18 Grilled Side Dishes to Make All Summer Long
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
Dek: Fire up the grill this summer and make these tasty side dishes! Packed with delicious flavor, these salads and veggie sides make a great addition to any main meal. Try options like our Grilled Cabbage and Jerk Corn on the Cob for a summery grilled meal perfect for any occasion.
Grilled Cabbage
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
Cabbage becomes deeply flavorful when it hits the hot grill. Once the outer leaves turn crispy and caramelized, move the cabbage to the cooler side of the grill for the tender-crisp center to finish cooking. This fuss-free side, topped with a flavorful compound butter, makes a perfect match for grilled meats, chicken or seafood.
Summer Grilled Vegetables
Colorful grilled summer vegetables are served with a light and refreshing sauce in this easy side dish that pairs perfectly with just about everything.
Jerk Corn on the Cob
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
Sweet corn is coated in a jerk-inspired sauce that combines the lively heat of traditional jerk chiles and spices with the sweetness and smokiness of grilled corn. Any extra sauce that doesn’t nestle between the kernels is equally delicious slathered over grilled meat, seafood and vegetables.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Panzanella
This grilled vegetable salad is filled with summer zucchini and eggplant that are marinated in an herby dressing. Crusty country-style bread helps soak up the flavors. The optional feta cheese adds a briny finishing note. To keep sodium in check, reduce the amount of salt in the salad if you opt to use the feta.
Grilled Corn Salad with Chili-Miso Dressing
Serve this salad with grilled steak, chicken or firm white fish like halibut. You can also double the recipe and bring it to your next potluck. If you can find tatsoi, a peppery Asian leafy green, use it instead of mild-mannered spinach. Store-bought Thai sweet chili sauce and umami-packed white miso build fast flavor in this easy summer salad.
Grilled Asparagus
Grilling is a simple and fast way to cook asparagus that yields a delicious result every time. Trimming off about one inch of the asparagus yields the best flavor--the ends are tough and hard to chew.
Blistered Corn Salad with Charred Scallions, Okra & Feta
This corn and okra salad gets loads of flavor from the grill. If okra isn't your jam, you could slice a large zucchini into planks to grill, then chop and stir into the salad. Grill some chicken thighs or tofu steaks to serve alongside.
Marinated Charred Green Beans
Grilling green beans before tossing them in the marinade softens them up, helping them to absorb more of the flavor. Serve them as is or toss into a green salad.
Grilled Artichokes
Learn how to grill artichokes with this healthy recipe. Artichokes are most often served steamed, but grilling them adds a smoky dimension to their flavor. If you can get them, first-of-the-season baby artichokes will yield extra-tender results—double the number of artichokes and reduce the cooking time as needed.
Grilled Vegetables In Foil
Grilled vegetables in foil is a great recipe to have on hand when camping or cooking over an open fire, but it's also nice on your backyard gas grill too. Here, we cook asparagus, mini peppers and zucchini together with a hint of garlic and butter. Delicious!
Grilled Watermelon
Grilling watermelon brings out its natural sweetness that's complemented by adding some simple sweet or savory toppings. Try this easy grilled watermelon recipe for a fun and festive summer appetizer or dessert.
Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges with Peanut Sauce
Yes, you should grill sweet potatoes. And definitely serve these curried potato wedges with this coconut and peanut butter dip spiked with chili-garlic sauce.
Grilled Peach & Onion Arugula Salad
Tarragon is the star of this dish, adding earthy notes to the sweet peaches in this easy summer salad. Leaving the peel on the peaches helps keep them together on the grill and adds a boost of fiber to the dish. Nectarines make a great substitute for the peaches.
Marinated & Grilled Zucchini Planks
These zucchini planks absorb the zesty marinade, then hit the grill for a smoky finish. Fresh herbs and briny feta cheese balance the flavor. This versatile side dish pairs well with grilled chicken, steak or fish.
Grilled Snap Peas with Chile-Miso Butter
Miso, chile-garlic sauce and vinegar lend serious savory flavor to the compound butter used to coat the charred peas.
Grilled Summer Squash, Onions and Tomatoes
Enjoy the freshest summer vegetables hot off the grill, flavored with herbs and a hint of garlic.
Grilled Balsamic Mushrooms
Will Dickey
The balsamic flavor shines through in these simple grilled mushrooms. Thyme and basil add brightness to the marinade. If your mushrooms are of differing sizes, halve or quarter them so they are all roughly the same size to cook evenly.
Grilled Eggplant & Summer Squash Salad
The homemade balsamic reduction is the key to this healthy grilled eggplant and summer squash salad. It's easy to make but watch the vinegar as it reduces; it can burn easily. If you have any left over, drizzle it on strawberries.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
