Grilled Vegetables (Recipe: Balsamic Grilled Carrots)

Written by Megan of Stetted.

Things are really heating up around here – literally. We’ve had more than a dozen days of 100-degree-plus temperatures, and summer only started on Tuesday. In a way, this makes grilling sound more appealing. After all, what’s a little bit of fire when you’re already baking?

However, the grill doesn’t have to be all about meat. While corn on the cob is undoubtedly the side dish of the season, try exploring the rest of summer’s bounty over the flame. Cherry tomato skewers, planks of summer squash, and thick slices of eggplant will liven up any cookout and provide many more nutrients than that bag of potato chips.

I used to hesitate about grilling vegetables out of concern they would slip into the fire. Foil packets are an easy solution, but I find they don’t impart that particular grill flavor we celebrate.

Luckily, in the past few years specialized grill tools have flooded the market, making it simple to grill pizza, jalapeno poppers, dice-cut vegetables, and more. We have a simple basket that can hold enough vegetables for a dinner party and cleans up in a snap.

Grilled Vegetable Tips

  • Use vegetables of equal size (or cut as needed) to ensure equal cooking times.
  • Make sure to brush oil or butter on the vegetables to keep them from sticking to the grill.
  • Keep an eye on the grill if you’re unsure of cooking times. Vegetables should be tender when pierced, but not fall apart.
  • If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water before using to prevent scorching.
  • To speed up cooking time, blanch vegetables before grilling.
  • Keeping the grill cover closed will help prevent charring.



All photos by Megan

Recipe: Grilled Balsamic Rosemary Carrots

My friend Jen has an amazing garden that keeps producing even in the heat. Recently she told us about grilling carrots, and I knew I had to try it for myself. Jen used red wine vinegar, dill, and thyme, but I decided to go with my favorite combination.

Practically any combination of butter and spice or herb would be great with these carrots – as you roast them over the fire, they just get sweeter.

ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

method:

  1. Heat grill to a medium flame.
  2. Wash carrots and peel, if desired. If your carrots have the fronds still attached, trim to about half an inch, and you’ll have a built-in handle to eat with later.
  3. Whisk together butter, vinegar, and rosemary. Arrange carrots on the grill (or in grill basket) and brush butter mixture over the carrots.
  4. Grill for approximately 20 minutes, turning halfway through and applying more of the butter mixture.
  5. When done, pile into a serving plate and brush on the remaining butter mixture.

What’s your favorite vegetable to grill?

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31 Comments

  1. I love mushrooms! They absorb flavors of marinades unlike other veggies though, so I treat them to a soak before grilling.

  2. Yum these look and sound delicious and are a really healthy side dish for sure. Pizza on the grill? that’s something i’ve never thought about but my husband is going to love it, thanks for the idea

  3. This is awesome, thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be glad if I can get my family to forget that chips exist, especially when we grill hamburgers.

  4. Zucchini and colourful sweet peppers are favourites here! Mushrooms too, esp if you stuff them. My husband made delectable stuffed mushroom caps the other day by chopping the stems of the mushrooms and mixing with chopped olives, shredded cheese and garlic. Yum!

    We wrap tin foil around the bottom of our basket to prevent flare-ups with butter/oil.

  5. Love this idea, and though I absolutely love summer corn, sometimes a mix up is needed. Thanks for the idea, now I just need to go get one of those very handylooking baskets!

  6. This sounds so insanely delicious, I’ve never thought of grilling carrots. I bet it would work great on a smoker too!

  7. You wouldn’t believe how delicious grilled asparagus is! All we do is coat them in olive oil and some kosher or sea salt and stick them on the grill. Cook on medium-high heat, turning frequently until the tips are crispy. My wife says, “For a vegetarian, it’s like a big, fat steak!”

  8. Thanks for sharing! I will be trying these soon. We’ve been enjoying grilled asparagus brushed with fresh garlic butter. I brush everything with garlic butter in the grill. Blanched broccoli is especially wonderful done this way.

  9. Ooooh, hard to pick just one…
    I really like to get a bunch of different things, toss all with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, and throw them all on the grill.
    Asparagus spears, portobello mushroom caps (cut into strips when finished), hunks of bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, big pieces of onion- all good!

  10. Pingback: Must Try Carrot Recipes | taste station blog
  11. Sweet Corn has been my long time favorite veggie to grill… More especially if I put a little butter on it. Hmmm, yummy!

  12. I agree with Juliana–sweet corn is a favorite of mine. I do it as often as I can during the summer. I usually smear butter, sprinkle salt and pepper and wrap in foil, but I’ve soaked the whole ear of corn, including husks in water and then roasted over the grill. Either way, it gives a whole new flavor to the corn.

  13. I love t grill Belgian Endive. Cut ’em in half, brush with a little olive oil, and salt them. Grill and drizzle with a little balsamic. Sweet and bitter and salty. Yum.

  14. Grilled these tonite and they turned out delicious. Also grilled endive (used some of your seasoning on them) and rutabaga and all three turned out wonderful.

  15. my family and i cannot get enough grilled corn on the cob , got this trick from my grandfather he corn in the husk soak in salt water for a few hours i usually soak mine over night then throw on the grill when the outer husks start to char and flake away the corn is done ….mmmm;…mmmm.. after cooking corn this way ….boiled corn is a distant memory

  16. We made this tonight, since we were grilling chicken anyway. So yummy! Three of us plowed through a pound of carrots quickly! Will definitely make again!