Simple Ways to Eat More Vegetables
Sneak vegetables into popular meals and snacks (pizza, soups, smoothies, burgers, tacos, pasta, etc.) using these creative ideas.
One of the most practical ways to start eating healthier is to add vegetables to a meal or snack.
Vegetables are a great way to increase the amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you consume, while also adding color and fiber to help keep you full.
Below are some ways to add vegetables to popular food items.
Chips and crackers
Replace half a portion of chips or crackers with a crispy vegetable:
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Pea pods
Etc.
You could also find and test a recipe for homemade vegetable chips using beets, kale, or sweet potatoes.
Eggs
Add your choice of sautéed vegetables to an omelet, scramble, or breakfast burrito:
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Onion
Spinach
Tomato
Zucchini
Etc.
Pasta or noodle dishes
Replace some or all of the noodles in a dish with a spiralized vegetable:
Squash
Sweet potato
Zucchini
Etc.
Choose a plant-based pasta sauce instead of a cream-based sauce and add vegetables to it:
Bell peppers
Kale
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Etc.
Pizza
Add vegetable toppings to a pizza:
Artichoke
Bell pepper
Mushroom
Onion
Spinach
Tomato
Zucchini
Etc.
Rice dishes
Replace some or all of the traditional rice in a recipe with a grated (“riced”) vegetable:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Etc.
Make a baked stuffed vegetable:
Serve rice and other ingredients inside a topless bell pepper.
Scoop your rice dish into zucchini boats (zucchini cut lengthwise with the pulp scooped out).
Bake your rice dish in hollowed out eggplant halves.
Etc.
Salad
Start with a base of mixed greens:
Arugula
Cabbage
Kale
Spinach
Spring mix
Etc.
Load up on a variety of different colored vegetables:
Beets
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Fennel
Green beans
Jicama
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Radishes
Tomato
Etc.
Sandwiches, burgers, and tacos
Add a variety of sliced or shredded vegetables to a sandwich, burger, or taco:
Bell pepper
Cabbage
Carrots
Cucumber
Lettuce (or other greens)
Mushrooms
Onion
Sprouts
Tomato
Zucchini
Etc.
Replace bread or a bun with lettuce:
Serve sandwich ingredients over a bed of greens to turn it into a salad.
Eat a burger between two large lettuce leaves.
Roll sandwich or taco ingredients in a large lettuce leaf to make a lettuce “burrito”.
Etc.
Make or serve chicken, tuna, or egg salad with vegetables:
Add finely chopped celery, carrots, onion, or bell pepper to your “salad” mix.
Serve chicken salad on cucumber or tomato slices.
Use tuna salad as a dip for carrot or celery sticks.
Etc.
You could also add a small salad or side of vegetables to your meal.
Ground meat
Add finely chopped or grated vegetables to ground meat before cooking it:
Bell pepper
Carrots
Celery
Mushrooms
Onions
Etc.
Smoothies
Blend baby greens or other vegetables into your smoothie or smoothie bowl:
Celery
Cucumber
Kale
Spinach
Etc.
Soups and stews
Add a variety of different colored vegetables to a soup or stew. This can be done whether you make your soup from scratch or from a can.
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Collard greens
Green beans
Kale
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Spinach
Turnips
Zucchini
Etc.
If you make your soup or stew from scratch, consider adding a mashed potato or sweet potato for thickness instead of a roux (flour and fat combination used to thicken sauces).
Baked goods
See if there’s a way to incorporate vegetables into your baking:
Add grated carrots or zucchini to a cake, bread, or muffins.
Make muffins with sweet potato or pumpkin puree.
Add black beans to brownies.
Make savory muffins that contain vegetables (corn, bell peppers, etc.).
Etc.
Be sure to follow a recipe when baking with vegetables because there are certain step you’ll want to follow. For example, if you use grated zucchini in a recipe, you’ll want to strain it first to remove excess water.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Use one of these ideas or come up with another way to make vegetables part of your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snacks.
Make one small change at a time and make it as easy as possible so you’re more likely to do it!