Grilled Romaine Lettuce

If you’ve never grilled lettuce before, you are about to have your world flipped upside down! This grilled romaine with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese is a favorite side dish recipe during the grilling season. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar create the salad dressing drizzled over the top take these grilled hearts of romaine to a whole new level, then topped with a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese!

Why I Love This Recipe

I tend to use my amazing grill almost every night for dinner in the summer. And, now that we are living in Arizona, I try to make our whole dinner on the grill to keep the house from heating up more than it does when it is 115 degrees outside!! Don’t even get me started about when it gets hotter than that…

Because my family loves hamburgers so much, I grill them about once a week, along with our favorite grilled chicken marinade, grilled pork loin chops, and a grilled protein skewer. I never struggle to come up with great proteins on the grill, but side dishes are a different story altogether. And then I discovered grilled romaine lettuce! 

While you may have never considered grilling romaine lettuce before, I need you to trust me on this one. A short few minutes on a hot grill transforms a relatively bland green into something with a depth of flavor that you will want to make over and over again.

What is Grilled Romaine

Grilled romaine lettuce is a simple recipe that uses a heart of romaine that is cut in half length-wise, allowing the stem to hold both halves together. The romaine is brushed with olive oil and seasoning before a quick trip to a very hot grill. The grill slightly wilts the outside of the lettuce and provides a beautiful amount of smokiness to the lettuce. Once the romaine has been quickly grilled on both sides, it is removed from the grill, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, then sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Romaine Ingredients

Of course, you can customize this recipe to suit your tastes, but these are the basic ingredients used in grilled romaine hearts. I’ve also included a few recipe variation suggestions that you can try out as well. 

• Romaine lettuce hearts
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh garlic
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• Fresh parmesan cheese

How to Make Grilled Romaine Lettuce

The key to grilling romaine hearts is to be sure your grill is hot to start so they can caramelize quickly instead of a slow cook where they would get mushy. Keep the lid open to keep the sear and char intense on the outside without overcooking the inside of the lettuce.

1. Preheat the grill so it is very hot. The correct grill temperature is vital so you get a quick, hot char on the lettuce instead of steamed lettuce from too low of a temperature. 
2. Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise so the core holds the leaves onto both sides of the head.
3. Brush with olive oil on both the cut side and the outside of each half. 
4. Season the lettuce with kosher salt and pepper.
5. Grill for one to two minutes on each side until charred and slightly wilted on the outside layer.
6. Drizzle the grilled lettuce with quality balsamic vinegar.
7. Add fresh Parmesan cheese over the top of the warm lettuce.
8. Serve

What to Serve with Grilled Romaine Lettuce

Honestly, the options are endless! Grilled romaine lettuce is just another side dish salad to serve with your dinner. Wherever you would serve a green salad, use this grilled lettuce recipe instead! Because the recipe does have Italian flavors from the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese, I will recommend pairing the salad with any of the following main dish recipes:

• Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake 
• Mushroom Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce
• Parmesan Chicken Bake
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Lemon Artichoke Pasta

Lettuce on the Grill FAQs

Can I substitute iceberg lettuce for the romaine?

Yes, that substitution would work well. Cut the head of iceberg lettuce into 8 wedges. The key is to keep enough of the stem of the head of lettuce so it won’t fall apart on the grill. You can also use some long, sharp skewers in the center of each wedge to hold it all together when you flip the lettuce. 

My grilled romaine turned out mushy. What did I do wrong?

Yes, something definitely went wrong. There is a difference between slightly wilted romaine lettuce and mushy lettuce! It sounds like your lettuce steamed because you used too low of a temperature on your grill. Turn it up higher and you should be great!

My grilled lettuce burned! What did I do wrong?

Sounds like you had the opposite problem as the person above you  🙂 Your grill was either too hot, or you left it on the grill for too long. First, I would suggest trying a slightly lower temperature on your grill and seeing how that works. Be sure to watch your time closely and don’t let it cook for too long. If this is still not solving your problem, use the coolest spot on your grill. For most gas grills, that would be the back of the grilling surface. 

What Does Grilled Romaine Taste Like?

When romaine hearts are grilled, their natural sugars caramelize on the outside so the lettuce becomes much sweeter. Plus, you get that delicious smokiness from the open flame of your grill. The outside of the lettuce softens and wilts just a bit, but the inside is still firm and cool.

What Is The Difference Between Romaine Lettuce And Romaine Hearts?

They both come from the same head of lettuce. Romaine hearts are simply the center of a head of romaine lettuce. The hearts are lighter in color, sweeter, and more tender than the outer leaves of a head of romaine lettuce. They are also sturdier which makes them perfect for grilling.

Grilled Romaine Recipe Variations

Being a home cook provides endless opportunities to experiment with recipes, personalizing them to your tastes and creativity. Any of the following variations would be great spin-offs of this grilled romaine lettuce recipe.

1. Create a main dish salad by chopping up the finished lettuce before adding the balsamic and Parmesan, then add any form of grilled protein, or leftover protein, you have on hand. 
2. Add grilled vegetables to your salad. Grilled asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, or squash would all be great additions. Once both the lettuce and veggies are finished grilling, chop them up into bite-sized pieces, add the quality balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
3. Take a Mediterranean direction. After the lettuce comes off the grill, drizzle with quality red wine vinegar, and add chopped Kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, red onions, and feta cheese. 
4. Add blue cheese and bacon to the salad for a whole different flavor profile in the grilled romaine. 
5. Serve with Casear salad dressing instead of adding the balsamic vinegar after grilling the lettuce. Add a few croutons, along with the fresh parmesan cheese, and you’ll have a delicious salad.

Grilled Romaine Video

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