving, there is an herb butter that will go perfectly with it. This might be basil butter for a tomato and cheese dish, dill and tarragon butter for a fish dish or chili lime butter to give your grilled vegetables a real zing! An herb butter recipe is easy and quick to make...
Marinade Recipes
Enhance Your Grilled Veggies with Marinade Recipes - Using a delicious homemade marinade on your veggies before grilling them takes them to the next level. Vegetables do not need more than an hour to marinate usually so you can soak them in whichever tasty ingredients you like before firing up the grill and making wonderful grilled marinated vegetables which will literally melt in the mouth...
Grilled Vegetable Articles
Grilled Vegetable Articles - Cooking Tips, History and More - Did you ever wonder how pizza originated, what the first pizza toppings were, which pizzas are preferred in other countries or about the history of Pizza Hut? Pizza fans will find pizza facts like these fascinating and sometimes it is very interesting to look back in time and find out how pizza has changed from its conception to present day pizza trends...
Five Great Reasons to Grill Vegetables
Vegetables can be eaten in many ways, such as raw, fried, steamed, or boiled, but nothing gives them the soft yet firm texture and smoky taste like grilling does. If you have never thought about grilling vegetables, here are five top reasons to give it a go:
1. Grilled Vegetables are Healthy
We all know that vegetables are good for us but most of us eat too few. Grilled vegetable recipes are delicious and you will want to savor this tasty yet nutritious food.
2. Grilled Vegetable Recipes are Easy
There is absolutely nothing complicated about barbecued veggie recipes and even beginner cooks can make wonderful grilled vegetables without a hitch.
3. Grilled Vegetables Make a Change
Most doctors recommend that we consume several servings of vegetables every day, which means that it is easy to get bored with them. Grilled vegetables can be cooked in different ways and they taste different from boiled or sautéed vegetables so grilling keeps things interesting. Grilled asparagus with a light yogurt sauce beats boiled cabbage hands down any day!
4. You Can Be Creative
There are lots of different vegetables you can grill. Onions, tomatoes, asparagus and mushrooms all grill beautifully but you can also try patty pan squashes, baby carrots or shiitake mushrooms for a change. Grilled vegetable kabobs are very tasty and you can be creative with the color and type of vegetables you choose.
5. You Can Save Money
Vegetables are very cheap, especially basic ones like mushrooms, carrots and onions, which means that grilled vegetable recipes are cheap to make. You might spend more than usual on nice cuts of steak or lamb for the grill, but you can get cheap ingredients to make grilled vegetable side dishes for the meat.
Some Handy Grilling Tips
- If you are using a charcoal grill for your grilled vegetable recipes, use the least amount of starter fluid you can to get the fire started. If you do not have starter fluid, salad oil does the trick too. Wad some newspaper and pile the coals over it. Douse the coals with salad oil and light the paper.
- Use tongs to turn your barbecued veggies rather than a knife or fork, which might puncture them.
- If you want to flavor your grilled vegetables with a tomato or sugar based sauce, add them at the end because these sauces can burn easily.
- Use a coarse salt like kosher salt or sea salt on your vegetables because it will draw out extra moisture from the veggies, making them extra sweet and flavorful.
- Prevent your veggies from drying out on the grill by soaking them in cold water first.
- If you are going to skewer your veggies, using two skewers rather than one will stop them from spinning when you rotate the skewer on the grill.
- Your grilled vegetables are ready when you can pierce them easily with a knife tip or fork.
Try These Delicious Grilled Vegetable Recipes
Here is just a sampling of our delicious grilled vegetable recipes you'll find plenty more inside the site.
Grilled Asparagus with Homemade Barbecue Butter
Grilled Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini
Vegetable Kabobs with a Thyme Butter Sauce
Grilled Vegetable Salad with a Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing
History of Barbecue
The Spanish explorers arrived in the new world to find the natives preserving meats in the sun. This was a successful preservation method but the problem was that the meats were often infested with bugs and this meant spoilage. The indigenous people learned to build smoky fires to keep the insects away and help preserve the meat, which would be hung on racks over the fires.
The native Indians called this process "barbacoa" and this is where the history of barbecue begins. The barbecue process developed further when Africans and Europeans migrated to the United States. They brought cattle and pigs with them and replaced the fires and racks with large smoke houses and pits. This was not a brand new idea, as Polynesians had been cooking pork in this way for thousands of years, but it was a new and successful idea in the new world.
Learn More About the >> History of Barbecue
Grilling Tips - Grilling Corn on the Cob
Corn features in many grilled vegetable recipes and other dishes. Creamed corn, corn chowder and corn bread are all delicious but no corn dish is quite as mouthwatering as hot, juicy corn on the cob.
European settlers all over the Midwest adopted the Indian style or roasting the corn with the husks removed, but corn cooked in the husk is very tasty too. In Native American the word for corn means "our mother" or "she who sustains us". Corn is low in calories but high in both potassium and vitamin C.
Learn More About >> How to Grill Corn on the Cob plus a wonderful recipe at this link.
Grilling Vegetables Tips and Tricks
- Most vegetables can be cooked whole but if you are cutting them up, make the pieces of equal size so they cook evenly.
- You can coat the vegetable pieces in canola oil or vegetable oil before grilling them to enhance their flavor and stop them from sticking to the grill.
- Herbs can burn so you can season your vegetables with salt and pepper before grilling them and then toss them in herbs when they are done.
- You do not need to use baskets or skewer if your vegetables are cut into big enough pieces. As long as they cannot fall through the grates, they will be fine. You can cut them up smaller when they are cooked.
- If you making vegetable kabobs, choose vegetables that have the same cooking time. Baby tomatoes grill much quicker than sliced carrots, for example, so a baby tomato and sliced carrot kabob would not work unless you partially cook the carrot slices first.
- Sprinkle a little sugar on the vegetables halfway through the cooking time and this gives them a wonderful caramel flavor that kids will love.
- If the weather is bad, a cast iron grill pan on the stove works just as well as an outdoor grill.
I hope that the above tips will help to ensure your first grilled vegetable recipes will turn out wonderfully. There is so much variety with grilled veggies. You can try different herbs, spices, marinades, and salsas to serve the veggies with and your grilled vegetable recipes will be popular with everyone!
Find additional "Grilled Vegetable Recipes" on our Grilled Vegetable Recipes index page just look trough our grilled veggie categories to find that perfect grilled vegetable treat for your dinner tonight. Whether that be a healthy grilled vegetarian pizza or a marinated grilled vegetable skewer delight. We have everything from marinade sauces and herb butter recipes to wonderful easy grilled vegetable recipes choices.
Grilled Vegetables around the World
Vegetables are eaten in every single culture, unlike certain meats, fish, and grains and there are lots of different ways to prepare them. Grilling is a popular cooking method in many different countries including the US, the UK, Australia, parts of Africa and most of Europe and vegetables often find their way on to the grill to accompany the wonderful meat and fish there too.
One reason why grilling is so popular all over the globe is that it is simple to cook food in this way. Grilling gives food a smoky flavor and cooking over an open fire has been done since cooking was invented!
Barbecuing techniques have obviously changed since the early days of grilling and you can get modern grills, which have plenty of features and are simple enough for everyone to use easily and safely.
Favorite Vegetables in Other Countries
In the US and the UK you will often find corn on the cob, potatoes or vegetable kabobs on the grill, as well as mushrooms, onion or anything else which will be a good accompaniment for the steaks, chicken or fish. Similar side dishes are popular in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Colorful bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes are popular in Mediterranean cuisine and vegetables like Chinese cabbage, green onions, and water chestnuts are well loved in oriental recipes. Root vegetables are often eaten in places with cold climates because they grow well there and are resilient to the frost and wet weather. Root vegetables include turnips, rutabaga, yams, and carrots.
One reason why grilled vegetables are popular everywhere is that it is obviously easier to have everything cooking on the grill in front of you rather than having just the meat on the grill and having to keep running into the kitchen to check the frying, steaming, boiling or baking vegetables. A hot plate can be used rather than an outdoor grill if the weather is not good, although the vegetables will not have the same smoky flavor that they get when cooked over an open fire.
Barbecued Vegetable Flavorings
Some cultures like to add plenty of flavorings and seasonings to their grilled vegetable recipes and other are likely to leave them plain. Indian vegetable dishes, for instance, are often flavored with chilies, curry, or other strong spices. Some Asian vegetable dishes are flavored with soy sauce, honey, satay, sesame seeds or rice vinegar, depending on the vegetables used and what you are serving them with.
Even if you prefer your grilled veggies without strong seasonings, a squeeze of lemon juice, some salt and pepper or a drizzle of olive oil can liven them up a bit. Some freshly grated Parmesan cheese can go nicely with some grilled vegetable recipes, or even herb butter. You can make this by combining your favorite herb with some butter and basting the vegetables as they grill or else you can serve the herb butter on the side.
You can, of course, match your barbecued vegetable recipes to the main dish you are making. If you are grilling a light flavored fish, Mediterranean vegetable kabobs will be a nice side dish and you can make these by threading bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms on to skewers. If you are grilling steaks, then grilled corn on the cob and potatoes will go beautifully with them. You can also be creative with grilled vegetables and grill whichever veggies you fancy!
Some Fun Facts about Grilled Vegetables
There is no doubt that grilled vegetables recipes are tasty and here are some fun facts you can use to impress your friends about the most popular barbecued veggies:
Tomato Facts
- Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which is a cartenoid and can lower your risk of cancer. Spinach, carrots, collard greens, and sweet potatoes are also high in cartenoids.
- A hornworm can eat a whole tomato plant by itself in a day.
- More tomatoes are eaten in the United States than any other vegetable.
- Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C.
- The Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.
- There are thousands of tomato varieties.
- The tomato is in the same family as the pepper, potato, petunia, and eggplant.
Potato Facts
- The local Indians from the Andes mountain range in South America were the first to cultivate white potatoes.
- Potatoes appeared in Europe in 1586 and in North American in 1719.
- A baked potato is a great source of dietary fiber and contains four grams of it.
- Sweet potatoes are not the same as yams.
- Germans eat twice as many potatoes as people in the United States.
- Potatoes should be kept somewhere dry and dark but not necessarily in the refrigerator.
- A potato is 20% solids and 80% water.
- If you hold your nose, apples, potatoes, and onions taste identical.
- Most of the nutrients in a potato are just below the skin.
- A pound of potato chips costs two hundred times, what a pound of potatoes does.
Onion Facts
- Onions are thought to have originated in Asia but they were probably growing wild on every continent. They date back to 3500 BC and were one of the few foods that did not spoil over the cold winter months.
- When you choose onions, look for ones that feel solid and dry and have no sprouts, green or dark patches or soft bits. The outer skin should be shiny and the neck should be closed tightly. Onions should smell mild, even if they are a strong flavored variety.
Squash Facts
- Squash is technically a fruit, not a vegetable.
- Small squash are usually tastier than bigger ones.
- Summer squash varieties include yellow crookneck, patty pan, chayote, zucchili, and yellow straightneck.
- Winter squash varieties include banana, buttercup, acorn, calabaza, spaghetti, pumpkin, turban, sweet dumpling, hubbard, delicate and golden nugget.
Asparagus Facts
- Asparagus should be refrigerated immediately. Wrap it in a damp cloth and store it in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
- Asparagus comes in green, white, and purple varieties. Purple is extra tender, has a nutty flavor, and contains 20% more sugar than green asparagus.
- You should allow ½ lb asparagus per person when you buy it because asparagus is trimmed before you cook it.
Mushroom Facts
- France was the first country to cultivate mushrooms in the 1600s.
- Mushrooms are related to mold, mildew, and yeast, which are all fungi. There are about one and a half million species of fungi.
- Button mushrooms are the most popular kind and more than 90% of the mushrooms imported into the United States are button mushrooms.
Facts about Other Veggies
- Nearly all the broccoli sold in the United States is grown in California.
- Bell peppers can be green, red, yellow, orange, or purple.
- Avocadoes are toxic to birds.
- Ears of corn always have an even number of kernel rows.
How many of those did you know? The next time you make a grilled vegetable recipe, you can test your family and friends' vegetable knowledge!