Elevate Your BBQ Game with these Sizzling Veggie Dishes

• Searches for ‘vegetarian BBQ grill recipes’ have seen a +100% increase in the last 12 months.
• Experts at Wren Kitchen share tips on how you can make some of TikTok’s most popular vegetarian BBQ dishes.

BBQs are extremely popular in summer as they give you the chance to get together and enjoy good food with good company. With a +100% increase in searches for ‘vegetarian bbq grill recipes’ in the past 12 months, it’s important to keep a variety of veggie options.

Traditionally heavier on the meat side, we have started to see a shift in foods being grilled at BBQ’s, since there has been a rise in people opting for vegetarianism.

The experts at Wren Kitchens have revealed the 5 vegetarian recipes making rounds on TikTok, that will also make a splash during your BBQ party, alongside expert tips.

Grilled Zucchini

TikTok views: #grilledzucchini 377.9K

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
• Italian seasoning (to taste)
• Lemon juice

Cooking method:

• Preheat BBQ grill.
• Slice zucchini vertically, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning.
• Place zucchini on the grill in a single layer and cook for nine minutes, turning it partway through.

We asked top chefs for tips on how to make the most of these recipes. Kirsty Redden, Traeger’s top chef recommends ‘rubbing the zucchini with a veggie rub to enhance its flavour even more.’

Grilled Garlic Mushrooms

TikTok views: #garlicmushrooms 5.2M

Ingredients:

• 900g mushrooms
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves – very finely minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt (to taste)

Cooking method:

• Mix balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and half minced garlic. Add mushrooms and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and a pinch of salt.
• Preheat the grill and skewer mushrooms on kebab sticks. Cook for 5 minutes on each side and serve with garlic butter drizzled on top.

To perfect this recipe even further, chef proprietor at La Fosse at Cranborne, Mark Hartstone says ‘Add a large piece of garlic butter in the mushroom facing upwards so the mushroom self-bastes.’

Rum Glazed Grilled Pineapple

TikTok views: #grilledpineapple 3.4M

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple
• ¼ cup dark spiced rum
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Cooking method:

• Preheat grill.
• Peel and core pineapple, slicing it into 12 wedges.
• Heat rum in a saucepan, add sugar, and mix until dissolved.
• Place pineapple wedges onto the grill, cook for two-three minutes and turn over.
• Brush with rum syrup and cook for 10 more minutes until grill marks appear on both sides.

To make this dish unique, Mark suggests poaching the pineapple in pineapple juice with 2 tbsp muscovada sugar, pinch of pink peppercorns, 1tsp mixed spice, 1/2 tsp cardamom and two star anise.

He further explains ‘reduce the liquid till it’s a syrup, add a glass of rum near the end of the reduction and brush on the pineapple when on the grill.‘

Grilled Butter Cabbage

TikTok views: #grilledcabbage 315.3K

Ingredients:

• 1 white cabbage
• 100g salted butter
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 lime, finely zested and juiced

Cooking method:

• Preheat grill.
• Cut the cabbage into wedges, keeping the stalk intact so the leaves don’t fall while cooking.
• Place the wedges on the grill and cook for 20 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a small pan, add garlic, pepper, salt, lime zest and juice.
• Brush the mixture on each side of the cabbage wedges and close the grill lid for 15 minutes. Turn the wedges over and brush the other side and cover again.
• Serve once the cabbage is fully soft and charred.

To make the best BBQ cabbage, Mark recommends using thick wedges of a Hispi cabbage.

Tandoori Cauliflower

TikTok views: #tandooricauliflower 59.9K

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower
• ¼ cup yogurt
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4/3 tsp Himalayan pink salt  

Cooking method:

• Mix all spices together to create the tandoori marinade.
• Preheat grill.
• Cut and discard the stem at the base of the cauliflower and chop it into wings.  
• Add marinade and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Place on grill, brush with oil and cook until ready.

For this recipe, Kirsty says: ‘I would normally cut the cauliflower into steaks and marinate for 24 hours before grilling. To make the marinade, I normally mix up yogurt, olive oil, garam masala, turmeric, crushed fennel seeds, some minced garlic and grated ginger and massage it all over the cauliflower.’

Tips from chefs on how to perfect veggie dishes on the BBQ

We collaborated with various chefs for tips on how to perfect your veggie dishes for a stellar BBQ party. Here is what they have to say:

Unusual BBQ ingredients you didn’t know about

Jack Briggs-Horan, the Head Chef and co-owner at BANK says that grilling fruit and berries tend to surprise people, as does lettuce like romaine or even chicory. “Smoking ice in a bowl is an amazing way to create smoked water that can be used to flavour dishes.”

Tips for the ultimate veggie BBQ

According to Tomer Darzi, home-cook on the All About the Cooks, “sherry wood is a great choice for smoking because it produces a subtle smoke flavour that is both sweet and slightly fruity.”

How to create the iconic smoky BBQ flavour

According to Jack, the best way to create smoky BBQ flavours on dishes is to build layers of flavour with different ingredients. “For instance, if I make a dressing, I’ll smoke the garlic and char the lemon halves before juicing. Romesco is a great example of how to use fire to cook all the ingredients for a sauce to go with BBQ vegetables.”

Darren Watts, Showroom Development and Design Director at Wren Kitchens says: “With the summer season upon us, BBQ parties are the perfect way to get together with your loved ones and enjoy some delicious smoky food.

“Cut your vegetables beforehand in the kitchen, but make sure to use a chopping board to avoid damaging your worktop. It’s also best to use containers to store the different vegetables and garnishes to ensure the flavours don’t mix with each other.”