Advice On Grilling Vegetables To Make Your BBQ A Success!

Our tips for grilling vegetables means that non-meat eaters can now also enjoy the fun of summer barbeques! Grilling vegetables brings out the natural sugars in them, making them a delectably sweet and scrummy side dish or main meal. In fact, veggies done on the grill taste so great you may well find even the most devoted carnivores trying to get in on the act too!

If you've never grilled vegetables before, don't worry. It's actually really easy and our helpful advice below will talk you through the process step by step.

We'll show you how to select and prepare your vegetables for grilling, as well as sharing some top tips on how to achieve a mouth-watering chargrilled taste without cremating them!

1. Choose Vegetables With A High Water Content

The best vegetables for grilling tend to be those that have a higher water content.

Specific types that lend themselves well to this method of cooking include asparagus, bell peppers, button mushrooms, celery, cherry tomatoes, eggplant (aubergine), okra, onions, radicchio, summer squash and zucchini (courgette).

Corn on the cob is also particularly tasty when grilled, although you may need to soak the cobs in cold water for up to an hour before grilling.

Avoid denser vegetables such as beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and swede. Leafy veg are also generally unsuitable for grilling.

A top tip when grilling vegetables is to cut them into even-sized pieces, ideally no more than 1 inch thick. This will ensure that they cook quickly and evenly. You'll be waiting all day if you simply lob a whole eggplant onto your grill! :)

Also, it goes without saying but always make sure that you give your veggies a quick wash before preparing them to remove any surface dirt and unsavory bacteria.

3. Marinade Before Grilling

To stop your vegetables from sticking to the grill or drying out, you should baste them in some marinade for approximately 15 minutes before cooking them. But don't be tempted to soak them for longer than this as you may over-saturate the vegetables.

Marinades for grilled vegetables are really simple to make and can also be made a day ahead and stored covered in the fridge to save you time.

They tend to consist of either oils - such as olive, hazelnut, sesame or walnut oil - or vinegars - such as balsamic, red wine or sherry vinegar. You could also try using some fresh lemon or lime juice.

Add in your preferred choice of herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. And a little crushed garlic, sea salt and cracked black pepper are also good additions for a tasty marinade.

Instead of liquid marinades, you could alternatively try using a seasoned butter. Simply take some softened unsalted butter and add in your choice of seasoning, for example cayenne pepper, paprika or chili powder.

Experiment with different flavor combinations and go with what you love.

4. Choose Your Preferred Method Of Grilling

Once your veggies have been washed, prepped and marinated it's time to get grilling! But grilling vegetables can actually involve several different ways of cooking them.

Firstly, you can place them directly on the grill grid. This works best for larger pieces of vegetables - smaller ones may fall through into the flames.

Instead, smaller vegetables are best threaded onto skewers. If you're using metal skewers make sure these are clean and have been lightly oiled. If you prefer to use wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before threading and grilling to stop them catching fire.

A third method of grilling vegetables, which is also particularly good for smaller pieces, is to use a vegetable basket. An added advantage of these is that it is only the basket that you need to turn, as opposed to lots of individual pieces of veggies.

Lastly, you could also try using aluminum foil pouches when grilling vegetables, but do bear in mind that these won't allow your vegetables to char. So stick with one of the other methods if you prefer a chargrilled effect.

5. Baste Your Vegetables While They're Cooking

To keep your vegetables from drying out - and to avoid cremating them! - it's important to baste them at regular intervals as they're cooking.

Keep a bowl of marinade and basting brush close to hand and that way you'll be able to turn them over and re-baste as required.

Also please remember that vegetables really don't take long to grill - most take an average of 5 minutes or so. So please do keep a close eye on your grill at all times and don't be tempted to wander off for a cold beer or a little chat with your buddies!

6. How To Tell When Your Vegetables Are Ready

As mentioned above, grilling vegetables is a fairly quick way of cooking them.

Your veggies are ready to eat when the skin has begun to blister and the middles are soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.

7. Clever Uses For Leftover Grilled Vegetables

Although they make a delicious dish in their own right, there are also several different ways to use up grilled vegetables - in the unlikely event that you have any leftover that is!

For example, you could use them as a filling for vegetable lasagna or as a tasty pizza topping. Or why not try adding them to pita breads or flat breads for a yummy lunchtime treat.

Alternatively, you could warm them through in a pot with some vegetable stock and fresh basil leaves and then blend in a food processor to create a wholesome Mediterranean grilled vegetable soup.

As you can see, grilling vegetables is really easy and means bbq's are no longer just about stodgy hamburgers and greasy sausages! In fact, you don't even need to wait until summer's here to enjoy grilled veg - a cast iron grill pan on top of your stove works just as well and allows you to enjoy these nutritious goodies all year round!

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