Barbecue Vegetable Salad

By Ali Slagle

Published July 18, 2024

Barbecue Vegetable Salad
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(99)
Comments
Read comments

This knife-and-fork dinner salad is full of char and crunch, topped off with a festive dressing to incorporate into your summer repertoire. It’s also an ideal way to use up any grillable vegetables. On a verdant bed of Romaine lettuce, kale and cilantro, pile on grilled summer vegetables and peaches and a shower of corn chips. Beans add protein, though you could also top with quinoa, grilled tempeh bacon or another protein. While barbecue sauce doesn’t often coat lettuce, here it becomes a tangy, thick and pleasantly sweet salad dressing with the addition of a little lime juice to loosen and brighten. If you have some ranch in the fridge, drizzle zig-zags of it on top, too; the duo tastes like an herb-flecked Thousand Island dressing. Eat this big salad solo or with a side of cornbread.

Featured in: A Vegetable Lover's Guide to the Grill

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1bunch lacinato kale (about 9 ounces), stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1head romaine, thinly sliced
  • ½bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems thinly sliced
  • ½cup store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
  • 1(15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2ripe, firm peaches, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
  • 1red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick wedges through the root
  • 1pound grilling vegetables (see Tip)
  • Neutral oil such as grapeseed, for greasing
  • Handful of crushed corn chips
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

294 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 957 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the grill to medium-high. In a large shallow bowl or platter, sprinkle the kale with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Squeeze with your hands until shiny and softened. Add the romaine and cilantro and toss to coat. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the barbecue sauce and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a separate small bowl, stir together the beans and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue-lime mixture. On a sheet pan or large bowl, toss the peaches, onion and vegetables with enough oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Clean and grease the grates. Grill the peaches and vegetables until charred and tender, 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the density and size of the vegetables. If using a gas grill, close the grill between flips. Return to the bowl or sheet pan and head back inside.

  3. Step 3

    Drizzle some of the dressing over the greens, then arrange the grilled vegetables, peaches, beans and chips on top. Drizzle with more dressing. Eat right away, with any remaining dressing and additional chips alongside.

Tip
  • This salad tastes good with any number of vegetables, including zucchini, eggplant, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, peppers and radishes, so use what you have, or what looks good to you. Cut the vegetables into pieces that are large enough so they don’t slip through the grates. For small or slender vegetables, like snap peas or green beans, leave them whole.

Ratings

4 out of 5
99 user ratings
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Comments

Karen

This was a huge hit at a recent cookout. One suggested adjustment, reverse the proportions of the dressing/drizzle to be 3/4 lime and 1/4 bbq sauce if you have thick bottled sauce. The proportions called for in the recipe overwhelmed the flavor with bbq. I remade this with leftover veggies and when I switched out as above it was bright and tangy, just a bit of the bbq.

Emily

Made this one last night and we loved it! I used zucchini, eggplant, carrots, scallions, snap peas for the grilled veggies -- it was a delicious summer salad that we'll definitely repeat.

Alexis

I'm thrilled by the beautiful appearance of this dish and will be making it ASAP. Thank you.

a smidge of salt

As someone who finds BBQ sauce overly sweet, this was a lovely surprise - and a cool and refreshing accompaniment to spicy lamb burgers. I parboiled many of the vegetables, omitted the chips and made a simple vinaigrette with fresh lime and olive oil. To that, I added BBQ sauce to taste. If any of the vegetables are taking too long, simply put them in a foil pouch and find a cooler spot for them on the BBQ. I used a charcoal Weber, which added a lot of smokey flavor. The bed of kale, romaine and cilantro, in particular, was wonderful after everything was dressed.

Gabby

Made this tonight. It was very pretty but I felt the sauce lacked some oomph. Not sure how I would change but it was definitely pretty and healthy. We omitted the beans as we served as a side with BBQ steak.

Sarah

We loved this, although I did make a few alterations. Did the dressing with equal amounts of BBQ sauce and lime juice as my storebought sauce was pretty sweet. Grilled all the veggies (did tenderstem broccoli/broccolini, green beans, zucchini) and didn't put it over kale/lettuce as my kids are weird about that sort of thing. Was an excellent side for BBQ chicken, with the leftovers being my lunch as a salad.

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