When it’s too hot to use the stove top or, even worse, the oven, it’s time to turn to the grill. My favorite grilling recipes will take you from easy weeknight meals, to date night dinner, to a low stress dinner party. All without heating up the house!
While I love all my recipes, some become family favorites. Made again and again. These are my back-pocket recipes which I pull out when I need a quick meal, a hearty side, something simple but impressive for guests, or it’s Saturday night and we all just want a steak.
My Favorite Grilling Recipes
Each of these favorite grilling recipes is packed full of flavor, is simple to execute (though some need to be marinated), and shows a strong Mediterranean influence. And each has been shared with multiple friends and family over the years. So, get your grill fired up because it’s time to make dinner!
1. Grilled Sicilian Swordfish with Oregano
Grilled Sicilian Swordfish is the newest of my favorites, since I only started making in recent months. It’s also the simplest on this list! The method for this recipe relies on a post grill soaking marinade full of oregano, olive oil, and lemon juice. Grill up the swordfish, let it soak up the sauce, and top it all with some diced fresh tomatoes. While you’re at it, toss some sliced summer squash on the grill to complete the meal.
This is a 30 minute meal full of fresh summer flavors, perfect for those nights when it’s 5 o’clock and you’re still trying to decide what to pick up for dinner.
2. Paprika Rubbed Steak with Brandy Blue Cheese Sauce
Looking for a date-night meal to please the meat eater in your life? This Spanish style paprika rubbed steak has been a standard in our family for over a decade. First you cook up a quick blue cheese cream sauce. Then, you give the juicy, tender ribeye a paprika rub and sear it on the grill.
Add a salad, a nice bottle of red, and maybe some bread, and you have an easy, but impressive, date night meal! Can’t go wrong with that.
3. Grilled Italian Pasta Salad
Sometimes, even in summer, you just need some pasta salad. My pasta salad takes on Italian flavors and is tossed with a lemon juice and olive dressing instead of the usual heavy mayonnaise. But what makes it a keeper for hot weather dining and bringing to bbqs is that I grill up the veggies before I toss them into the salad.
By grilling the vegetables you get that roasted flavor without turning on the oven! Also, make sure to use hearty vegetables which can stand up to the dressing, since this pasta salad is great to make in the morning for evening dining.
4. Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Sage
Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite meats to put on the grill. For some reason it never occurred to me to try grilling pork tenderloin until a few years ago. Crazy, right? Because pork tenderloin is a tender (it’s in name 😉 ), compact, inexpensive roast which is perfect for 2-3 people. (4 if you have plenty of sides.) And so good! We grill them all the time now.
Just note that this recipe needs a marinade, so plan ahead!
5. Breaded Grilled Chicken Breasts
This recipe remains my favorite way to grill chicken breasts. The thin pieces and the coating of breadcrumbs keep the chicken moist and tender. And the flavor of grilled breadcrumbs is awesome! Add a simple, garlicky tomato salad and you have a weeknight meal. One that has been a hit with everyone I’ve served it to over the years.
A couple of tips: dried breadcrumbs are best, use thin chicken, and quickly cook it over a hot grill. Though you’ll need more time for the prep work (chopping the tomatoes, breading the chicken, and so on), you can cook this meal in less than five minutes.
6. Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with a Herb Rub
I end this roundup of favorite grilling recipes with one of my favorite holiday/having people over for a summer dinner party/special occasion recipes. Unlike the pork tenderloin, leg of lamb is not a cheap cut of meat, but it is intensely flavorful and a recipe I’ve turned to again and again.
The secrets to this recipe are to butterfly it nice and flat so it cooks quickly, to trim off much of the fat so (though not all) so it doesn’t end up burnt from flare ups on the grill, and to make an intense herb and garlic paste which is rubbed all over the lamb and left to sit overnight. Since all the prep is done ahead of time, once it’s time to cook it all looks easy and you can spend time on sides or relaxing with your guests.
If you try any of my Favorite Grilling Recipes, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience! Either here or on the recipe post. You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
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