Don’t underestimate this grilled pork and veggie salad. It’s incredible! The veggies are grilled, too, and the flavors are out of this world good.
This amazing grilled pork and veggie salad totally blew me away. It is one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten.
The ingredients are simple. But don’t underestimate them.
Thanks to a few small steps, this salad is loaded with flavor. Grilled pork. Grilled onions. Grilled green beans (yesssss!). And one tiny ingredient decision you’re going to have to make all by yourself.
Choose wisely.
How to Make Sure Pork Chops are Juicy and Not Terribly Dry
How do you ensure juicy, tender pork?
You marinate it. And not just any marinade. You use a tried-and-true recipe with over 100 5-star reviews. Trust me, it makes the best pork chops ever.
I’m using behemothly thick boneless pork chops. You can use bone-in pork chops or thinner cut pork chops. With this marinade, you really can’t mess up the pork.
- olive oil
- soy sauce
- steak seasoning
That’s it! Let the pork marinade for at least three hours or up to 24 hours.
Grilling the Veggies
One of the huge flavor components to this recipe is: GRILLED VEGGIES.
Please, please, please don’t skip them or cook them another way. And if you normally hate onions, will you, for my sake, at least try grilling them before making a final decision to cut them out of your life completely?
They are incredible. And so are the grilled green beans.
I don’t have a grill basket so I use a cast iron skillet right on the grill for the beans. They get ever so slightly charred on the edges but stay crisp-tender with just a tiny bit of crunch. Yum.
Once the pork, green beans and onions are grilled perfectly, they get a little choppy-do into bite-size pieces.
Don’t forget to let the pork rest for a few minutes after coming off the grill! This will keep all the juices inside instead of leaking out if it’s cut too soon. Also, you can decide whether to toss the pork pieces in the salad or serve slices of grilled pork alongside.
The biggest choice of all
The biggest, and perhaps most defining, choice of this salad is whether to use:
Your decision will speak volumes about your soul. ? I am a HUGE blue cheese fan. Huge. So there is no question where I stand, but only one of my children has my perfect genetic taste buds, so the rest of the family goes for feta.
It really is delicious either way.
Fresh basil
Another punch of flavor comes from the fresh basil. Heavenly yumminess in a bundle of greenery.
It’s worth waiting to make this salad until you can get your hands on some. I’m not sure dried basil will compete – but I suppose you could experiment with another fresh herb. Parsley? Tarragon? Cilantro?
If you live on the edge and vary the fresh herbs, please do report back.
My process for assembling:
- toss the romaine lettuce, grilled green beans, and grilled onions together in a serving bowl
- whisk together the delightfully simple but absolutely necessary dressing and toss with the salad ingredients
- choose whether to add the chopped or sliced pork or serve alongside
- add feta or blue cheese and thinly sliced or torn basil to the top of the salad and give a light toss…or not
- serve immediately
- try not to die from the deliciousness
Really, you guys, this is easily one of my favorite main dish salads of all time. It’s one of those meals you could serve to me on a gold platter every single night, and I would never be mad.
Although the ingredient list looks long, it comes together really fast once the pork has marinaded.
Grilling notes
It’s time to reconnect with your grill! Be it charcoal, propane or pellet. I have a pellet grill. I’ve owned both a CampChef and Traeger at different times – highly recommend them both.
I used to be intimidated by grilling until about a decade ago, I decided to conquer it once and for all. What I found? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. And I’ve never looked back. #yearroundgriller
My plea(s) to you: please fire up the grill and make this recipe. Please find a way to make the grilled onions and green beans happen. Please grow or find some fresh basil. Please hop on board Team Blue Cheese. ?
Mostly, please let me know what you think when you try this recipe! I’m going to be eating it all summer.
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Yield: Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
Ingredients
Pork + Marinade:
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork chops (see note)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
- 2 teaspoons steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or see note below for a homemade version)
Salad:
- 8 to 12 ounces fresh green beans
- 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 medium heads romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup feta or blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced or torn fresh basil
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- For the pork, mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning together in a small bowl. Add the pork chops to a large ziploc bag or flat dish and pour the marinade ingredients over the top, turning so the pork is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to grill, heat a charcoal, propane or pellet grill to medium or medium-high heat (I set my pellet grill to 375 degrees F).
- Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of coarse, kosher salt and pepper. Rub another tablespoon or so of olive oil over both sides of all the onion slices (carefully so the onions don’t separate into rings) and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Grill the pork chops for 6-8 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees F. If your grill is large enough, grill the onions and green beans alongside the pork (or grill in batches – the pork should rest for 5-10 minutes after grilling).
- Place the onion slices directly on the grill grates and grill for 4-5 minutes per side until tender. Grill the green beans in a grill basket or cast iron skillet until sizzling and crisp tender, 6-8 minutes.
- Chop the romaine hearts into bite-size pieces and add to a serving bowl. Chop the grilled onions and green beans into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with the romaine lettuce.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the salad and toss to combine.
- After the pork rests, chop into bite-size pieces or cut into thin slices. Toss with the salad ingredients or serve alongside.
- Add feta or blue cheese crumbles and fresh basil to the salad. Give a light toss. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pork Chops: you can use boneless or bone-in pork chops. Don’t grill too long or they’ll be dry (either one). I’ve had the best luck with 2-inch thick boneless pork chops (from Costco).
Steak Seasoning: here’s an easy and delicious copycat recipe for the Montreal Steak Seasoning: 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon kosher/coarse salt, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander, 1/2 tablespoon dill, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Combine all the spices together and store in an airtight container.
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Recipe Source: sent to me by an awesome reader, Kristen R. (I owe you big time, my friend) – looks like it was originally from a Better, Homes and Garden magazine from October 2015 (I adapted it quite a bit: marinating the pork, changing the dressing)
