Grilled Vegetables in Foil

Don't we all just love-love-love grilled vegetables?! These are grilled in foil packets, a medley of fresh vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, celery, peppers and carrots tossed in an Asian-style soy-ginger sauce. Just wonderful, this! The red cabbage is my very favorite! No grill? You can cook them in the oven, too!

Fresh & Seasonal & Flexible. Summer Classic. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Kid Friendly. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Great for Meal Prep.
Grilled Vegetables in Foil ♥ KitchenParade.com, mixed veggies in an Asian-style soy-ginger sauce. Vegan. Gluten Free. Weight Watchers Friendly.

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A Grill Recipe for Non-Grillers

A grill master this cook is not. Who else is happy with a giveaway grill free from the dealership when my dad upgraded vehicles awhile back?

But I’ve nailed vegetables cooked on the grill in foil. Many warm evenings, I toss chopped what’s-on-hand vegetables into a foil packet with the slower-cook sorts on the bottom, top with garlic, dot with butter, sprinkle with salt and shake with pepper. Thirty 30 minutes later, it’s supper time, no bun required.

Still, my admiration goes out to grillers who debate the merits of hardwood charcoal and briquettes, stoke their chimneys and produce great burgers, breasts and butts with such ease.

Maybe someday. Until then, here’s a favorite recipe for vegetables cooked on the grill in foil, one even a professional amateur can master.

Vegetables Cooked in Foil Are Cooked "En Papillote"

And what does "en papillote" mean, pray tell?

THE SHORT ANSWER The en papillote technique cooks food extra quick by creating a hot little oven from foil, parchment, even banana leaves or corn husks.

A LONGER ANSWER En papillote [pah-pee-YOHT, PAH-peh-loht] refers to food baked inside a wrapping of parchment, foil or another material. Lots of people like to cook food in foil because it's so easy. Plus, the clean-up is simple and the cooking time is short because the heat is concentrated. So I've started to collect recipes for food cooked in foil. If you have a favorite recipe that fits this style, I'd love to test it out!

Learning to Grill

Cookbook author Steve Raichlen was in town last week to promote his new book, The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition [affiliate link]. Is this the summer, finally, to learn how to grill? Wish me luck!

Marking Canada Day with Canadian Recipes

To mark Canada Day on July 1, Canadian food bloggers are collecting Canadian recipes for Mmmm...Canada: and this is my contribution!

I am much proud of my Canadian heritage and appreciate that Canada bestows dual citizenship. Still, my "Canadian" recipes are few and far between because for me, Canada isn't a foreign place, it's just family, it's just the other country across the river. Huh? That's because my dad's house sits just across the river from Ontario: swimmable in the summer, walkable in the winter.


  • Canadian readers (there are a lot of you!) may be amused at the recent good-natured finger-wagging from a Canadian who took issue with the authenticity of my mother's recipe for Butter Tart Bars.
  • Others will be moved by the OCHER-Yaya, a gathering of Canadian women, friends since the 1950s, and their daughters at my house in St. Louis just last month.
  • More Canadian Recipes



GRILLED VEGETABLES in FOIL

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time on grill: 20 – 25 minutes
Makes 5 cups, easily doubled for a crowd
    SOY GINGER VINAIGRETTE
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (see TIPS)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
    VEGGIES (about 8 cups total)
  • 2 ribs celery, 1” pieces on diagonal (don't skip)
  • 2 carrots, 1” pieces on diagonal
  • 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, washed (see TIPS) and trimmed, caps broken into pieces
  • 1/2 red onion, peeled, cut in 5 pieces (don't skip)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 5 strips
  • 1/2 head broccoli, stems peeled and cut into rounds, tops cut into florets
  • 1/4 head red cabbage (my favorite!), cut in small wedges

Heat the grill. Whisk the Vinaigrette ingredients in a large bowl.

Wash and drain vegetables before slicing (see TIPS). Add the vegetables to the Vinaigrette as sliced, tossing to coat. (Stop here if prepping in advance.)

Tear two foil sheets about 11x18. Divide the vegetables between the sheets; fold to create packets and seal tightly. Place on grill rack for 20 – 25 minutes til vegetables are cooked but still tender crisp and colorful. Carefully open the packets (hot steam will release!) and serve immediately.

RESOURCE How to wrap the vegetables in foil.

ALANNA's TIPS I’ve experimented with less oil but 2 tablespoons is perfect for both flavor and texture. It’s a myth that fresh mushrooms should always be brushed, not washed. If mushrooms are to be cooked, wash them first without harming the cooked texture or color. The drier the vegetables, the better the vinaigrette adheres so be sure to pat vegetable dry if they've just been washed. Reynolds sells large heavy foil bags convenient for grilling these vegetables in a single leak-free foil container. No grill? No problem. Cook the vegetables in a casserole dish covered with foil at 350F/180C for an hour. These veggies are delicious cold too. Make extra for easy salad bowls or breakfast bases for a couple of days.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 124 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 16g Carb; 5g Fiber; 369mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 7g Sugars; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 2 & myWW green 2 & blue 2 & purple 2

Many thanks for this recipe to my cousin Diane, who's a great cook in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her kids love her recipe too! I am so lucky that my family so generously shares so many favorite family recipes. Thank you, all!



How to Wrap Vegetables in Foil Packets

1 - Divide vegetables 2 - Fold foil over 3 - Fold again & seal

It's easy to cook vegetables in foil. Here are a few tips!

  • [left/top] For a single batch of this recipe, I make two packets: two smaller packets are just easier to manage than one large packet. Heavy foil works best but if you don't have that, use a double layer of foil just on the bottom of the packet, where the grill's heat will concentrate. This can prevent burning of the bottom parts. Just mound the vegetables in the center of the foil.
  • [center] Fold one side over the top of the vegetables, then fold over the opposite side. You're not sealing the packet yet, just starting to create the cooking container.
  • [right/bottom] Now fold over the two remaining sides and fold the ends over each other once or twice or three times to seal the packet. The vegetables should be neatly contained but not tightly compacted in the foil. You want there to be some air inside, you don't want the foil to split.

Hot Off the Grill

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Baked Baby Back Ribs with Spicy Berry Sauce Grilled Pepper Salad
~ more grill recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ more grilled vegetable recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

More Recipes for Summer Vegetables

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

Shredded Zucchini with Thyme Those Pink Potatoes ♥ KitchenParade.com Confetti Potato Salad

Recent Favorites from A Veggie Venture

~ Broccoli & Boy Choy with Coconut & Curry ~
~ Ajvar ~
~ Ten Great Vegetable Recipes from Other Food Blogs ~
~ Greek Zucchini Pie ~
~ Raw Beet, Carrot & Kohlrabi Salad ~

If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, you'll love A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables with more from-scratch recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, home to the famous Alphabet of Vegetables and vegetables in every course, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.


Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2008, 2014, 2019 & 2020

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Alanna, thanks for linking up to the Canadian recipes. Our country is young (141) but we're proud of this northern land of opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's funny, actually. As of this moment I've been thinking of recipes I have/love that actually are Canadian, ones that use Imperial cheese and triticale, for example. Another time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6/26/2008

    Alanna -- Last week I made some grilled veggies like this and added 4 grilled chicken/apple sausages to the grill, dumped the veggies into the Cuisinart for a rough chop, removed the skin from the sausages and sliced them up, put everything in a pot with a cup or so of chicken stock, and heated. Threw it on top of some healthy whole grain anglehair pasta and topped with grated parm, and dh and I proceeded to eat three helpings. I think I'll make this once every two weeks during this summer it's so healthy.
    Heidi

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heidi ~ That's interesting, doing the chopping in the food processor. It would definitely cut down on the prep time. I like the protein/pasta additions too. The last time I made this recipe, I used up some of the leftovers on grilled pizza, that's a recipe I'll post some time soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is delicious. I don't have a barbecue (on the to be purchased list), so I simply roast the veg in the oven. The vinaigrette looks great and I'll give it a try.

    thanks so much for participating!

    j

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6/28/2008

    Nice and colorful veggie recipe Alanna! I bet theses\ are very tasty w/ the vinaigrette you prepared. I've been doing a lot of grilling lately and will have to try this when I get back in town.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7/01/2008

    This is such a delicious idea - love it :)

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna