Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Tomatoes and Basil

Grilling romaine lettuce is easy to do and tastes incredible with some fresh tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Find out how to make perfect grilled romaine lettuce to use for an impressive, yet super easy, summer salad.

We took the kiddos to their first official amusement park over spring break to Legoland. Basically we blew their little Lego-loving minds!

While we were down in Southern California we spent a few days with some good friends, friends who have been highly neglecting their grill (I’m talking to you, Kokoa!). We weren’t having any of this, and decided to show them some easy ways to smoke food even in simplest of grills, like this one. It also got us thinking about a new video series for beginners on how to smoke food when you don’t have a smoker. Keep an eye out for that!

We showed them how to set up their kettle grill for smoking and cooked up one of our favorite foolproof recipes — smoked tri-tip. In addition we came up with this great side to pair – this Grilled Romaine Salad with Tomatoes and Basil.

The idea behind this was to do a play on a traditional bruschetta with tomatoes and basil, but this would be a more low carb version. Not that we’re switching to low carb around here. Believe me there were plenty of carbs behind the scene of this meal. Instead, we were just hoping to have something fresh and salad-like to accompany our tri-tip.

This Grilled Romaine Salad was the perfect side dish.

The topping can be made quickly by tossing together some fresh diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

How to Grill Romaine Lettuce

For grilling it’s important to choose a sturdy green like romaine because it can handle the heat without falling apart.

Simply prep it by cutting your romaine heart in half lengthwise, then drizzling it with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill both sides on direct high heat, for just a couple minutes each side.

While the lettuce is grilling place a couple of lemons (cut in half) also on the grill to heat up. You’ll use these to squeeze over the finished salad. They also just friggin’ rock!

What to do with Grilled Romaine Lettuce

Remove the lettuce from the grill and top with your tomato mix, and finish with some fresh squeezed grilled lemon and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. This will sub as an impressive topping and “dressing” for your salad.

If you’re serving this as a meal then plan on one half romaine heart per person (pictured below left). Or if you’re feeding a crowd and there are other vegetable options then just cut each half into smaller portions and guests can take as much or as little as they’d like (pictured to the right).

That’s it. Seriously. Grilled Romaine is that easy, and incredibly delicious.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Tomatoes and Basil

How to grill romaine lettuce, along with an easy tomato basil and balsamic topping.

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Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge

Ingredients

For the Grilled Romaine:

• 2 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise
• Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
• Salt and Pepper, about ½ teaspoon each per half
• 2 lemons, halved

For the topping:

• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, Roma tomatoes work well too, but use 4-5 if using Roma, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons basil, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon aged balsamic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• A pinch of fresh ground pepper less than ¼ teaspoon

Instructions

For the Grilled Romaine:

• Rinse and dry the romaine (it is important for the lettuce to be fully dry before you grill otherwise it may steam).
• Brush both sides of romaine with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Set grill to direct heat.
• Grill the romaine hearts on each side until lightly browned on both sides (about 2 minutes each side).
• While the romaine is grilling place the lemon halves on the grill about 4 minutes (until you see grill marks).
• Remove from heat, and top with the tomato basil mixture and a squeeze of fresh grilled lemon and a drizzle of aged balsamic.

For the Tomato Basil Salad:

• Place together tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper, into a bowl and toss together.

Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge!

Like This Salad? You’ll love:

Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad

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