This guide serves as both a tool for grilling almost any kind of vegetable and as a template for a gorgeous (and tasty) vegetable tray for any summer cookout.
How Do I Prepare Vegetables for the Grill?
The more surface area you give your vegetables for grill marks, the more flavor you’re going to get. This also makes them easier to move around the grill. Here’s how to prepare them:
- Bell peppers: Seed and quarter.
- Onions: Peel and quarter through the root.
- Yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant: Cut lengthwise into meaty, steak-like rectangles.
- Cremini mushrooms: Remove stems and halve, if large.
- Asparagus: Trim the woody ends.
- Tomatoes: Buy small tomatoes still on the vine, if you can, and keep them intact so the stem acts as a handle for moving blistered tomatoes from the grill.
To prevent sticking, brush the vegetables with oil after slicing, and make sure your grill is very clean. An everyday olive oil is your best bet for both flavor and color on the finished vegetables.
How Long Do Vegetables Take to Cook on the Grill?
Cook time depends on the size and shape of each vegetable, but most grills have hot spots that we can use to our advantage. For example, you can place heartier vegetables that can handle high heat — like peppers and onions — near the back of the grill, where it’s often the hottest.
Grill the vegetables starting with the heartier peppers and onions first (or in the hottest area if your grill has hot spots); followed by the eggplant, squash, zucchini, mushrooms; then quick cooking asparagus; and finally, the tomatoes. Cook without disturbing for three to four minutes on the first side to get some grill marks, then continue to cook for the following total cook times (the number below includes the three to four minutes on the first side):
- Bell peppers and onions: Eight to 10 minutes
- Yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms: Seven to eight minutes
- Asparagus, green onions, and tomatoes on the vine: Four to six minutes
Don’t be afraid to move vegetables to a different area of the grill if they aren’t cooking fast enough or are getting too brown. Tongs and a thin metal spatula like a fish spatula work well together to help you move veggies around the grill.
What’s the Best Way to Serve Grilled Vegetables?
Grilled vegetables need little more than a sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon right after they come off the grill. If you’re so inclined, see the recipe below for chimichurri to top your veggies.
Leftover grilled vegetables can be chopped and tossed into pasta salads, added to a bowl of hummus or cooked grains for a quick dinner, or served as toppings for an at-home pizza night. Whatever your summer brings, here’s hoping it includes a lot more grilled vegetables.
Article adapted from thekitchn.com.
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