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10 Ways to Sneak Veggies into Your Kids' Favorite Foods

Shhh ... They'll never know!

By Charlotte Linde, publisher of Macaroni KID EATS and Macaroni KID Cedar Rapids, Iowa January 15, 2024

Is one of your goals in 2024 to get your kids to eat more veggies? We're on board. Let's make this the year we turn those little veggie skeptics into veggie enthusiasts.

Here are 10 creative ideas to get those greens on the table and into those tiny tummies ... and they'll never even have to know.



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Spaghetti sauce makeover

Transform your regular spaghetti sauce into a veggie-packed masterpiece. Roast up some carrots, onions, and garlic, blend them into a smooth sauce, and add to your usual spaghetti sauce.



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Brownie brilliance

Want to add a nutritious punch to brownies? Blend in a cup or so of finely chopped spinach or mashed black beans into the batter. They'll never know it's there.



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Muffin magic

Grate a cup of zucchini and add it to muffin, cupcake, or cake mix. It's like a veggie surprise in every bite.



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Meatloaf makeover

Add grated zucchini and finely chopped mushrooms to your ground beef mixture for meatloaf, hamburgers, or meatballs. Sneaky and delicious.



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Potato power-up

Steam and blend cauliflower, then mix into mashed potatoes. Creamy and healthy – a win-win.



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Creamy mac & cheese goodness

Revamp macaroni and cheese by blending cauliflower and/or sweet potatoes into your cheese sauce (or any other cream sauce!). Your kids will never suspect a thing!



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Pasta playtime

Swap out pasta with zucchini noodles. If that's too much? Get crafty and mix both pasta and "zoodles" for the best of both worlds.



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Soup surprise

Kids turning up their noses at chunky veggies in their soup? Steam those veggies until soft and blend them into the stock. Carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, peas, and zucchini all work like a charm.



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Terrific tacos

Finely chop mushrooms and broccoli, toss them in a sauté pan, and cook them up with ground beef for a deliciously sneaky taco filling.



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Smoothie secrets

Sneak some spinach into a dark berry smoothie. They'll never taste it.


Although we are being a bit sneaky with these hacks, adding more vegetables to your kids' diet is always a win in our book.

Now go eat those veggies!