50+ Super Quick Recipes You Can Make on the Grill

These simple grilled scallops are paired with an easy blender remoulade sauce for a quick, yet entertaining-worthy entrée. Use the steps below to learn how to make perfectly grilled scallops every time. Also, look for “dry” (aka untreated) scallops so you can get the best sear possible when cooking.

Blending finely chopped mushrooms with ground beef adds great flavor, moisture, and even fiber to these no-bun burgers. Garlicky cucumber-yogurt sauce is tasty Middle Eastern–inspired alternative to standard ketchup and mustard.

Served with a juicy slice of fresh tomato and crisp butter lettuce, these burgers are naturally gluten-free. Double the greens and tomato and call it a burger salad. If you're in the mood for bun, try these tucked into warm whole-wheat pitas instead.

This salad comes together in just 20 minutes. But spring for heirloom tomatoes—their rich flavor and vibrant color add a huge wow factor. Beans bulk it up with fiber and protein.

A grilled chicken dinner comes together quickly with some smart convenience products. Cooked flatbreads just need a quick turn on the grill pan, a far speedier process than baking pizza dough. And rotisserie chicken is always great to keep on hand for fast, easy meals.

Here we combine two of the our favorite early-summer ingredients—cherry tomatoes and fresh basil—into a fresh take salsa. For the crispiest skin (that doesn’t stick to the grill), be sure your grill grates are very clean and the grill is preheated for at least 15 minutes. Avocado adds creaminess and a punch of gut-healthy prebiotics.

Welcome to grilled salad season. A quick char adds smoky depth and a glossy finish to crisp romaine hearts, making them the perfect base for fresh fixings. You'll get smokier results on an outdoor grill, but a stovetop grill pan will give a subtler effect. Our guacamole dressing is a simple riff on green goddess, mastering the less-is-more summer motif. If you can't find crab, use frozen, thawed shrimp instead.

Chicken cutlets get great flavor from a lemon-rosemary marinade while the leeks cook into a silky, caramelized vegetable side dish. If you’ve never enjoyed the darker green leek tops, give them a try in this recipe. 

Fresh, in-season peaches make this simple dish really sing. The recipe is sweet, but not overly so. If you want to cut back on sugar even further, you could easily omit brushing maple syrup onto the fruit, and it'll still taste quite good. This makes an lovely way to finish a summer meal, or turn these grilled peaches into a hearty breakfast by adding your favorite crunchy granola.

These tacos are a perfect blend of Mexican street corn (also called elote) and quick-cooking skirt steak. If you have frozen corn, blister the kernels in a skillet over high heat first.

Many cooks only grill thick fish steaks because thin fillets break and fall into the fire. But a banana leaf solves the problem elegantly. It’s naturally nonstick, covers the rack, and lends subtle grassy sweetness to thinner fillets like flounder, snapper, tilapia, and sole, along with smoky grilled flavor.

This high-protein, low-carb meal is easy enough to make on a weeknight, but delicious enough to satisfy the family. There's no need to pull out the food processor to make the breadcrumbs for this recipe. Just tear bread by hand into very small pieces; the rustic texture is perfect.

We took a technique that's typically used for bratwurst and applied it to corn—with amazing results. You can save the beer after poaching the corn and use it for poaching brats or for steaming peel-and-eat shrimp.

Brushing healthy fat like olive oil onto sizzling grass-fed steak keeps the lean meat juicy and adds rich flavor. We developed this technique specifically for lean grass-fed steaks. Turn them frequently to cook evenly and prevent the exterior from toughening. Baste after every turn so the sizzling surface stays moist.

Ridged shishito peppers are usually pleasantly bitter with mild to medium heat, but watch out: Every so often, you'll get one that packs a fiery punch.

Get the most out of your grill space by adding a little char to every element of this quick, fresh corn salad. Add all the vegetables at once; remove each as it finishes cooking.

There is a longstanding argument surrounding the merits of pineapple on a pizza. Here at Cooking Light, not only do we believe in pineapple as a pizza topper, we believe it can be the base too. Look for peeled and cored pineapple in your supermarkets produce aisle for even slicing. Canadian bacon adds salty, savory depth, which cuts the sweetness of the fruit while lending hearty texture. Use any toppings you like – we look to briny black olives, sautéed red onion, and fresh basil for a delicious flavor trifecta. This easy recipe comes together in 20 minutes and is very kid-friendly. Not to mention a genius way to sneak in an extra serving of fruit.

Though we love the sweet flavor of lobster in this appetizer, you can easily substitute 1/2 pound of shrimp with delicious results.

Cubes of grass-fed sirloin can be a little tough and chewy—but thin slices stay tender and cook quickly. Feel free to prep the sauce and skewer the beef ahead of time.

Garnish the steak with fresh red onion, cilantro, garlic, and lime for a great look and a bit of extra flavor in every bite.

Deconstructing a familiar classic is always fun. Here, the anchovy and Parmesan dressing becomes a rub for grilled chicken and the crunch comes from a crisp panko crust instead of croutons. The anchovy adds a briny, savory depth to the chicken that isn’t fishy, but you can omit for a version that’s more kid-friendly. Instead of shredded lettuce, we grill romaine hearts whole for more of a centerpiece, knife-and-fork feel. Most grill pans are made of cast-iron and are oven-safe. If yours is not, or your pan is missing a handle, use a cast-iron skillet instead.

Dinner Transformation: We turn the traditional appetizer of chicken skewers and dipping sauce into a main course by spooning the satay sauce over sliced grilled chicken breasts.

Serve with Cucumber, Carrot, and Orange Salad

You'll love this pork chop, but it may be the rice side dish that you make again and again, as it pairs perfectly with a variety of dishes, ranging from Spanish to Asian. 

If you don't love blue cheese, try crumbled feta or grated Parmesan instead.

Time: 30 minutes

Simple Sub: Go meatless by swapping 3/4-inch-thick slices of extra-firm tofu for drumsticks. Glaze and grill 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with Curry Rice Pilaf

These sticky saucy chicken thighs are perfectly paired with any of our grilled zucchini sides. You can also use chicken breasts; just cook them a little longer, about 6 minutes per side.

Ask for salmon fillets from the head end of the fish—the tail end is much thinner.

Grilling eggplant allows its flavor to really shine, but our four simple toppings take this speedy side to the next level. Top it with Miso Aioli, Sherry Vinaigrette, Creole Salsa, or Creamy Lemon-Garlic Dressing. Be sure to choose smaller eggplants; they'll be easier to slice and easier to handle on the grill.

Forget shrimp cocktail—this will be your go-to party staple from now on. You could take the shrimp off the skewers for the platter, but the pick-up nature of kebabs is great for parties.

Make-ahead tip: Mix up the glaze first thing in the morning, and allow the chicken thighs to marinate all day long in the refrigerator to soak up even more flavor. After that, getting dinner on the table is as simple as heating up the grill pan.

It’s seems like portobello mushrooms were just made for stuffing. Not only is this loaded fork-and-knife-entrée easy and cheesy; it's customizable, too. Make it your own with any produce or herbs you already have in your fridge, you can even switch up the protein if you’re feeling like steak or serving a vegetarian guest. If you don’t mind the extra step, homemade pesto takes this dish from great to amazing.

This is a riff on elote, Mexican street corn. We love how sweet dill plays on the richly caramelized corn and briny cheese.

This recipe is designed to cook on a campfire, but you can take the rack out of your grill and put the foil bags on the charcoal for the same effect. Corn and shrimp with deeply flavorful seasonings like lime, soy sauce, honey, and coriander bake and steam in 10 minutes wrapped in foil. You don't even need plates―just tear open the packets and eat straight from them, with a side of French bread for sopping up juices.

With a wonderfully complex and flavorful sauce like this, the chicken and zucchini need almost no seasoning―just salt, pepper, and the grill's flame. The salsa's combination of tangy, briny, herbal, and nutty flavors is perfect for chicken, pork, fish, or shrimp, especially if they're grilled. To save soaking the skewers for a half an hour, use metal ones instead of wood.

Grilling is the best way to cook corn on the cob; boiling just doesn't deliver the same intense sweetness. This recipe's tangy herbal butter adds layers of flavor to that sweet base. Try this alongside just about any

Tasty grilled eggplant needs strong flavors to stand up to it, and the pungent Roquefort and sweet-savory tomato in this recipe do that job well. Crusty-outside, soft-inside grilled sourdough is the perfect bread to contain everything. For an even more indulgent version of the sandwich, add a couple slices of crisp bacon for a BLT-E.

Pistou is a French version of pesto; this one uses lime in place of pine nuts. It's great on all kinds of fish, chicken, potatoes, or pasta, so make and freeze an extra batch or two. Meaty grouper is a good choice for grilling as it won't flake apart as easily as more delicate types of fish.

With their easy but elegant relish, these mini-burgers would make a statement at any outdoor or summertime party, especially served with a refreshing cocktail. You can also use this same recipe to make four regular-sized burgers.

This is a cross-cultural dish: Sate are Indonesian meat skewers, and ponzu is a citrusy Japanese dipping sauce. The two come together here in harmony for a great less-than-15-minute dish. Dress bagged coleslaw mix with a combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil for a great side.

If you're firing up the grill for dinner, why not make a side on it too? These summer-vegetable skewers cook up in about six minutes, and the olive oil mixture that flavors them is highly customizable―just mix in whatever herbs and spices are seasoning your main course.

There's a lot to love about these sandwiches: the onion and pepper grilled to caramelized perfection, the melt-in-your-mouth medium-rare tuna steaks, the spicy-tangy-creamy mayonnaise, and even the crunchy lettuce leaf on each bun. This dish is a great source of omega-3s and other healthy fats, but it has less than two grams of saturated fat per serving.

Opposites attract in this dish: hot steak sits atop cold salad, and tender meat contrasts with crunchy vegetables. The basic salad with red wine-lemon vinaigrette is easy and works great, but you can customize the salad with your favorite vegetables (or fruits) and dressing. Just about anything will match the steak.

A topping of tangy goat cheese and fresh basil gives this dish a light and fresh feel. It's also a great fridge-clearer, as you can swap in whatever vegetables are on hand―eggplant, summer squash, romaine lettuce, bok choy, sweet onion, and more. No matter what, the cooking takes about 6 minutes.

Mexican flavor suffuses these burgers, from the chopped jalapeño mixed in to the patties to the cilantro-lime mayo that tops them. The mayo is also a good topping for

Every part of this dish―pita, tomato, eggplant (okay, not the goat cheese)―gets its turn on the grill, so smoky, seared flavor abounds. It's a great lunch or appetizer as-is, but you can turn it into a meal by adding sliced grilled chicken breast, steak, or pork.

Nobody ever said grilling had to happen outdoors. This dish cooks on a grill pan, so you can make it even in the snowy depths of winter (but you can still fire up the charcoal if you want). A citrusy mustard vinaigrette adds big flavor to the orzo, but also pairs well with the char-grilled fish.

Shake up burger night with this unique sweet-and-salty creation. Add even more flavor by changing up the toppings; try spicy kimchi or sriracha, or crunchy Napa cabbage or water chestnuts. Serve with small plates of kimchi, pickles, and noodles for a more authentic Korean experience.

An Asian-flavored vinaigrette with an orange juice kicker is the secret to this simple salad, while ginger and cumin give the shrimp skewers nice spice.

The king of steaks doesn't need much by way of seasoning, but this mildly spicy rub (add more red pepper if you like it hotter) gives it a little kick to complement the char-grilled flavor. If you've got an extra five minutes or so, let the onion marinate in a little balsamic vinegar before grilling; it's a very nice contrast with Vidalias' sweetness.

Blanching some of the vegetables before grilling ensures they'll be cooked to perfection, but adds only three minutes to the cooking time. You can also grill the veggies ahead of time and assemble this salad in seconds. The fantastic dressing is sure to become a staple, too; you can put it on anything.

This recipe is amazingly fast and delivers huge flavor: the perfect combination. A sweet-and-tangy salsa (add a little chopped serrano or jalapeño too if you like it hot) tops flaky and tasty halibut filets that cook to perfection in just six minutes. What's more is the whole dish comes in at less than 300 calories per serving.

Tender, charred eggplant makes for a satisfying side dish that pairs well with any protein. Harissa is great for basting—a zippy, savory sauce that balances well with the sweetness of the honey. You can find harissa in the international aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores, but you can also get it online here, or substitute any garlic chili paste.