One Easy Way To Save Time, Eat Better: Grill Extra Vegetables

One cooking philosophy has served me well as my family grows busier each year: Anytime I bother to cook, I make extra to freeze or set aside for future meals. That goes for grilling, too. Here's a short list of the meals you can create just by grilling an extra batch of vegetables each time you fire up the barbecue.

Here's what to do with your leftover, totally tasty grilled vegetables

• Tuck them in a wrap.
• Layer in a sandwich, like this California Grilled Veggie Sandwich. Or, just add to your favorite bread spread with pesto, smashed avocado, hummus, or goat cheese.
• Toss with your favorite greens, fresh herbs, cheese, and/or leftover grilled meats to make a salad.
• Reheat in the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve as a side dish.
• Serve as part of an antipasto platter with olives, salami, and cheese.
• Add to your morning omelet, scramble, or this More-Vegetable-Than-Egg Frittata.
• Toss with pasta and top with leftover grilled shrimp, with bacon crumbles, or with fried bits of prosciutto.
• Combine with cooked quinoa or wheatberries and your favorite dressing for a filling lunchtime bowl.
• Mix up a bread salad.
• Use to help top your next pizza.
• Add to a quesadilla.
• Enjoy them cold as a picnic lunch along with your leftover rotisserie chicken.
• Toss them in the food processor and chop, then use as a bruschetta topping. Or just make this divine recipe part of your initial cookout.

The possibilities are endless. And now you'll have at least one less meal to prepare each week!

To prep: You have two paths, really: marinate your vegetables before grilling for deep flavor with a recipe like this, or wait to add seasoning/vinaigrette to your vegetables until you use them in a future dish. I favor the second route, as it enables you to use your leftovers in a larger flavor variety of dishes. Check out this grilled vegetables how-to for cooking basics.

See our collection of BBQ & Grilled Vegetable Recipes.

Happy grilling!