Grilled Vegetable Guide
Grilled Vegetable Guide
© Chef Laura Bonicelli
A reference for getting any vegetable off the grill at its best, paired with a bright lemon-garlic marinade that does its work after the grilling, not before. Sturdy vegetables get a head start in the microwave so they cook through without scorching; tender vegetables go straight on the grill. Tossing in the marinade after grilling lets the vegetables drink it in while they’re still warm and porous, which is when flavor really sinks in.
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
—
Total Time
45 min
Servings
4 4-6
Ingredients
marinade
- 1/2 cupextra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 3 tablespoonsfresh lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 cupchopped fresh basil leaves (or herb of your choice)
for grilling
- extra-virgin olive oil (for brushing)
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon or lime juice, and herbs in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 2
Pre-cook the sturdier vegetables in the microwave so they grill evenly without scorching:
- 3
Potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes — microwave 5 to , until a knife slides through easily; cut into ½-inch slices or cubes.
- 4
Whole or chunked carrots — microwave , until a knife slides through easily.
- 5
Cauliflower or broccoli florets — microwave ; they will still be fairly firm.
- 6
Beets — microwave 5 to , until a knife slides through easily; cut into ½-inch slices or cubes.
- 7
Corn on the cob (in husk) — microwave .
- 8
Eggplant — salt and let sit for before grilling.
- 9
All other vegetables — cut into grilling-size pieces; no pre-cooking needed.
- 10
Brush all vegetables lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- 11
Heat the grill to medium-high. Working in a single layer on a grill pan or in a grill basket, grill the vegetables for 3 to on the first side, then flip and continue grilling until they reach the total time below:
- 12
Peppers, onions, cauliflower, broccoli — 8 to total.
- 13
Eggplant, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, beets, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots — 7 to total.
- 14
Corn on the cob — 5 to total.
- 15
Asparagus, romaine, green onions, beans, peas, tomatoes — 4 to total.
- 16
Toss the grilled vegetables with the marinade while they are still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef's Notes
The order of operations matters here. Marinating before the grill sounds intuitive, but oil drips and flares, garlic burns, and the vegetables end up tasting harsh. Tossing with the marinade after the grill lets the warm, slightly steamy vegetables absorb the oil, lemon, and garlic without any of it touching the fire. Group vegetables by total grilling time so everything finishes together. If you’re cooking a mixed plate, start the longer-cooking vegetables first and add the quicker ones as you go. A grill basket is worth owning if you grill often — it keeps small pieces from falling through the grates and makes flipping a whole batch easy. Basil is the default herb here, but parsley, mint, cilantro, and oregano all work — match the herb to whatever you’re serving the vegetables with. A mix of two herbs (parsley and mint, basil and oregano) is often better than one. The grilled vegetables keep well, with or without the marinade. Refrigerate up to 4 days and use them in grain bowls, wraps, pasta, frittatas, or alongside grilled proteins. If you’re making them ahead specifically for later use, hold the marinade and toss just before serving so the herbs stay bright. [CALLOUT — TECHNIQUE: Why marinate after, not before] Marinades have two jobs: to flavor and to tenderize. On the grill, tender vegetables don’t need tenderizing — they need protection from the heat and a good char on the outside. Oil-based marinades sabotage that goal. The oil drips through the grates, flares up, and coats the vegetables in a layer of scorched garlic and burned herbs. The acid does nothing useful in the few minutes the vegetables are on the grill. By inverting the order — grill clean, marinade after — you get the char and the flavor. The warm vegetables open up their cells slightly as they cool, drawing in the oil and acid the way a sponge takes up water. Same ingredients, different timing, dramatically better result.