More than meat: 5 unique ways to cook with your grill this summer!

Burgers, brisket, and steak are all classic grilling favorites for good reason. They all bring great flavor and are seasoned crowd pleasers. However, if you’re looking for something new to add to your grilling repertoire, we’ve provided five great ideas for unique dishes packed with flavor.

Appetizers

Try starting off your meal with a grilled appetizer! Bacon-wrapped, cream cheese-stuffed jalapenos make a great flavorful appetizer that you can quickly and easily cook on the grill. Char grill slices of French or sourdough bread and top with pesto, mozzarella, basil, and grilled cherry tomatoes for a delicious bruschetta.

Pizza and Calzones

Using your grill to bake a pizza is a great way to add a little smoky twist to an American favorite. To make it simpler and easier, use a store-bought crust and pile on your favorite sauces and toppings. Fold the crust over and seal the edges to make a calzone for another fun twist.

Veggies

Letting veggies take main stage isn’t just for vegans and vegetarians any more! Grilled cabbage steaks are a delicious veggie entrée packed with nutrients. Eggplant and portobello mushrooms also make great meat alternatives for an entree. Simply slice to your desired thickness, marinate in our classic Original marinade, and throw them on the grill. Marinated vegetables also make a delicious and nutritious side dish that even your picky eater will love! Corn on the cob is another great vegetable for the grill, especially during summer time! Whether you grill it in the husk, wrap it with foil, or lay the cob straight on the grill, grilling gives corn great flavor and cooks quickly and evenly. A creative grilling option is avocado. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and grill face down to leave beautiful grill marks. For extra flavor, finish off with fun toppings like egg, bacon bits, tuna, prosciutto, chicken, and cheese. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are tasty grilling options, whether they’re cooked whole or sliced.

Griddle

Even if you don’t own a griddle style grill, you can make delicious meals using a griddle attachment. You can easily purchase these online, just make sure to buy one that will fit your grill. After your griddle has been properly seasoned, it can be used to cook a wide variety of breakfast foods including hash browns, sausage, bacon, pancakes, and French toast. You can even use your griddle to cook omelets by setting the griddle top up at a slant and using two spatulas to keep the egg in place while it cooks. Paninis and quesadillas make fun and tasty lunch and dinner time grilling foods that can be cooked either on a griddle top, or just your regular grill grates if you want to have a smokier flavor and nice grill marks.

Dessert

Grilled fruit makes an excellent dessert. The grilling process caramelizes the sugar in fruit, giving it a candied flavor. Tasty options include pineapple, peaches, apples, watermelon, bananas, and pears. Add extra flavor to your fruits with cinnamon or brown sugar. Grilled fruits also make great toppings or stuffing for pastries. Baked treats are also delicious when made on the grill, but the taste grilling infuses into the foods will intrigue your guests’ palettes. When using your grill to bake tasty treats, make sure to use a cooking thermometer to get your grill to the correct baking temperature and keep an eye on your desserts to make sure they’re baking evenly.