How to Grill Any Vegetable

There isn’t a way to put this lightly: You could be grilling way more of your summer vegetables. The requisite corn on the cob is just the beginning. You don’t want to miss out on the bounty of summer produce that gets even better on the grill.

Whether you need a quick refresher on how to prep and grill a specific veggie or you want to grill a bunch of veggies all at once, let this be your one-stop shop. If you’re here for the latter, this guide will provide you with strategies for cooking multiple types of vegetables at the same time, plus what to do with them after they come off the grill. Below, our ultimate guide to grilling vegetables.

The more surface area you give your vegetables for grill marks, the more flavor you’re going to get. This also makes them easier to move around the grill. Here’s how to prepare them.

• Bell peppers: Seed and quarter.
• Onions: Peel and quarter through the root.
• Yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant: Cut lengthwise into meaty, steak-like rectangles.
• Cremini mushrooms: Remove stems and halve, if large.
• Asparagus: Trim the woody ends.
• Tomatoes: Buy small tomatoes still on the vine, if you can, and keep them intact so the stem acts as a handle for moving blistered tomatoes from the grill.

To prevent sticking, brush the vegetables with oil after slicing, and make sure your grill is very clean. An everyday olive oil is your best bet for both flavor and color on the finished vegetables.

Cook time depends on the size and shape of each vegetable, but I’ll also add that most grills have hot spots that we can use to our advantage here. For example, you can place heartier vegetables that can handle high heat — like peppers and onions — near the back of the grill, where it’s often the hottest.

Grill the vegetables starting with the heartier peppers and onions first (or in the hottest area if your grill has hot spots); followed by the eggplant, squash, zucchini, mushrooms; then quick cooking asparagus; and finally, the tomatoes.

Cook without disturbing for three to four minutes on the first side to get some grill marks, then continue to cook for the following total cook times (the number below includes the three to four minutes on the first side):

• Bell peppers and onions: Eight to 10 minutes
• Yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms: Seven to eight minutes
• Asparagus, green onions, and tomatoes on the vine: Four to six minutes

Don’t be afraid to move vegetables to a different area of the grill if they aren’t cooking fast enough or are getting too brown. Tongs and a thin metal spatula like a fish spatula work well together to help you move veggies around the grill.

Grilled vegetables need little more than a sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon right after they come off the grill. If you’re so inclined, this recipe also includes an herby dressing, but you can easily swap it for your favorite pesto or chimichurri instead. Or, add a creamy dipping sauce and you’re set.

Leftover grilled vegetables can be chopped and tossed into pasta salads, added to a bowl of hummus or cooked grains for a quick dinner, or served as toppings for an at-home pizza night. Whatever your summer brings, here’s hoping it includes a lot more grilled vegetables.

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