Weโre walking you through grilling a big batch of vegetables for an easy, efficient way to stock up on ready-to-go veggies for the week.
Grilled Vegetables
Grilling your veggies in a big batch is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to keep your fridge fully stocked with ready-to-enjoy veggies throughout the week. The entire process (including preheating the grill and chopping the veggies) takes about 30 minutes, and cooking on the grill means that the kitchen stays cool and clean.
Best Veggies to Grill
You can grill such a variety of veggies. Larger veggies (that arenโt at risk of falling through the grates) can be placed directly on the grill grates, and smaller veggies can be placed in a cast iron skillet on the grill. Some really great options include:
- Whole corn
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Onions
- Bell peppers
- Cherry tomatoes (use cast iron skillet)
- Green beans (use cast iron skillet)
- Asparagus (use cast iron skillet)
Ingredients for Grilled Vegetables
Hereโs the deal: you do NOT have to grill as many veggies as this recipe calls for! Grilling a big batch of veggies (Cook Once-style) really helps to have leftover veggies ready to be enjoyed throughout the week, but if youโre afraid that you wonโt be able to eat them all, cut the amounts in half or completely omit any veggies that just donโt sound really yummy to you. Hereโs what we grilled:
- Ears of Corn – to start, youโll need to grab 4 ears of corn. Once youโre home, go ahead and remove the silk (the stringy part), but keep the husks (the green part) on.
- Zucchini – youโll also want to grab 2 zucchini from the store. For smaller zucchini, just cut in half lengthwise, and for larger zucchini, cut lengthwise into about 1-inch thick strips. If your zucchini strips are too thin, they may fall through the grill grates!
- Eggplant – if youโre planning to grill eggplant (one of Cassyโs very favorite veggies to grill!), go ahead and pick up 1 eggplant from the store also. To prepare, cut the eggplant into ยฝ-inch thick rounds.
- Bell Peppers – bell peppers are such a great thing to grill because once cooked, they are so versatile! We grabbed 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper, and then de-seeded both and cut them into 2-inch chunks.
- Red Onions – onions are a great addition to your grilled veggie spread! We grabbed 2 red onions, and cut them in half (feel free to cut into quarters if your onions are particularly large) with the root intact so they donโt fall apart.
- Peaches – if you’re already throwing a bunch of veggies on the grill, you may as well grill a couple of halved peaches. They’re great for eating as-is or using in a grilled salsa! We grilled 2 peaches here.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – all of the above veggies (besides the corn) get a good coating of olive oil before going on the grill. Donโt worry too much about the exact amount (itโs more important that everything is well coated), but in total, youโll likely need about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
- Coarse Sea Salt – 1ยฝ teaspoons coarse sea salt will be sprinkled over the zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and red onions too.
- Ghee – 1 tablespoon ghee will go into a cast iron skillet on the grill to cook our cherry tomatoes.
- Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint of cherry tomatoes blister in the ghee-coated cast iron skillet — yum!
- Cracked Black Pepper – once the veggies are done grilling, add a little bit of cracked black pepper over them.
Tips and Tricks for Grilling Vegetables
A few things to keep in mind when it comes to batch grilling veggies:
- Swap the veggies – feel free to swap out veggies you donโt love and throw in veggies that you do love! Just be sure to pick sturdier, larger veggies (halved zucchini vs. green beans) to place directly on the grill grates. Youโll also want to keep a close eye on any veggies that you add to this recipe in case they cook quicker than the others.
- Use a cast iron skillet – donโt count small veggies out! Instead, place your smaller veggies (like cherry tomatoes, green beans, and small mushrooms) in a ghee coated cast iron skillet on the grill.
- Grill fruit – yโall. Grilled fruit is so, so good. In addition to peaches, mangoes, plums, and pineapple strips are all delicious on the grill. The natural sugar in the fruit will start to caramelize on the outside just slightly, and the result is insanely delicious. This is an especially favorite trick of mine when I have underripe fruits in the house. A handful of too-firm peaches are actually great candidates for the grill! The heat will soften the texture and deepen the flavors.
Do the vegetables need to marinate?
They donโt! None of the veggies used in this recipe are marinated, though Cassy loves marinating the eggplant rounds in balsamic vinegar for 10-15 minutes before popping them on the grill.
How to Grill Vegetables
Hereโs how youโll pull off this big batch veggie grill:
- Preheat the grill – to start, go ahead and preheat the grill to medium-high heat and place a cast-iron skillet in one corner of the grill.
- Oil and salt the veggies + put them on the grill – toss the zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, and peaches with the olive oil, then salt everything but the peaches. Place all of the oiled veggies directly on the grill along with the corn.
- Put the ghee + tomatoes in the cast iron skillet – add the ghee to the cast iron skillet along with the cherry tomatoes and toss to coat.
- Close the grill + cook – once all of your veggies are situated on the grill, go ahead and close the grill lid and cook everything for 8 minutes, until the side directly on the grill is charred, then flip and cook the veggies for an additional 7 minutes, until charred and softened.
- Sprinkle cracked pepper + serve – remove the veggies from the grill, sprinkle them with cracked black pepper, and serve!
How do the cook times differ for various veggies on the grill?
For the veggies listed and prepared as directed above (none of which are particularly delicate), the time wonโt differ much at all — about 15 minutes total should be good for everything. If you notice a specific veggie looking particularly charred when you flip everything over, be sure to keep an eye on that, and consider taking that one off a few minutes earlier, but otherwise, the times listed above (8 minutes on one side, 7 on the other) should work great.
Can grilled vegetables be done in the oven?
You can definitely roast your veggies in the oven — the result wonโt be exactly the same as grilled veggies (the char and extra flavor from that will be lacking), but roasting a bunch of veggies on a sheet pan is a really great, delicious route to go also. If you are using the oven, know that the amount of time will be significantly longer, and if youโre looking for some nice browned bits, you may try broiling everything for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
What to serve with grilled vegetables?
These grilled veggies can be served as-is alongside a protein and starchy side. They can also be chopped up and used in roasted salsas, and the bell peppers and onions would be delicious in a fajita-style meal.
How to store grilled vegetables?
Once your veggies are completely cool (refrigerating hot veggies in an airtight container can result in soggy veggies!), pop them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.
How to reheat grilled vegetables?
Reheat your veggies in the microwave, on a sheet pan in the oven, or in a skillet on the stovetop!
Grilled Vegetables Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn husks on but silk removed
- 2 zucchini cut lengthwise into ยฝ to 1-inch thick strips
- 1 eggplant cut into ยฝ-inch thick rounds
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 red onions cut in half or in quarters, with the root intact
- 2 peaches halved (optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1ยฝ teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Cracked black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and place a cast-iron skillet in one corner of the grill.
- Toss the zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, and peaches with the olive oil, and sprinkle everything but the peaches with salt, then place directly on the grill along with the corn.
- Add the ghee to the cast iron skillet along with the cherry tomatoes and toss to coat.
- Close the grill lid and cook for 8 minutes, until the side directly on the grill is charred, then flip and cook the veggies for an additional 7 minutes, until charred and softened. Remove from the grill and sprinkle with cracked black pepper, then serve!