It’s warm out, and you’re excited to gather with friends and family, but you might be wondering what to feed them with so many different dietary needs and preferences.
Don’t fret, because there are tons of grill-friendly and delicious meat replacement recipes. Here’s a list of nine of the best for your next barbecue!
Cheesy Portobello Burgers
Olive oil, garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire make the gourmet-worthy marinade for these portobello burgers served on brioche buns. The secret is grilling them bottoms down first, then flipping them and filling each mushroom cap with shredded cheddar cheese. The original recipe calls for baking them on a baking sheet, but they work equally well on the grill!
Spicy Grilled Eggplant
Use this versatile recipe as a standalone “burger,” an addition to a meat burger, or a side! You’ll slice your eggplants in ½-inch slices, brush them with olive oil, and season with a drizzle of fresh lime juice and a dash of cajun seasoning. Grill them 4-5 minutes a side and serve warm!
Black Bean Burgers
Make your own hearty black bean burgers with this recipe that works equally well in the oven or on the grill. It’s packed with protein, just like real burgers, and has the added benefits of fibre and omega-3s! Crush the black beans, then add red onion, chopped sundried tomatoes, oats, eggs, cumin, paprika, olive oil, and breadcrumbs. Grill for about 7 minutes on each side and serve on buns with avocado, arugula, and tomato slices.
Grilled Whole Cauliflower with Miso Mayo
For this flavourful, plant-based recipe, prep your cauliflower by steaming it for 5 minutes. Then brush the cauliflower with a heated mixture of butter, hot sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce. Grill for 10 minutes and brush with more sauce, continuing this process until the cauliflower is lightly charred on all sides and tender. While it cools, prep the miso mayo with mayonnaise, miso, lemon juice, and pepper, stirring until smooth.
Carrot and Sesame Burgers
These slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and vaguely Mediterranean burger replacements will be the star of the barbecue! Packed with protein and fiber, they combine chickpeas, carrots, onion, tahini paste, and cumin with a hint of lemon zest and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve on toasted buns with a mixture of lemon juice, yogurt, and tahini. Add a drizzle of chili sauce for an extra kick.
Grilled Summer Squash with Red Onion and Feta
In this vegetarian favourite, prepare your summer squash and zucchini with a savoury marinade of garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. You’ll toss the squash and zucchini with bay leaves before grilling to add a little extra flavour, but the recipe really shines when you plate it with the remaining ingredients: feta, banana peppers, and red pepper flakes. Bring everything together by drizzling with the remaining marinade.
Grilled Pizza
Want to scrap the burger idea altogether and still feel like a grill master? Make a pizza! On the grill, pizza gets a beautiful crisp crust complete with satisfying grill marks, and it’s faster than heating up a frozen pie!
The trick for a pretty grilled pizza is to press out your dough on the back of a sheet pan you’ve dusted with flour, that way, you can slide it easily onto the grill. Grill the crust by itself for a couple of minutes before flipping and layering on your sauce and toppings. Grill another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Halloumi Burgers
These halloumi burgers are like grilled cheese for grownups. But what’s extra cool is you can grill the cheese directly on the grill, and it won’t melt through the grates! Instead, the exterior gets crispy and golden while the inside goes gooey—just brush your halloumi slices with olive oil before grilling. To serve, toast brioche buns and spread with hummus, then layer with lettuce and tomato.
Tofu & Vegetable Skewers
These skewers are so full of flavour, your meat-eating friends may not believe it’s really tofu! Start by pressing all the water out of your tofu, then cut into cubes. Using a mixture of maple syrup, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, oil, garlic powder, Sriracha, and pepper, marinate the tofu for an hour (or longer!). When it’s finished, remove the tofu and use the marinade to make a delicious reduction for drizzling over the skewers when they’re done. Prepare your skewers with the tofu and chunks of pepper, onion, and zucchini (or any other veggies you love!) and grill for 3-4 minutes.
Fire up the grill and make a few extras, because meat-eaters and vegetarians will love these meatless BBQ options!
