10 recipes that will make your kid LOVE vegetables!

So your kid doesn't eat vegetables... We bring you 10 healthy and delicious recipes that are bound to make your kid love vegetables...

Recipes

Getting kids to eat veggies is a problem many parents face on a daily basis. Given this, getting kids to actually love veggies may seem like a near-impossible task!

But it can be done with these amazingly nutritious and delicious recipes that incorporate the goodness of a range of vegetables.

Click 'next' to check out these great recipes!

Pork and snap pea lo mein

This delicious lo mein recipe features lean pork loin chops and snap peas, but snow peas or asparagus work well too.

Serve it with shredded radish and cabbage tossed with rice vinegar.

Tip: If you’ve run out of noodles at home, spaghetti works as well and looks the same too!

Sweet potato fries

We all know that even the fussiest eater will usually love munching on potato fries and crisps.

But we also know that deep-fried potato fries are really just empty calories, and a whole lot of oil and starch. So why not try this healthy and delicious twist on fries instead in just 3 simple steps?

1. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch-wide sticks — use a crinkle cutter, if you like.

2. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or any other fresh/dried herb of your choice), and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft, on a parchment paper-lined pan.

Tip: You can also use carrots instead of sweet potato!

Cauliflower cheese and spinach pasta bakes

This recipe from BBC Good Food is a great way to get your kids to eat muscle-building spinach. It's very simple to make and a dish the whole family will enjoy.

If your kids love cheese, then they won’t even know they’re eating veggies as the cheese sauce in this dish is extremely, um, cheesy and utterly delish!

Tip: Along with the cauliflower, you can also add some broccoli florets for an added boost of vegetables! You can also leave out the blue cheese listed in the recipe if you like.

Eggy fried rice

Homemade fried rice is a great way to get kids to eat a heap of vegetables without even noticing. It’s also a good way of using up leftover rice and vegetables.

This BBC Good Food recipe uses egg, but if you like you can use chicken, pork or even fish and prawns (I use pink salmon).

This is a great dish because not only is it very tasty, it’s also a one-pot wonder, so to speak!

Tip: Fried rice is always tastier when made with cold rice. Do remember not to overcook the vegetables – a quick stir-fry till the veggies are just cooked and tender should be adequate.

Hidden vegetable pasta sauce

Most kids like pasta – but often with conditions. My 4-year-old, for example, just loves plain buttery pasta with cheese. Or he’ll ask for pasta with just a simple tomato sauce.

But I worry about veggie content with all my kids’ meals so I try and include vegetables in at least 2 meals.

This Annabel Karmel recipe is wonderful because her super-tasty pasta sauce is packed with vegetables – 5 different types, to be precise!

It’s a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables because they can’t see the veggies!

This sauce also works well as a pizza topping. Give it a try today – it’s really simple to make too!

Tip: You don’t have to stick to the veggies listed in the recipe. Play around and add different types of vegetables in the sauce.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

These are super-healthy, lovely to look at and since there’s really no cooking involved, you can even get your child involved in making these delicious rice paper rolls.

They are ideal for school lunchboxes, too, and very simple to prepare. Click here for the recipe.

Tip: If you are packing these for your child’s lunch, slice the vegetables the night before and pack them away in the fridge in an airtight container. Then all you have to do is quickly assemble them in the morning.

Sesame noodles

You can’t go wrong with a Martha Stewart dish and this one actually suits our Asian palates.

Tip: Make quick work of the sauce by blitzing the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in the blender.

Do remember that sesame oil is very strong so you will only need a drop or 2 of it to flavour the sauce. Too much will result in an overpowering sesame taste, which probably won’t go down well with kids.

Also, it's fine to leave out the red-pepper flakes and add more vegetables to this dish.

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

Cannelloni is a popular Italian pasta dish of rolled sheets of pasta that are stuffed with a meat or vegetable filling.

This cannelloni recipe is quick to make, and uses a delicious filling of spinach and ricotta cheese. The tomato sauce it’s baked in adds another boost of veggie goodness – this one is a dish for the entire family!

Tip: If you can’t find tomato passata, just use a tin of tomato puree. Remember not to use tomato paste as it is very concentrated and the flavour can be overpowering. If you are adding tomato paste to a dish, you only need a a little bit to bring out that delicious tomato taste.

Sweet potato and parsnip mash

Sweet potatoes are so much healthier and tastier than plain old boring potatoes. So why not make a mash out of them and parsnips?

Your kid is sure to love this buttery and sweet dish. Here's how to make it:

Peel and cut 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes and 1 parsnip into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Boil or bake till tender.

Then mash with a bit of butter, about a tablespoon or 2 of milk, some finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

This is a great side dish for adults too!

Tip: After mashing the sweet potato and parsnip, grate some cheese on top and pop the dish in a hot oven for about 10-15 minutes, or till the cheese melts.

Butternut squash muffins

Which kid doesn’t like a yummy, moist cupcake or muffin? With this brilliant Jamie Oliver recipe, you can actually hide pumpkin in a muffin!

I bake this at home all the time and my fussy 4-year-old loves these muffins. It’s very simple to make too – just blitz everything in the food processor!

For extra goodness I often throw in finely chopped apples, raisins or nuts.

Tip: Make an extra batch and freeze them! They de-frost beautifully and you just need to pop them in the microwave oven for a few seconds to get them moist and warm again.

Written by

Nalika Unantenne

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