Vegetarian Main Course Recipes You'll Want to Grill All Summer Long

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Updated on June 15, 2022

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grilled vegetarian stuffed peppers — Photo: Armando Rafael

Gone are the days when cookouts strictly meant grilled mains of burgers, steaks, hotdogs, and other meaty delights. Our collection of grilled vegetarian main course recipes will inspire you how to make a delicious summer meal on the grill with vegetables and other plant-based ingredients.

The selection of recipes includes some vegetarian-friendly takes on barbecue favorites. Consider the burger, for example. You can make a hearty patty out of protein- packed beans, including back beans, chickpeas, red beans, and more. Or use a vegetable with a meaty texture like portobello mushrooms as a patty, instead.

With vegetables the star of the show, you're guaranteed bright, colorful meals this summer. Look out for vegetables that are in their peak season like tomatoes, corn, eggplants, bell peppers, and zucchini. Once you get your farmers' market haul home, consult this list of recipes for ideas on how to transform these seasonal ingredients into delicious grilled vegetarian mains.

Whether you're planning a big cookout or a simple weeknight dinner, these char-grilled mains are vegetable-forward and absolutely delicious.

01 of 19

Whole Grilled Eggplant with Rice Pilaf

whole grilled eggplant with rice pilaf — Christopher Testani

Look to grilled vegetables as your main instead of slicing and relegating them to the realm of side dishes. This recipe does this deliciously. Flash cooking the eggplant gives its skin a nice char while the flesh becomes rich and creamy under the heat. Slice it open and pile it high with the accompanying three-ingredient tahini sauce.

02 of 19

Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan

grilled-eggplant parmesan — Sidney Bensimon

Take this Italian-American favorite outdoors. By grilling the eggplant rather than breading and frying it, you can taste the true beauty of the aubergine—it makes for a satisfying but less heavy entrée.

03 of 19

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Rice and Peas

grilled sweet potatoes with rice and peas — Yuki Sugiura

Skip roasting sweet potatoes in the oven this summer and grill the tuber instead. Once the sweet potatoes are lightly charred and the center is fork tender, serve them with a side of rice and peas for a complete meal.

04 of 19

Grilled-Halloumi-and-Vegetable Wraps

grilled-halloumi-and-veggie wraps — Paola + Murray

This grilled vegetarian main comes together deliciously in just 30 minutes. Tangy halloumi cheese is grilled directly over the grates alongside bell peppers, zucchini, and radicchio. The ingredients are then piled into a warm tortillas.

05 of 19

Tomato and Basil Pizza

Grill rounds of homemade pizza dough until lightly charred before adding toppings. Use our recipe for tomato sauce or go with your favorite store-bought variety, Top with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves and cook until the cheese melts.

06 of 19

Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

grilled vegetarian stuffed peppers — Armando Rafael

Love stuffed peppers but don't feel like turning on the oven? Pop them on the grill! After the peppers are grilled, they're stuffed with couscous, fresh mint, and feta, and cooked on the grill—in a skillet.

07 of 19

Mushroom Tacos with Charred-Corn Salsa

mushroom tacos with charred corn salsa — Chris Simpson

The meaty texture of mushrooms makes them an excellent taco filling. Here, portobellos are brushed with a mixture of lime juice and chipotle sauce and grilled until charred. Then piled onto tortillas alongside grilled corn and topped with a homemade sour cream mixture and cilantro.

08 of 19

Summer-Veggie Melts with Caper Sauce

Summer-Veggie Melts with Caper Sauce — Con Poulos

These sandwiches are as stunning as they are delicious. A blend of colorful vegetables—bell peppers, onion, and broccolini—are grilled and stuffed into a baguette that's also flame-kissed until the crust has a nice crunch. Melted provolone cheese binds the ingredients together while our basil-caper aioli provides a nice finishing touch of added flavor.

09 of 19

West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Plenty of vegetables here! Store-bought pizza dough is grilled and then topped with tomatoes, scallions, and goat cheese. Dress fresh spinach and diced avocado with red-wine vinegar and olive oil, and pile onto the pizzas just before serving.

10 of 19

Tofu Kebabs with Cilantro Sauce

Marinate tofu cubes and scallions in a zesty purée of cilantro, jalapeño, ginger, and lime juice before threading onto skewers. Grill alongside summer squash kebabs and serve with the leftover marinade for dipping.

11 of 19

Double-Portobello Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes

andrew parcell

Portobello mushrooms are cooked until tender, then broiled for a few minutes to make them deliciously caramelized. Layer two mushrooms with sharp provolone cheese on each bun and top with garlicky roasted tomatoes.

12 of 19

Grilled Vegetables and White-Bean Fattoush

Grilled Vegetables and White-Bean Fattoush — Con Poulos

Our take on fattoush salad tops a bed of escarole with grilled peppers and onions. The dish is enhanced by briny feta and cannellini beans coated with your choice of herbs—we like to use parsley, dill, and cilantro. Pita chips and a drizzle of red-wine vinaigrette are the perfect finishing touches.

13 of 19

Grilled-Vegetable Tostadas

Grill zucchini, portobello mushrooms, and scallions to top these colorful tostadas. Brush flour tortillas with olive oil and brown them on the grill before topping with feta cheese and fresh salsa.

14 of 19

Grilled Vegetables and Halloumi Cheese with Charred-Tomato Dressing

Jonathan Lovekin

Radicchio's assertive and somewhat spicy flavor is mellowed when it's flash-cooked on a hot grill. It's paired with other grilled ingredients, mushrooms, summer squash, and halloumi cheese . Finish the dish with a sweet-tart dressing that's made with grilled tomatoes.

15 of 19

Black-Bean and Brown-Rice Cakes

Purée canned black beans with scallions, jalapeño, and cumin, then mix with cooked brown rice to make these hearty patties. Serve them on a bun as vegetarian burgers accompanied by our cilantro-lime yogurt sauce.

16 of 19

Grilled Pizzas with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Asparagus and scallions drizzled with sun-dried tomato oil make a quick and delicious topping for pizza when grilled until they are caramelized and tender. Also grill ovals of store-bought pizza dough before topping each one with ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and the vegetables.

17 of 19

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

A perfect grab-and-go dish for your next cookout, tortillas are filled with black beans, chopped tomato, corn, scallions, goat cheese, and cooked on the grill until lightly charred.

18 of 19

Balsamic Portobello Burgers with Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese

Portobello mushrooms, a favorite vegetarian burger stand-in, are marinated and grilled along with red bell peppers in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic. Serve both grilled vegetables on buns with tangy goat cheese and fresh lettuce leaves.

19 of 19

Grilled Pizza with Fontina and Arugula

Store-bought pizza dough is a great shortcut for making this easy, sophisticated grilled vegetarian pizza. Leave it on the grates until the fontina cheese melts, then scatter baby arugula over the top and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.

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