Jamie Oliver’s grilled green grain salad chars asparagus, tenderstem broccoli, green beans, spring onions and green chillies on the barbecue, chops them and tosses them through cooked mixed grains with a blitzed green dressing of avocado, mint, parsley, charred chilli and lemon. Finished with feta and pumpkin seeds. Six servings, 25 minutes, 296 kcal.
The recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s BBQ book. This is the lightest dish in the entire Oliver set at 296 kcal, and it’s the one that proves a barbecue doesn’t have to be all meat and fat. Every green vegetable gets charred for smokiness, the grains give substance, and the avocado-herb dressing does the work of both a sauce and a fat component.
The blitzed green dressing is what holds it together. Avocado, mint, parsley, charred chilli and lemon juice go into the blender and come out as a vivid, creamy, spicy drizzle that coats the grains and vegetables without any dairy or oil beyond a couple of tablespoons. The charred chilli gives the dressing a smoky heat that echoes the grill.
Jamie Oliver Grilled Green Grain Salad
Course: Salads, SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes15
minutes296
kcal25
minutesJamie Oliver’s barbecue grain salad from his BBQ book: charred green vegetables tossed through mixed grains with a blitzed avocado, mint, chilli and lemon dressing, finished with feta and pumpkin seeds. The lightest dish on the grill. Serves six.
Ingredients
500g mixed asparagus, tenderstem broccoli and green beans
1 bunch of spring onions
olive oil
2 fresh green chillies
2 x 250g packets of cooked mixed grains
½ a bunch of mint (15g)
1 large ripe avocado
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
50g feta cheese
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Directions
- Grill the vegetables:Light the barbecue with a graduated setup. Trim the asparagus, broccoli, beans and spring onions, spritz with olive oil and prick the chillies. Line the veg in a grill basket and grill for 6 minutes, turning halfway, until softened and charred. Char the chillies alongside. Remove to a board.
- Combine with the grains:Heat the grains to packet instructions and tip into a large serving bowl. Finely chop the charred vegetables, leaving asparagus and broccoli tips whole, and scrape into the bowl.
- Make the green dressing:Pick most of the mint into a blender, reserving the baby leaves. Add the parsley (stalks and all), halve, destone and scoop in the avocado. Scrape the worst blackened skin from the chillies, deseed, and add with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until smooth, loosening with water to a drizzleable consistency. Season.
- Finish:Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Crumble over the feta, scatter the pumpkin seeds and reserved mint leaves.
FAQs
What are cooked mixed grains?
Pre-cooked pouches of mixed grains, typically a blend of things like quinoa, bulgur wheat, spelt, barley and lentils, sold in the rice aisle. Oliver uses them because they’re ready in 2 minutes (just heat to packet instructions), which keeps the dish under 25 minutes. Merchant Gourmet and own-brand versions are widely available.
If you’d rather cook from scratch, cook 250g of dried grains (quinoa, bulgur or freekeh all work) in salted water, drain and cool slightly before tossing. It adds 15-20 minutes but gives you more control over texture. The grains are the bulk of the dish, so use ones you enjoy eating.
Do I need a grill basket?
It helps a lot. Small vegetables like green beans and asparagus spears tend to fall through barbecue grates, and a grill basket keeps everything contained so you can turn the whole batch in one movement. Oliver specifies one for easier handling, and it’s one of the most useful barbecue accessories you can own.
Without one, lay the vegetables perpendicular to the grill bars so they don’t drop through, or thread the beans and asparagus onto soaked wooden skewers. The spring onions and broccoli are sturdy enough to sit directly on the grate.
Can I make this without a barbecue?
Yes. Griddle the vegetables in a smoking-hot griddle pan in batches for the same 6 minutes, turning halfway. You get the char marks and some smokiness, just without the charcoal depth. The chillies can go under a kitchen grill or directly over a gas flame until blackened.
The dressing, grains, feta and seeds are all done off the barbecue anyway, so only the charring step needs adapting. For a fully indoor version, roasting the vegetables at 220°C for 12-15 minutes gives caramelisation rather than char, which is a slightly different but still good result.
Why char the chillies before putting them in the dressing?
Charring transforms raw green chilli from a sharp, one-note heat into something rounder, smokier and sweeter. The blackened skin comes off, taking the bitterness with it, and the softened flesh blitzes smoothly into the avocado dressing, distributing the heat evenly rather than leaving you with a raw-chilli bite.
It’s the same reason Oliver chars tomatoes and peppers for his romesco cauliflower sauce: grilling aromatics before blitzing them gives the finished sauce a depth that raw ingredients can’t match. The charred chilli in this dressing is what makes it taste grilled rather than just green.
Is this a main course or a side?
Both, by design. At 296 kcal and with grains, avocado, feta and vegetables, it’s a light but complete vegetarian main for six. Oliver also suggests it as part of a bigger spread, and he specifically recommends pairing it with his pomegranate and harissa chicken or quick beetroot mackerel from the same book.
As a side, it sits alongside any grilled meat or fish without competing. On a barbecue spread with his prawn skewers and ajoblanco or halloumi and strawberry skewers, it’s the fresh, green, grain-based plate that balances the richer dishes.
Can I make it ahead?
The grains, charred vegetables and dressing can all be prepped ahead and assembled just before serving, which makes it ideal for a barbecue where you’re juggling several dishes. The dressing keeps in the fridge for a day (the avocado stays green because of the lemon juice), and the grains hold at room temperature.
Don’t toss everything together until you’re ready to eat, since the dressing softens the vegetables and the grains absorb it over time. Keep the feta, pumpkin seeds and mint leaves for scattering at the last moment, so they stay distinct on top rather than sinking in.
