My 5 Favourite Barbecued Side Dishes. Although I love potato salad and coleslaw, you aren't going to see either of those things on this list. The key to this list is that all the items are cooked on the grill right alongside the main course. If you are stuck eating the same old side dishes and want some new ideas, this post has you covered.
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I spend a lot of time talking about main courses like grilled chicken breast and steak tacos, but great barbecue is just as much about what you serve alongside the protein. These five side dishes are all easy to make, packed with flavour, and cook right on the grill so everything is ready at the same time.
1 - Paprika Green Beans
I know that a lot of people are tentative about grilling vegetables like green beans and asparagus. The thought is that they are going to fall through the grill. Yeah, that will happen. Barbecuing green beans, you may lose a few to the gods of fire but, it is worth the loss. The flavour of grilled green beans is outstanding. Barbecued green beans are great, but barbecued green beans tossed in smoked paprika vinaigrette before and after cooking are much better.
To make these green beans, you first have to make the smoked paprika vinaigrette. You can find the recipe below, but it is mainly smoked paprika, maple syrup (or honey), mustard, vinegar, and oil. Toss the green beans in the vinaigrette, grill them for ten to twelve minutes, flipping them once, then toss them in the remaining vinaigrette. You can do this with asparagus too, but I prefer it done with the green beans.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cleaned Green Beans
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the paprika, maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar.
- While whisking, slowly add the oil a few drops at a time until it is all incorporated. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss the green beans in the vinaigrette, then take the beans out of the bowl reserving any remaining vinaigrette. Grill the green beans over medium heat for about 10 minutes flipping once.
- Put the cooked green beans back in the bowl with the remaining vinaigrette, toss to coat and serve.
2 - Corn On The Cob
I did a whole post on corn on the cob, which you can find here. Corn on the cob is one of the great all-time barbecued side dishes. One of the many things I love about grilling corn on the cob is that there are a few different ways you can make it:
- In the husk: Cook right over the flames for about thirty minutes for really sweet tasting corn.
- Husked and oiled: Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill on high for about twelve minutes for a roasted corn flavour.
- Cut into pieces: Put them in a vegetable pouch, which we will look at in a minute.
Of course, I haven't even mentioned all the things you can put on the corn once it's cooked. Check out this post from The Kitchn about six toppings you can add to your corn.
3 - Grilled Vegetable Salad
Grilled vegetables of any kind are amazing. I could easily have added mixed grilled veggies to this list, but this salad takes those vegetables to a whole other level. It is a mix of grilled vegetables tossed with arugula and balsamic vinaigrette then finished with goat cheese. What could be better than that on a beautiful summer's day?
To make this salad for four people, slice the following vegetables about a quarter-inch thick: one zucchini, one eggplant, one red onion, one red bell pepper. Also, skewer twenty cherry tomatoes. Toss all the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill the veggies on medium-high for about five to six minutes per side or until they are soft.
Cut all the vegetables except the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces then put them in a large bowl with the balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below). Stir the vegetables to coat them all in the dressing, then let them sit and cool for ten minutes. Letting the vegetables sit will help them to absorb some of the dressing. Toss in four to five big handfuls of arugula and toss. Top the salad with goat cheese and serve.
I love this salad any time of the year. In the winter, I will add squash or sweet potato to the mix rather than the eggplant and zucchini. The only other difference between the summer and winter versions of this salad is that in the winter, I roast the vegetables in the oven as opposed to on the barbecue.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ¾ cup Canola Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup in the mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Whisk a few drops of the oil in the vinegar mixture.
- Whisk a few more drops of the oil into the vinegar mixture.
- Add the remaining oil in a slow steady stream while constantly whisking.
- Once all the oil has been incorporated, season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
4 - Vegetable Packets
I get asked a lot about foil vegetable packets. My response is that the question isn't what can you put in a vegetable packet. The question is, what can't you put in them? Foil vegetable packets are the most versatile barbecued side dish because you can put just about anything in them.
The only real tips I have about vegetable packets are:
- Add fresh herbs and garlic butter as much as possible. These two small things will have a significant impact on the flavour of the vegetables.
- Cut for even cooking: If you use a vegetable that cooks quickly like zucchini and a vegetable that takes a while to cook like sweet potato, cut the zucchini two to three times larger than the sweet potato. That size difference should make up for the difference in cooking time.
5 - Charred Onions
Onions, so simple, so unassuming, so delicious. The final item on this list is also the most simple: charred onions. All you have to do is cut an onion in half, drizzle it with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper and put it on the grill for forty-five minutes to an hour. Put them on and forget about them.
You may want to flip them for the last fifteen minutes of cooking, but you probably won't have to. As the onions sit on the grill, the surface goes black and takes on a nice charred flavour. The inside of the onion steams in its juices and takes on a sweet taste as it cooks and softens. To serve the onion, just cut the ends off and remove the skin.
Charred onions go very well with steak, pork chops, grilled chicken, or just about anything. You can't believe how good these onions are until you try them, seriously.
These five side dishes have been on regular rotation at my house for years, and I never get tired of any of them. Fire up the grill, pick one or two from this list, and I promise your next barbecue will be that much better.
Sue says
Look forward to diving in to your recipes!
Chef Ben Kelly says
Thank you Sue! Enjoy!