50 Hearty Grilled Vegetable Recipes

April 26, 2019
Jennifer Causey
There's nothing like grilling flavorful veggies in the summertime—barbecues, picnics, and backyard get-togethers aren't complete without at least one healthy grilled side dish. Whether you're craving eggplant, corn, or zucchini, our favorite grilled vegetable recipes just can't be beat. 
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Grilled Eggplant-and-Corn Romesco Napoleons

Photo: Cedric Angeles; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Grilled Eggplant-and-Corn Romesco Napoleons Recipe

Eggplant is an incredibly versatile vegetable and a good choice for meatless meals. In this cheesy Rollups recipe, eggplant stands in for a delicious substitute for pasta. Eggplants enjoy the same growing conditions as tomatoes, so try growing your own this year.

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Elote-Style Corn with Cotija and Spicy Cilantro Cream

Photo: Stephen Devries; Food Styling: Erin Merhar 
Elote-Style Corn with Cotija and Spicy Cilantro Cream Recipe

Elote-Style Corn with Cojita and Spiced Cilantro Cream image

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Spicy Grilled Corn Salad

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan
Spicy Grilled Corn Salad Recipe

Elote, Mexican-style street corn, inspired this tangy, smoky, slightly creamy side dish. Three jalapeños give this salad a real kick; make it milder by substituting mini sweet peppers. Serve this salad by itself at a cookout or alongside grilled flank steak and warm tortillas for an easy taco night.

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Grilled Eggplant Planks with Miso Aioli

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Eggplant Planks with Miso Aioli Recipe

Be sure to choose smaller eggplants; they'll be easier to slice and easier to handle on the grill.  

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Grilled Eggplant Planks with Creole Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Eggplant Planks with Creole Salsa Recipe

Be sure to choose smaller eggplants; they'll be easier to slice and easier to handle on the grill.  

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Grilled Veggie Orzo Salad

Caitlin Bensel
Grilled Veggie Orzo Salad Recipe

If you have a grill basket, cut the peppers into strips and grill everything together—it’s a huge time-saver. Just be sure to stir occasionally so everything cooks evenly and chars nicely. Gina Homolka is the founder of skinnytaste.com and @skinnytaste.

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Minty Grilled Summer Squash

Photo: Stephen Devries; Food Styling: Erin Merhar 
Minty Grilled Summer Squash Recipe

Minty Grilled Summer Squash image

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Smoky Beer-Poached Grilled Corn

Jennifer Causey
Smoky Beer-Poached Grilled Corn Recipe

We took a technique that’s typically used for bratwurst and applied it to corn—with amazing results. You can save the beer after poaching the corn and use it for poaching brats or for steaming peel-and-eat shrimp.

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Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine 
Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs Recipe

If you haven't made your own breadcrumbs yet, now is the time to give it a try. It's easy, makes use of any leftover bread, and tastes better than anything you can buy. Here, we have four different zucchini topping variations (from the top left, working clockwise): Grilled Zucchini with Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs, Grilled Zucchini with Herbed Butter, Grilled Zucchini with Chopped Tomato-Basil Salsa, and Sweet and Sour Zucchini. 

 

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Grilled Caesar Salad With Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Greg DuPree
Grilled Caesar Salad With Sourdough Breadcrumbs Recipe

Greek yogurt and sourdough bread lend a natural dose of probiotics to our riff on Caesar salad. Alliums such as garlic offer prebiotic fuel to help the good bugs thrive. (This is the difference between pre- and probiotic foods.)  Keep the sourdough croutons whole if you don’t want to dirty the food processor, or you can lightly crush them in a ziplock bag.

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Grilled Zucchini Caprese Stacks

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Zucchini Caprese Stacks Recipe
What a showcase for garden treasures! Tuck extra basil between layers for more flavor.

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Grilled Eggplant Planks with Creamy Lemon-Garlic Dressing

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Eggplant Planks with Creamy Lemon-Garlic Dressing Recipe

Be sure to choose smaller eggplants; they'll be easier to slice and easier to handle on the grill. 

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Grilled Vegetable Pizza with Balsamic Reduction

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst
Grilled Vegetable Pizza with Balsamic Reduction Recipe

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Grilled and Dilled Corn on the Cob

Photo: Romulo Yanes; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Grilled and Dilled Corn on the Cob Recipe

This creamy, savory topping perfectly compliments sweet corn on the cob. 

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Oaxacan-Style Grilled Corn on the Cob

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl
Oaxacan-Style Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe
One bite of this Mexican-style corn and you'll never return to run-of-the-mill corn on the cob again!
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Smoky Red Pepper Dip with Grilled Crudités

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Smoky Red Pepper Dip with Grilled Crudités Recipe
Step aside, boring crudités--enter deliciously crunchy, lightly charred fennel and broccoli paired with grilled bread and juicy tomatoes. The long, slow cook time on the grill coordinates with the cooking of the chicken; you can also take things inside and use the oven for step 3.

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Citrus-Herb Grilled Vegetables

Kate Sears
Citrus-Herb Grilled Vegetables Recipe
Marinate a medley of summer veggies—yellow squash, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, and sweet onion—in olive oil and herbs and then grill until tender.

For tips on grilling vegetables, watch our video with Chef Jamie Purviance and his Top 5 Tips for Grilling Vegetables.

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Grilled Eggplant with Moroccan Spices (Aubergines à la Marocaine)

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Grilled Eggplant with Moroccan Spices (Aubergines à la Marocaine) Recipe
You can paint slices of eggplant with olive oil and grill them over coals for this French-Moroccan salad. The only trick is to cook the eggplant over a gentle fire, so the texture is soft and creamy. Alternatively, it may be cooked on a stovetop grill, baked, or pan-fried. Be sure to let the eggplant marinate in the sauce for at least an hour.
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Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Blue Cheese Salad

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen
Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Blue Cheese Salad Recipe
Anaheim chiles give a salad of grilled peppers and onions just the right kick.

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Grilled Baby Eggplants with Green Onion Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Grilled Baby Eggplants with Green Onion Salsa Recipe
If you can't find Indian eggplant, go for small, slender Japanese eggplants instead.

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Grilled Caesar Salad

Photo: Erin Kunkel 
Grilled Caesar Salad Recipe
Romaine brushed with olive oil-anchovy paste and grilled, then topped with curls of cheese, takes Caesar salad to a whole new level.
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Grilled Vegetables in Foil Packets

Photo: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps
Grilled Vegetables in Foil Packets Recipe
We love this summer mix of Grilled Vegetables in Foil Packets. The packets keep the veggies tender during grilling—and cleanup is easy.

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Fire-Roasted Vegetable Salad

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Fire-Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe
The fresh veggies in this salad are cooked right over the campfire so they are infused with an amazing smoky flavor.

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Grilled Vidalia Onion Salad

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Grilled Vidalia Onion Salad Recipe
Juicy heirloom tomatoes and a tangy vinaigrette pair with the sugary-sweet Vidalia onion in this fast and easy Grilled Vidalia Onion Salad.
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Grilled Asparagus Rafts

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Grilled Asparagus Rafts Recipe
Pinning asparagus spears together with skewers makes them easier to flip and grill evenly on both sides, creating a delicious grilled vegetable recipe.

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Miso Grilled Vegetables

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl
Miso Grilled Vegetables Recipe
Miso-marinated veggies are topped with a squeeze of lime and mint for a summer side that's far from boring.

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Summer Vegetable Kabobs

Photo: William Dickey; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Summer Vegetable Kabobs Recipe
You can use this versatile recipe for whatever summer veggies you have on hand.
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Grilled Sweet Potato Fingers with Curry Dip

Grilled Sweet Potato Fingers with Curry Dip Recipe
Whether you serve them as a yummy appetizer or a zesty side, these potato fingers are guaranteed to be a hit with all the guests at your barbecue. Save the dip for the adults at the party–it packs a nice bite.

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Barbecued Cabbage with Santa Fe Seasonings

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Barbecued Cabbage with Santa Fe Seasonings Recipe
Illustrating grilling's versatility, this richly flavored whole head of cabbage cooks slowly over medium heat while covered.

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Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Recipe
Fill up the grilled mushroom caps with an herbed tomato-cheese mixture, then grill a few minutes more until the cheese melts. This savory dish is great for either an appetizer or a side dish for grilled beef.
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Grilled Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce

Grilled Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce Recipe
Eggplant develops a meaty flavor when charred, and it also shows those gorgeous grill marks off well. Here, it is paired with a tangy yogurt sauce as a delicious side dish.

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Grilled Zucchini-and-Summer Squash Salad

Grilled Zucchini-and-Summer Squash Salad Recipe
Make the most of the bounty of summer produce and cook summer squash on the grill. Marinate the squash and onion wedges in a mixture of orange and lime juices, olive oil, honey, and a dash of hot red pepper, then serve the veggies with a drizzle of the remaining marinade for over-the-top flavor.

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Tortelloni-and-Grilled Vegetable Salad

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Tortelloni-and-Grilled Vegetable Salad Recipe
This versatile pasta pairs with any grilled vegetable, so use what you have on hand or what looks best at the farmers' market.
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Grilled Eggplant with Caramelized Onion and Fennel

Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke
Grilled Eggplant with Caramelized Onion and Fennel Recipe
If you want an appetizer or side dish that will impress your guests, grill eggplant slices, then top them with a mixture of sweet caramelized onion and fennel, chopped tomato, fresh herbs, and crumbled goat cheese. Serve over a lightly-dressed arugula salad.