Meatless Grilling Recipes That Are So Right for Summer

By Kelly Vaughan

Enjoy a fabulous vegetarian cookout with smoky grilled vegetables, hearty grain burgers, grilled pizza, tofu kebabs, and lots more.

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Long gone are the days when "cookout" merely meant a grill full of hot dogs and burgers. Vegetables steal the spotlight in these savory, satisfying meatless recipes. Cooking a vegetarian doesn't mean that your dinner will lack flavor or substance. These recipes for vegetarian burgers, grilled pizzas, stuffed vegetables, grilled vegetables, and more will satsify and delight your family and guests, too.

A meat-free recipe we love for summer is grilled pizza. Whether you top yours with a mix of veggies and cheese—like asparagus, tomato, and fontina cheese—or prefer to make a classic combination like tomato and basil, everyone will go crazy for these charred on the outside, pillow-y on the inside pies. The best part is you can grill up a bunch of pizza and build a DIY toppings bar so vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters can all garnish their meals with their favorite toppings.

Some of our favorite meatless sides from the grill are guaranteed crowd-pleasers: Grilled garlic bread with herb butter is savory and smoky in a totally irresistible way. The charred bread stays crispy and holds up to the oozing, melted garlic butter that seeps through every nook and cranny. An unexpected combination is grilled peas with toasted coconut. They are snackable just like edamame, which means they'll be gone before you know it (make a double batch just to be safe!).

Whether you're hosting a big backyard barbecue or just want a healthy weeknight dinner with plenty of flavor, these meatless grilling recipes deliver. There's a ton of inspiration here for the long summer nights ahead, so get cooking!

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Grilled Pizza with Cheesy Corn, Fresh Tomatoes, and Basil

Andrew Purcell

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A sweet and savory purée of corn, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil stands in for tomato sauce on this vegetarian pizza.

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Grilled Peas with Toasted Coconut

Armando Rafael

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The combination of sweet coconut with the vegetal flavor of English peas is a winning summer combination. Place these out as an appetizer or serve them as a side—either way they're sure to go fast.

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Tofu Kebabs with Cilantro Sauce

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

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Grilled-Asparagus, Tomato, and Fontina Pizzette

Paola + Murray

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Classic pizza dough is the base for this grilled vegetarian delight. The crust gets extra crispy thanks to the high heat and smoke, and the vegetables take on some of that same smoky flavor that lets us taste summer.

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Grilled Corn with Chile-Lime Salt

Lauren Ross

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A great make-ahead recipe for a crowd. Prepare the corn in advance so when party time rolls around, all you have to do is grill it for 15 minutes and top with the irresistible combination of butter, chile-lime salt, jalapeños, and cilantro.

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Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan

Sidney Bensimon

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A healthier twist on eggplant parmesan, this version skips the breading and deep-frying and instead opts for grilling. It's delicious on a charcoal or wood fired grill for an extra smoky flavor, but you can prepare this in a grill pan year-round.

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Grilled Garlic Bread with Herb Butter

Lauren Ross

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This grilled garlic bread is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. The key is using a hearty ciabatta or French bread that can stand up to the heat and butter without getting soggy or too crispy.

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Balsamic Portobello Burgers with Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese

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Portobello mushrooms, a favorite take on the vegetarian burger, are marinated along with red bell peppers in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic. Serve on toasted buns with fresh goat cheese and lettuce.

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Grilled Vegetable Tostadas

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Top flour tortillas with grilled zucchini, portobello mushrooms, and scallions—grilling makes these vegetables tender and caramelized. Crumbled feta cheese and fresh tomato salsa are the perfect finishing touches.

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Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Armando Rafael

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This colorful stuffed peppers is altogether different—no oven needed! It uses the grill in two different ways; direct heat to grill the peppers, then indirect heat to cook some of the stuffing ingredients—couscous, tomato, and raisins—in a skillet for the stuffing. Once stuffed the peppers are cooked through in the same pan on top of the grill.

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West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizza

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No California-style pizza would be complete without avocado! Store-bought pizza dough is grilled and topped with tomatoes, scallions, and goat cheese. Then a fresh salad of spinach and diced avocado is dressed and piled onto the pizzas just before serving.

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Marinated Grilled Zucchini with Feta and Huckleberries

Richard Banks

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Marinated grilled zucchini with feta is a strategically smart party dish. You can prepare it a day ahead, and it just keeps getting better as it sits in the refrigerator. The dish gets an intense flavor boost from a sprinkling of cilantro flowers.

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Tomato and Basil Pizza

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These rounds of grilled homemade (or store-bought) pizza dough are so simple yet so delicious. Make your own tomato sauce with this recipe or use your favorite store-bought variety, then scatter fresh mozzarella and basil leaves over the top.

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Chickpea Burger

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Scallions, cumin, ginger, and peanuts add lively flavor to these chickpea patties. Serve the grilled burgers on whole-wheat English muffins with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.

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Hoisin-Glazed Eggplant

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Rich, salty-sweet hoisin sauce makes grilled baby eggplant irresistible. Serve as a side dish with veggie burgers or dice the eggplant and add to a cold noodle salad.

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