How to Grill Vegetables in Aluminum Foil

Grilled vegetables make perfect light summer meals and can be used as pizza toppings, added to lasagna for the smoky flavor, tossed into salads or even served with some rice for a vegetarian meal. They also complement the steak dishes well by adding the health element to the meal.

Grilled vegetables are not only healthy and delicious, but are also very easy to prepare. However, grilling can be messy and cleaning up can be quite cumbersome. The sticky, charred remains can be the outcome of multiple grilling attempts. One way to reduce the amount of cleaning up, mess and charred vegetables is by making the use of aluminum foil while grilling the vegetables. Aluminum foil is something that is easily available at any local grocery store.

How to Grill Vegetables in Aluminum Foil

The things you need for grilling the vegetables using aluminum foil are aluminum foil (heavy duty preferred, however regular is also fine), vegetables of your choice (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peppers and so on), knife, seasoning, non-stick spray or olive oil, and grill or oven.

Instructions

Choosing the Vegetables
Vegetables that are high in water content must be chosen for grilling, such as eggplant, peppers, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and celery. All these vegetables take approximately the same time to cook, thereby making grilling all these vegetables together easy. However, vegetables like carrots, cauliflower and broccoli should be avoided. Leafy vegetables are also a no-no to grilling, unless there are specific dishes which call for their blackening.

Foil Preparation
Take a large sheet of foil and line it loosely on a pan or skillet. While lining, keep in mind that there should be ample amount of foil left for wrapping over the top. In order to prevent the vegetables from sticking, drizzle some non-stick spray or olive oil onto the aluminum sheet.

Washing and Chopping
It is very important to thoroughly wash the vegetables before consumption. You could sprinkle a mixture of lemon juice and water on the vegetables and let them sit for some time. Rinse and wipe dry with a towel. While slicing the vegetables, make sure they are equal in size (one inch pieces), as this will help them cook at the same time.

Seasoning the Vegetables
After the chopping, place them in a bowl and sprinkle some olive oil or non-stick spray, seasoning of your choice and some salad dressing if you wish. Since vegetables lack fat, they require some kind of oil or non-stick spray to keep them moist and prevent them from sticking. Mix well and place them into the tray. Ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, oils and sugar can impart Asian flair to the grilled vegetables.

Sealing the Vegetables
Once the chopped vegetables are seasoned and placed on the foiled tray, fold the extending parts of the aluminum sheets, crimping as you go, thereby making a kind of pocket. Sealing the vegetables in this manner will prevent the vegetables from falling out (or liquid from oozing out) of the tray during cooking. Moreover, the steam inside will assist in the even cooking of the vegetables.

Grilling
Before you place the foil pocket with vegetables onto the grill, make sure the grill has been heated at a medium-high temperature and is nice and hot. Allow the vegetables to cook for 8-10 minutes, and then flip and grill the other side for the same amount of time. Flip once again and grill for another 5 minutes.

Serving
Once the grilling is done, allow it to stay for 5 minutes. Then you can cut open the foil seal and add seasoning or butter to the vegetables as per your taste and liking.

Boiled vegetables lose most of their nutrients in the cooking water and fried vegetables are fatty. However, grilled vegetables are much more healthier as compared to boiling and frying. Grilling vegetables also bring out the intense appealing smoky flavor from them, which we often think vegetables lack. This is why grilling is now emerging as an all-year-round cooking style rather than the earlier summer pass time.