Our Best Weeknight Grilling Recipes

Individual plate of grilled chicken with marinated tomatoes and onions — Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

We love making the most of grilling season and filling our summer meal plans with grilled seafood and hearty burgers. And if they're quick, too? Even better. In this recipe collection, we're highlighting 10 grilling recipes that take an hour or less to make, so you can just as easily enjoy them on a busy night as you can on a low-key afternoon. If you're looking for a chicken recipe, try this one for Grilled Chicken with Marinated Tomatoes and Onions (and don't forget crusty bread for sopping up all those juices). Prefer lamb? These sliders only ask for 35 minutes of your time, and make a fresh meal paired with a lettuce and cucumber salad and Yogurt-Tahini Sauce. You'll also find recipes for barbecued tofu, grilled shrimp, and more. Whichever one you choose, dinner will be done fast.

01 of 11

Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette

Grilled Peppers and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Cookbook author Molly Stevens' panzanella uses grilled sweet peppers and onions in place of tomatoes as the centerpiece of this dinner salad. The charred vegetables are tossed with cubes of grilled bread, drizzled with a peperoncini vinaigrette, and topped with creamy feta and crisp slices of peperoncini, which add pops of flavor and contrasting texture. This is a highly adaptable salad; try incorporating your favorite sweet or hot peppers and grilling other vegetables, such as squash and eggplant planks, alongside the peppers, if you like.

Get the Recipe

02 of 11

Entrecôte with Green Olive Tapenade Butter

Entecote with Green Olive Tapenade Butter — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This recipe offers a simple technique for both a perfectly cooked rib eye and a flavorful compound butter packed with pungent anchovies, piquant Dijon mustard, and salty capers that packs a briny punch when melted onto the juicy grilled steaks. Look for small and nutty picholine olives, sweet and buttery Castelvetrano olives, or large and tart Cerignola olives in the olive bar or at specialty grocery stores. For a classic bistro-inspired meal, serve the steak alongside a pile of french fries and a mesclun salad. You can keep the butter in the freezer for up to three months to quickly upgrade grilled steaks, pork chops, or fish fillets.

Get the Recipe

03 of 11

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Lemongrass-Lime Aïoli

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lemongrass Lime Aioli — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Sweet, mild grilled mahi-mahi harmonizes with an aïoli featuring lemongrass and lime. The creamy aïoli comes together in seconds using an immersion blender, resulting in a silky texture that's less likely to break and adding richness and zest to a classic summer meal.

Get the Recipe

04 of 11

Korean Barbecued Tofu

Chicago chef Bill Kim created this recipe for his cookbook, Korean BBQ, to show how well tofu takes on flavors when marinated and grilled. He uses his Korean BBQ Sauce as a marinade, adding a jolt of spice with sambal oelek and light fruit flavors with kiwi and Asian pear. The Blackening Seasoning used to season the tofu before it is grilled balances chili powder with sweet paprika. Save any leftover Blackening Seasoning and BBQ Sauce to use on grilled tofu or meat.

Get the Recipe

05 of 11

Grilled Chicken with Marinated Tomatoes and Onions

In under an hour, heirloom tomatoes and slivers of red onion are transformed into a savory sauce that brings bright, summery flavor to this simple grilled chicken. Chicken cutlets quickly pick up the flavors of the tomatoes and onions; let them soak in the marinade after cooking for an extra kick.

Get the Recipe

06 of 11

Garlicky Grilled Shrimp

Cookbook author and tv star Marcella Valladolid keeps her grilled shrimp simple but super-tasty, marinating them quickly in a mix of garlic, onion, white wine, and lime juice. Round the meal out with steamed rice as well berry-scented rosé for drinks, if you'd like.

Get the Recipe

07 of 11

Grilled Halloumi Burgers with Citrus Tapenade

Grilled Halloumi Burger with Citrus Tapenade — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn

These vegetarian burgers feature halloumi, a tangy, salty cheese from Cyprus that holds its shape when heated, making it ideal for the grill. When grilled or sautéed, halloumi develops a charred crust that yields to soft cheese inside. Here, we cut the halloumi across the equator for the centerpiece of the burger, and season it with cumin, salt, and pepper. It's then topped with a citrusy olive tapenade with just enough crushed red pepper flakes to lend it a touch of heat. A lemony aïoli complements the citrus in the tapenade and natural tang of the halloumi. The roasted red peppers round out this burger; be sure to blot them dry before using so they don't slip out of the bun when you take a bite. Try to seek out brioche buns for these burgers; their slightly sweet flavor works perfectly here.

Get the Recipe

08 of 11

Tira de Asado (Argentinean-Style Grilled Beef Short Ribs)

Costillas (Argentinean Grilled Beef Short Ribs) — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

League of Kitchens cooking instructor Mirta Rinaldi shared this recipe for Tira de Asado, Argentinean-style grilled beef short ribs. The meaty short ribs are a favorite asado recipe, and to go with them, Rinaldi makes a Balsamic Chimichurri. Between the recipe for the short ribs and the chimichurri, the dish takes 45 minutes to make all together.

Get the Recipe

09 of 11

Grilled Chicken with Banana Pepper Dip and Fattoush

Grilled Chicken with Banana Pepper Dip Recipe — Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson

2001 F&W Best New Chef Anita Lo's 2018 cookbook SOLO celebrates the joy of cooking for one, just like this weeknight-friendly grilled chicken recipe with a twist. "The banana pepper dip in this recipe is perhaps my favorite recipe that my partner's mother Bonnie Attea makes," Lo says. "It's a three-ingredient wonder that makes a weeknight chicken breast exciting. Banana peppers can vary on the heat scale so taste a little before mixing, and mitigate with a little cayenne per your taste." Leftover banana pepper dip works well as a spread in sandwiches, or as a dip with pita crackers or crudités. While pre-crumbled feta may be used in the dip, blocks of feta crumble easily, and result in a richer, creamier texture.

Get the Recipe

10 of 11

Lamb Sliders with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Grilled Lamb Sliders with Romaine Salad and Tahini Sauce — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

A symphony of herbs — in the form of za'atar — and little bits of toasted pine nuts add bright flavor and texture to the grilled ground lamb patties that accompany this fresh summer salad. The accompanying Yogurt-Tahini Sauce comes together seamlessly, requiring just five ingredients: yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and kosher salt.

Get the Recipe

11 of 11

Spice-Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

You only need five ingredients for this easy but delicious spice-rubbed pork tenderloin. Serve it alongside grilled onions and polenta, or slice it into sandwiches or to top a grain bowl.

Spice-Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!