Grilled Baby Carrots

When the hot weather arrives we either go raw or grill. I’m not about to turn on the stove or the oven when it’s 95 degrees. It actually works out well because my husband is totally obsessed with his Weber grill. Every day he asks me: “What are we having for dinner and can I grill it?”

Well, I picked up the most sweet, floral tasting baby carrots at the Bethel Municipal Center Farmer’s Market. I’m not talking about those formed nubby looking things from the supermarket, but honest to goodness baby-sized carrots. 

Normally I’d just nosh away on raw carrots as I pander about the kitchen, but then I wouldn’t have anything to share with you all now would I. So, we decided to grill ’em!

Wow, yet another thing I never before thought to grill and don’t know why! Carrots, baby or otherwise, are amazing when grilled. The enhanced sweetness mixed with the grilled smokiness are made for each other.

Not to mention that prep time is practically nill. Scrub them, trim the ends, keep them whole and brush with some olive oil, sprinkle with whatever seasoning you like and then toss them on the grill. Boom, that’s it.

The cooking time depends on the size of the carrots. It’s easiest when the carrots are all roughly the same size. If you have a few really big ones, then just cut those in half lengthwise so they will cook at the same rate as the smaller ones. The key is to maintain a nice even heat.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches baby carrots (8-10 carrots total)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt & black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Get your grill going.
2. Scrub the carrots and trim off the greens.
3. Dry and toss into a large bowl.
4. Drizzle in the olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
5. When your coals are ready, distribute them in an even layer so there is an even heat.
6. Place the carrots on the grill.
7. Grill until fork tender. Every few minutes rotate the carrots so they cook evenly on all sides. The total cooking time for the baby carrots was about 8 minutes.
8. Serve warm or room temperature.

Alternatives

• Once the carrots are done cooking squeeze on some fresh lime juice and sprinkle on fresh chopped herbs like parsley or cilantro.

What’s cooking on your grill? What do you now grill that you never thought to grill before?