25 Ways to Sneak Veggies into Family Meals and Snacks

Do you worry your family isn’t getting enough vegetables in their everyday diet? Struggling with picky eaters can turn mealtimes into stressful situations. Sometimes, children need to be introduced to a food more than 10 times before they actually try it! In the meantime, try sneaking vegetables into some of their favorite foods and regular staple dishes. It’s simple to do and you will feel better knowing they are getting their proper nutrition.

Here are 25 ideas on how to sneak veggies into everyday meals and snacks:

Add avocado to baked goods

Substitute mashed avocado for butter or shortening in recipes. Try this Chocolate Avocado Muffins recipe for a tasty and gluten-free treat.

Mash some cauliflower

Substitute half of your regular mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower. Simply steam, then mash cauliflower, and add it to your mashed potatoes. Season the potato mixture as normal.

Add baby spinach to smoothies

The sweetness of fruit masks all taste of the spinach. A dark colored smoothie, such as blueberry or cherry, hides the color of the spinach as well.

Add pumpkin to oatmeal

Make pumpkin pie style oatmeal by adding pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten it up.

Add veggies to scrambled eggs

Finely chop broccoli and add it into scrambled eggs. Pureed cauliflower also works and can’t be seen when mixed in with the eggs.

Add carrots to pancakes

Add carrots to pancakes for a carrot cake flavored breakfast. If the kids will complain at the site of shredded carrots in their flap jacks, simply mix up the ingredients in a blender to give it a smooth texture. Carrot Spice Pancakes are a healthy and gluten free comfort food for weekend mornings.

Shred spinach into hamburgers

Shred up spinach and add into hamburgers or meatballs. It will add vitamins and help keep the burgers from drying out. Our Precision Pro Digital Food Thermometer helps you cook your burgers to perfection. The slim 1.5mm probe ensures the juices stay inside the meat for a delicious dinner.

Grate zucchini into cakes

Peel and finely chop zucchini, squeeze out extra liquid, and add into cakes, muffins, or quick breads. It will add moistness and nutrients without sacrificing the flavor.

Pump up macaroni and cheese

Mix in some chopped vegetables with the macaroni and cheese. If your family members will pick out the veggies, add pureed butternut squash. The cheese masks the orange color as well as the taste.

Make zucchini tots

Disguise zucchini by mixing it with egg, cheese, and bread crumbs and baking. If your little ones won’t eat anything green, peel the skin off of the zucchini. This tot recipe is simple to make and tastes delicious.

Make veggie fries

For a twist on French fries, lightly bread and bake vegetables. Avocado Fries with Sweet and Spicy Peach Dipping Sauce could become a new family favorite.

Add veggies to your marinara

Tomato sauce is already a win but you can add in extra nutrition with grated carrots, zucchini, and onion. Add in mushrooms for a nice meaty texture.

Add vegetables to casseroles

Finely cut up vegetables are virtually undetectable in casseroles. The flavors mesh together so the vegetables don’t stand out.

Add spinach to baked ziti

Add chopped spinach to your ricotta mixture when making baked ziti or lasagna.

Use cauliflower in soup

Pureed cauliflower gives soups a creamy, silky feel without adding any dairy. For extra depth of flavor, roast the cauliflower before pureeing it.

Make chicken soup

It’s easy to add carrots and celery, chopped up turnips, and other mild vegetables to your chicken soup.

Substitute squash for noodles

Instead of using traditional pasta from a box, make spaghetti squash and top with your favorite sauce.

Make zoodles

Zucchini noodles are another good substitution for pasta. No spiralizer on hand? Here’s an easy tutorial on making zoodles with vegetable peeler.

Add vegetables to enchiladas

Sneak in some sweet potatoes, zucchini, or spinach into your enchiladas or burritos. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas are full of vegetables but the sauce and cheese help disguise the flavor.

Top the pizza with veggies

With sauce and cheese to help mask the taste, almost any type of vegetable works well as a topping for pizza. Zucchini sliced thin and sprinkled with a little red pepper has a taste similar to pepperoni.

Add pumpkin to chili

Pumpkin puree helps thicken up chili while adding some key vitamins. Pureed butternut squash works equally as well.

Sneak pureed vegetables into stew

If your kids won’t eat the veggies in the stew, rather than skip the peas and carrots, simply puree them. The broth will help hide the colors and the taste of the vegetables.

Add beets for Red Velvet Cupcakes

Skip the food coloring and use beets to naturally color Red Velvet Cupcakes. The flavor of the chocolate disguises the taste of the beets.

Add veggies to Sloppy Joes

Grated carrots, diced onion, and finely chopped red peppers are virtually undetectable when mixed in your favorite Sloppy Joes recipe.

Make your own fried rice

Sweet soy sauce helps ease the taste of vegetables when you make DIY fried rice. Combined with rice, egg, and soy sauce, the veggies will simple help boost the nutritional content, and make the meal more colorful. With a little creativity, you can introduce new vegetables without a lot of complaining from your family. You may even find yourself eating more vegetables than you normally do! #winwin

You may also enjoy reading 5 High Protein Snack Ideas for Kids.