Add More Thrill to Your Grill: It's Produce for the Win

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Add More Thrill to Your Grill

It's Produce for the Win

Contributed by Sue Moores, M.S., R.D., Kowalski's Nutritionist.

Grilled vegetables served on a wooden picnic table next to a dish of Greek olives for appetizers

Scootch over, meat! Fruits and vegetables are ready, willing and able to share some grate space.

Produce takes on a whole new personality when it hits the grill. It develops a smoky, sweet depth that adds a healthful lift to your meal plan. The grill's high heat crisps the surface while caramelizing the natural sugars, transforming fruits and vegetables in ways that other cooking methods simply can't.

There are more wins, too. Most of us – about 85% – fall short of eating the recommended daily amount of produce: 2 cups of fruits and 2 ½ cups of vegetables per day. For many people, a common barrier is not knowing how to prepare our plant pals or being skittish about how they might taste. Grilling is an easy, flavorful way to help fill the gaps. Even vegetables with bitter notes, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, become magically delicious on the grill. Plus, grilling is often faster than roasting or steaming, and those shorter cooking times may help preserve produce's prized nutrient content.

Most fruits and vegetables are good candidates for the grill. Firmer picks, such as asparagus, zucchini, pineapple, stone fruit and bananas, can be placed directly on the grill grates. Softer varieties and smaller produce, such as cherry tomatoes, green beans and grapes, can be cooked in a grill basket, wrapped in foil packets or threaded onto skewers to keep them from falling into the coals or flames.

Woman grilling vegetables on a grill, holding tongs and a plate of grilled asparagus

Tips for Grilling Produce

Clean the grill grates and brush them with oil before cooking to reduce sticking and tearing. You can also brush oil onto the surface of fruits and vegetables or toss them in a bowl with a light drizzle of oil. That oil will also improve the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients in produce, such as vitamins A, E and K.
Keep skins on softer produce to help them retain their shape.
For beautiful grill marks, start by searing fruits and vegetables cut-side down on the hottest part of the grill. Finish grilling over indirect medium heat, avoiding direct flames.
Click here for more tips on grilling veggies, from tried-and-true favorites to a few unexpected picks.

Featured Recipes

Though I'm no grill guru, I have a couple produce tricks up my sleeve. Here are a few suggestions – including two of my favorite recipes – that should woo you onto the produce train.