Grilled romaine lettuce is easy to make and adds a delicious smoky flavor to any salad. Top with parmesan for an easy appetizer or side dish!
OK, grilled salad might sound a bit strange, right? Alex and I also started out quite skeptical. But after tasting, grilling romaine lettuce brings out an unexpectedly nice smoky flavor in that leafy green! I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s by far one of the best things I’ve tasted lately. Grilled Romaine is easy to make and topped with some parmesan, it makes an easy appetizer or side dish. You can even make a grilled Caesar salad with our Best Caesar Dressing! Ready to fire up the grill?
Tips for preparing grilled romaine lettuce
How do you get the perfect grilled char ridges on your romaine lettuce? Here are some tips for preparing grilled romaine:
- Cut each Roman heart in half. Halve each heart and drizzle with a little olive oil. Halving Roman hearts makes turning them easier and keeps them from falling off the grill.
- Season well! Be sure to season the salad with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper before grilling to allow the flavors to blend during the cooking process.
- Grill a few minutes on each side, until charred but mostly green. Grill for about three minutes on each side (remember, you’re grilling lettuce, not steak!). You want each side slightly charred but still mostly green. Grilling for too long will result in brown, mushy romaine.
Ways to serve grilled romaine
Topped with some freshly grated parmesan, this grilled romaine is the perfect start to a summer al fresco meal. We recently served it with pasta and it was a great addition. However you choose to serve this grilled romaine, give it a try and experience the magic of the grilled salad! Here are some ways to add more flavor to this grilled romaine:
Make it a meal! Main dishes to combine
Finally, what grilled dinner ideas go well with grilled romaine? Since you’ve already lit your grill, we recommend making a meal out of it:
- Easy Salmon on a Cedar Board Grilling fish on a wooden board gives it a smoky flavor die for.
- Perfectly Grilled Shrimp These easy grilled shrimp are packed with serious flavor, with zesty flavors of lemon and garlic. Add quinoa and make a meal out of it.
- Best Veggie Burger This delicious veggie burger recipe is coated in BBQ sauce and won’t crumble on the grill!
- Grilled Eggplant This grilled eggplant is topped with herbed feta, quinoa and dill and colorful ripe cherry tomatoes, perfect for summer.
More Romaine Lettuce Recipes
Do you have a lot of romaine lettuce? Here are some other recipes for romaine lettuce:
This Grilled Romaine Recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegans, use vegan cheese or try vegan parmesan.
The description
Grilled romaine lettuce is easy to make and adds a delicious smoky flavor to any salad. Top with parmesan for an easy appetizer or side dish!
- 2 Romaine heads (or wrapped romaine hearts)
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- parmesan cheese
- Optional: plain Caesar dressing
- Preheat a grill. (If you don’t have a grill, you can use a griddle, in which case skip this step.)
- Wash and dry romaine. If using romaine heads, remove some of the outermost leaves and save for another salad.
- Cut each roman heart in half lengthwise. Drizzle each side generously with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then add several pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the romaine hearts on the grill and grill until lightly charred, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan (or plain Caesar dressing) and serve immediately.
- Category: salad
- Method: Goal
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: grilled romaine, vegetables, grill, summer, side dish, vegetarian
Looking for more grill and side dish recipes?
Here are some other healthy grilled side dish recipes to add to your repertoire:
Last update: April 2020
