Tabitha Brown's Expert-Approved Method For The Best Grilled Veggies Ever

There's something so satisfying and thrilling about enjoying delicious summer vegetables straight from the grill with the perfect char that brings out the veggie's natural sweetness. Whether you serve them alongside other grilling favorites like hamburgers and hot dogs or enjoy them on their own, there are a few different methods you can use to go about getting your best-grilled veggies yet. Vegan cook, best-selling author, and Emmy-award-winning host Tabitha Brown loves her vegetables and gave a few ideas to Daily Meal for how she prefers to grill them.

"I love them straight on the grill, but I also love old school aluminum foil, put it on there, take your fork or knife and poke holes, then lay them on that," Brown shared. Poking small holes in aluminum foil is a great tip — the holes allow smoke from the grill to creep in while the veggies cook on top of the foil. This helps give the veggies that signature smoky flavor, one of the main reasons why we choose to cook them on the grill in the first place!

As you fire up the grill, you can't disregard the importance of how you slice and dice the vegetables in preparation. "For me, I like them long ways," Tabitha Brown said. "It helps you flip them, turn them, season them because sometimes you want to baste them with oil or BBQ sauce while they're on them." Slicing vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, or carrots in consistent sizes, like long ways, is best for optimal handling on the grill. If you cut the vegetables the wrong way, you could end up with not only a mess of stems and seeds but also uneven cooking times.

The thickness of the vegetables matters just as much as the way you slice them. "If they're too small or thinly sliced, it's a disaster, they get to sticking. Thick and long ways is the best," Brown divulged. A light coating of oil is another great way to prevent sticking, and you can even use an unlikely hardware tool to makes grilling veggies easier when it comes time to flip them. But before your veggies even hit the grill, you've got to season them properly.

Not seasoning your veggies before they hit the grill is one of the grilling mistakes you should avoid. Just like with cooking veggies in the oven or on the stovetop, essential seasonings like salt and pepper can help bring out the natural flavors present in the vegetables, but Tabitha Brown knows just how to make grilled veggies shine even brighter. "First thing is that we season them well," Brown stated. "So I would use a little McCormick® by Tabitha Brown Like Sweet Like Smoky or Very Good Garlic Seasoning Blend, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt." Brown's Like Sweet Like Smoky seasoning contains ingredients like hickory smoke, paprika, garlic, and onion, which are perfect complements for the smokiness the grill will naturally give your veggies.

Besides aluminum foil poked with holes, there's a piece of cookware Brown prefers. "I also love a copper grill pan, I made aluminum grill pans that have little holes in them so you can put your veggies on there and grill them on top of the grill so it won't stick," Brown shared. Grill pans help prevent messy grill grates and avoid the disaster of having your veggies fall between the grates themselves. And it seems Brown values her holes-in-aluminum method so much that she created a pan with holes already, so you have less waste and prep time. With Brown's foolproof veggie-grilling methods, your summer grilling will be upgraded for good.