As the weather warms up, the allure of outdoor cooking beckons, and what better way to embrace the season than with a barbecue? However, traditional barbecues can sometimes be laden with unhealthy options. This article explores a variety of healthy and delicious BBQ meal ideas, ensuring you can enjoy the smoky flavors of summer without compromising your well-being.
Appetizers and Salads
Avocado Panzanella
This colorful avocado and bread salad requires just 20 minutes of preparation and no cooking time. It's a quick and refreshing way to start your BBQ.
Allotment Salad
Make the most of new season's asparagus and radishes in a vibrant salad with a French-style dressing, perfect for a barbecue.
Epic Summer Salad
Ideal for BBQs and buffets, this salad is an assembly of gorgeous ingredients that requires no cooking. Serve it with lamb kebabs for an impressive summer feast.
Sriracha & Lime Potato Salad
Jazz up your usual summer potato salad with a spicy sriracha and zingy lime dressing. It’s a lively and healthy addition to any barbecue.
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Sweet Mustard Potato Salad
This healthy potato salad is deliciously spiced and sweet, making it a perfect barbecue side to feed a crowd.
Parsley & Caper Salad
Serve this easy salad as a side dish to summer barbecues. Parsley, shallot, and capers make it more than an average salad and it pairs well with cooked meats.
Chopped Herb & Pomegranate Salad
A deep green side salad of parsley, dill, and mint scattered with sweet fruit and crunchy cucumber offers a refreshing contrast to grilled dishes.
Fiesta Corn Salad
When corn is in season, make as much of it as possible. This grilled summer salad hits all the right notes, combining grilled corn with other fresh ingredients for a flavorful side.
Grilled Watermelon Salad
Elevate your next summer evening spent outdoors with grilled watermelon. It offers a unique and refreshing twist to the typical salad.
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Grilled Caprese Skewers
Take caprese salad to a new level by putting it on skewers and grilling it. This brilliant combination of French bread, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, and halloumi cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, is sure to be a hit.
Corn on the Cob with Lemon Glaze
Cook the corn in butter, olive oil, lemon, and garlic for an added boost of flavor.
Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Vinaigrette
Grilled potatoes, grilled scallops, and the secret ingredient of grilled blueberries combine for a flavorful and fresh summer side dish.
Pomegranate Salad with Feta and Beetroot
Enjoy something lighter for lunch with this bright salad.
Skewers and Kebabs
Barbecued Chicken Fajita Skewers
Get the kids involved in preparing this easy BBQ chicken recipe, then assemble with creamy guacamole on tortilla wraps.
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Seafood, Pineapple & Coconut Kebabs
Thread a mixture of prawns, white fish, salmon, and pineapple onto wooden skewers and barbecue to perfection.
Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs
Nicely browned gnocchi taken straight off the grill is amazing. The gnocchi paired with blistered grilled tomatoes and tender red onion make for a perfect summer dinner or side dish.
Grilled Shrimp Piccata Skewers
These skewers are the perfect combination of juicy, charred shrimp, bright lemon zest, briny capers, and white wine butter sauce.
Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs
For a vegetarian option, try buffalo cauliflower kebabs. They offer a spicy and flavorful alternative to meat skewers.
Bánh Mì Kebabs
Get that classic bánh mì taste without the bread with these kebabs. Par-cooked carrots and slightly sweet daikon grill up nicely with thick pieces of pork chop.
Chipotle Lime Shrimp Skewers
Marinated in a yummy chipotle lime sauce, these skewers are perfect for serving to a group.
Main Courses
Brazilian-Style Beef with Sweet Potato Salad
Cook this veg-packed steak dinner on the barbecue for a healthy dish that delivers all of your 5-a-day. It can also be made in the oven.
BBQ Rainbow Beef Salad
The steak in this light salad is cooked on the barbecue, giving it a true taste of summer. It works brilliantly with a tangy soy dressing.
Turkey Burgers
Make a few swaps to customize the recipe. Use soy sauce or liquid smoke instead of Worcestershire, add finely chopped shallots, swap out the parsley for any herbs, or make your own Cajun seasoning.
Bruschetta Grilled Chicken
This dish combines the flavors of bruschetta with grilled chicken for a light and flavorful meal.
Grilled Honey-Chipotle Salmon Foil Packets
These foil packets make for an easy cleanup and infuse the salmon with a smoky, sweet, and spicy flavor.
Mahi Mahi Tacos
Being a meaty, tender fish, mahi mahi stands up well to the grill and is even better when marinated.
Feta Chicken Burgers
Made with roasted sweet red peppers, chopped cucumber, garlic powder, and Greek seasoning, these burgers are simple yet delicious.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Breasts
Incorporate the flavors of lemon juice, fresh parsley, paprika, dried oregano, and garlic into grilled chicken breasts.
Grilled Beet Burgers
Raw beetroots combine with rolled oats, feta cheese, garlic, olive oil, eggs, and fresh basil to form your burger base. Top with ingredients like lettuce, mango, tomatoes, and avocado.
Seared Tuna Tacos
If you’re looking for a unique grilling recipe that’s a little different than the typical fare, try these seared tuna tacos.
Vegetarian Options
Griddled Vegetables with Melting Aubergines
Pack all five of your 5-a-day into one healthy vegan dish. Flavored with garlic, lemon, and herbs, it's delicious griddled on the hob or cooked on the barbecue.
Easy Healthy Falafels
Pair these falafels with soft flatbreads, well-spiced humous, and crunchy pickles for a magnificent meze of a lunch, or a shareable starter.
BBQ Salad Pizza
Pizza doesn't have to be unhealthy. Make this low-calorie salad pizza with lettuce, spring onion, and broccoli, cooked on the barbecue for a lovely smoky flavour.
Grilled Zucchini With Ricotta & Walnuts
The ribboning creates plenty of nooks and crannies for the creamy ricotta and walnuts to settle.
Thai-Inspired Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
The perfect funky balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy blankets these cauliflower steaks.
Grilled Carrots
The carrot's natural sweetness comes out during cooking, a complementary foil to the smoky char achieved on the grill. Serve this veggie side atop creamy ricotta, with a punchy carrot top-based chimichurri sauce for some brightness.
Grilled Green Beans
Place a heavy duty piece of foil over the grates before adding the green beans to prevent them from falling through the cracks. Use any crushed nuts or seeds for crunch.
Grilled Avocado and Romaine Caesar Salad
This vegan, gluten-free salad is packed with greens and offers a unique and healthy twist on the classic Caesar salad.
Perfectly Grilled Zucchini
Quick, easy, and goes along with just about anything else you might be grilling.
Halloumi & Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Mixes some of those same flavors of tomatoes and cheese, but kicks it up a notch to a more well-rounded entree with the addition of bell peppers and zucchini.
Desserts
Grilled Peach Salad
With so much juiciness and just a hint of acidity, peaches-like their summery friend the tomato-are amazing in all sorts of salads. Try this summery spin on the iconic wedge salad.
Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Made with strawberries, pineapple, bananas, and cantaloupe, these kabobs taste sweet and wonderful and are gorgeous when set out on the table.
Grilled Halloumi and Peaches with Dukkah
Sweet ripe peaches, cheese, and a garnish of mint, lemon, olive oil, and honey combine to create a dish that will make your tastebuds sing.
Sauces and Seasonings
Paleo BBQ Sauce
Made with grass-fed butter, strained tomatoes and tomato paste, blackstrap molasses, coconut aminos, and spices, this homemade barbecue sauce will have you reaching for more.
Sweet & Spicy Salmon Rub
This paleo-friendly, aromatic rub is perfect for barbecued salmon. It's made with a mix of coconut sugar, salt, whole mustard seeds, whole fennel seeds, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper.
Tips for Healthy Grilling
Grilling doesn’t require a lot of fat and even allows fat to drip off. When grilling produce, opt for hearty vegetables or fruit. Proteins like tuna, salmon, extra-firm tofu, chicken breast, lean cuts of steak, and boneless pork chops can be easily grilled for a healthy meal.
Putting a marinade in a resealable bag and then soaking your meat is a great way to infuse the dish with herbs and spices.