Veggie-Loaded Roadmap: Step 1 Recipes
Are you a true veggie-skeptic who WANTS to eat vegetables while also loving what you eat? I’ve got you covered! Here are my tried-and-true veggie-loaded recipes to help even the iffiest of veggie eaters get started on their veggie-loaded journey!
What to learn more about The Veggie-Loaded Roadmap? Just enter your email here and I’ll send you this FREE resource to help you go from veggie-skeptic to veggie-lover in 3 easy steps!
How do I know if I should start at Step 1 in the Veggie-Loaded Roadmap
You might be at Step 1 if…..
- you are a veggie-skeptic.
- you prefer vegetables to be less obvious in a meal or recipe.
- you are looking for recipes that will help you eat more veggies but that you also enjoy eating.
Some tips for moving through Step 1
- You don’t need to veggie-load every day all day. I get it! It’s tempting to want to veggie-load everything! Especially when we’re using kitchen wizardry—like adding purees that you barely notice and in yummy recipes like smoothies and muffins. Aside from letting your body adjust to all the (ahem!) fiber, veggie EVERYTHING is not the goal!
- Branch out! No need to box yourself in to any one step! Does something you saw on TNN, Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok look delicious but features vegetables in a more obvious way? Dig in! If you like it, add it to your lineup! Doesn’t hit the spot? Move on without guilt.
- Don’t force it. Allow yourself to NOT like certain veggies! Maybe your tastes will change with time…maybe they won’t. We’re not the judgey-type here!
- Slow and steady wins the race. Starting with a strong aversion to anything green? No problem! Simply perusing the recipes below and throughout TNN is a great start! Curiosity goes a long way.
- Honesty goes a long way. I never recommend lying to your friends and family about what is in a dish. This only breeds distrust and solidifies the idea that veggies are something to be choked down—rather than something to be enjoyed. Allow your kids to be in the kitchen (or even helping!) while you’re cooking—and answer honestly if asked what is in a recipe.
- Put foods on the table without fanfare. Will I make a separate meal? Personally? No. But, I also won’t make a bid deal about anyone choosing what they will or won’t eat. Trust me—no one likes to be forced to eat something they don’t want to! Modeling your own newly-found adventurous food journey is MUCH more fun. Even better? No power struggles!
What if different people in my family are at different Veggie-Loaded Steps?
That is the beauty of The Veggie-Loaded Roadmap is that you can easily use recipes from different steps to make meals that the whole family will love. These Step 1 recipes will be delicious and enjoyed by people at Step 1, 2, and 3!
I often will make a Step 2 recipe as part of meal for my 10-year-old daughter and add a Step 3 to the meal for me and my husband. This not only allows my daughter to eat veggie-loaded food that she enjoys and is where she is at on her own veggie-loaded journey, but exposes her to Step 3 veggie recipes for when she is ready.
Table of Contents
Breakfast
Healthy Chocolate Muffins (with Veggies!)
With over 250 five-star reviews, they’re soft, fluffy, and full of rich chocolate flavor… with spinach and carrots blended right into the batter. Sweetened with maple syrup and made from simple, feel-good ingredients, they come together quickly, bake in about 20 minutes, and always disappear fast (especially if kids are around).
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Gluten Free “Superhero” Waffles
I'm pretty sure that any superhero would be happy to enjoy one of these delicious gluten free waffles for breakfast! High in protein, healthy fats, and veggie-loaded, these waffles have everything you need to head into the day! Naturally gluten free and dairy-free, these delicious waffles are easy to make and are great for stocking your fridge or freezer!
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Carrot Banana Protein Pancakes (vegan)
These vegan protein pancakes are not only loaded with carrots, but lentils to give them a punch of protein! Egg-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened with bananas and a little maple syrup!
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Baked Carrot Chocolate Oatmeal
Easy to make and almost like having dessert for breakfast, this chocolate baked oatmeal is loaded with carrots, peanut butter and all kinds of healthy ingredients. Easily gluten free and vegan.
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ABC Muffins (apple, banana, carrot muffins)
These ABC Muffins (Apple Banana Carrot Muffins) pack a full THREE cups of fruits + veggies into one seriously good muffin! Made with whole wheat flour and oats, they're hearty yet wonderfully soft and tender, naturally sweet from all that apple, banana, and carrot, and mixed up in just one bowl. Perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, snacks, or stashing in the freezer for later.
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Blueberry Cauliflower Oatmeal
This Blueberry Cauliflower Oatmeal is the perfect way to get veggies into breakfast! The riced cauliflower almost melts into the rolled oats, making for a wonderful taste and texture. Naturally sweetened, kid-approved, adaptable and easy to make, this healthy breakfast is easy to make on the busiest of mornings!
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5-Minute Blueberry Spinach Smoothie
This Blueberry Spinach Smoothie is your new go-to for a quick, feel-good breakfast. It’s creamy from Greek yogurt, naturally sweet from banana, and packed with blueberries and spinach for that fruit-and-veggie glow-up. Ready in 5 minutes and kid-approved—because mornings shouldn’t be complicated.
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Sweet Potato Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
These Sweet Potato Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats are the perfect easy breakfast to throw together and take on the go. Perfectly sweet, veggie-loaded, and a classic flavor combo, this no-cook recipe will be a favorite.
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Pumpkin Lentil Muffins
These Pumpkin Lentil Muffins are easy to make, fluffy, delicious and packed with lentils and eggs for a boost of protein without powder! The perfect healthy breakfast or snack that is kid-approved.
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Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins
These Banana Carrot Muffins combine the beautiful flavors of banana bread and carrot into a light, fluffy, and moist muffin! Made with whole wheat flour, oats, and naturally sweetened, they are a healthy breakfast recipe or the perfect snack for a busy day.
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Lunch
Veggie-Loaded Pizza Rolls
These homemade pizza rolls are a longtime family favorite. Everything we all love about pizza wrapped up into fun, pull-apart, travel-friendly, muffin-sized portions. Melty cheese, saucy goodness, a customizable mix of veggies tucked right in, and a few pepperonis for fun… think cinnamon roll energy, but make it pizza. So tasty and easy to make, they’re perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, meal prep, or packing into lunch boxes.
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Easy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (stovetop)
This Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese is going to get veggies in at mealtime in a whole new way! Super simple to make, family-friendly, and delicious!
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Dinner
Baked Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets
These Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets are easy to make, super delicious and a veggie-loaded twist on a classic finger food! Baked in the oven and done in under 30 minutes, they are perfect for lunch, dinner, or for stocking up your freezer.
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30-Minute Creamy Leek Potato Soup
One pot. 30 minutes. A couple leeks. Some potatoes. That is pretty much all you need to make this delightfully simple simple, yet wildly flavorful creamy potato leek soup. It is totally dairy-free, so it gets its thick, creamy factor by blending the cooked potatoes + leeks. A quick squeeze of lemon juice at the end adds the perfect brightness to this plant based comfort soup. Dinner magic!
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Cauliflower Rice + Turkey Mini Meatloaves
Meatloaf is classic comfort food, but making it in a muffin tin? Total game-changer—faster cook time and perfectly portioned. These Cauliflower Turkey Mini Meatloaves are my veggie-loaded take on the OG: easy, hearty, and packed with cauliflower rice that pretty much disappears into the meat (perfect for cauliflower-iffy eaters). Cozy, simple, and a little extra nourishing—what’s not to love?
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Veggie-Loaded Vegetarian Spaghetti Pie Recipe
This easy spaghetti pie recipe is packed with veggies and can be made with leftover pasta. Full of flavor and oodles of vegetables, it is the perfect meatless healthy family dinner.
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Healthy Meatballs (with veggies)
These healthy meatballs are going to change family dinners! Kid-approved and loaded with three kinds of veggies and a flavor that you expect from a meatballs. Freezer-friendly, egg-free and gluten free, this easy meatball recipe is going to become a family favorite.
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Veggie-Loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup
This veggie-loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup is easy to make in minutes and packed with goodness! Kid-friendly and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan, this is the perfect healthy soup to make for your family!
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Homemade Hamburger Helper (with added veggies!)
With 100+ 5-star reviews, this Homemade Hamburger Helper is family-friendly comfort food that makes for the perfect weeknight dinner. It’s made in one pot, ready in about 40 minutes (from start to finish), and has all the creamy, cheesy, ground-beef-and-pasta goodness that made the classic box so lovable…but with carrots, spinach, and fresh onions worked right in. Basically, nostalgic veggie-loaded comfort food.
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Veggie and Chickpea Nuggets
These veggie and chickpea nuggets are one of those feel-good, kind- sneaky recipes! Simple ingredients, lots of flavor, and real staying plant power thanks to the chickpeas. Great for snacks, lunchboxes, or piling onto a plate with your favorite dip.
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Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
These Turkey Zucchini Meatballs are easy to make and truly full of flavor. The grated turkey helps keep them moist and they need just one bowl to be mixed up in before going into the oven. A staple veggie-loaded recipes for those busy weeknight dinners or for stocking up your freezer.
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Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce (one-pot!)
This hidden veggie pasta sauce is, hands-down, one of my favorite ways to get more plants into dinner. This homemade version is loaded with tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, and onions—but it all gets blended up smooth, so the veggies basically disappear (hi, picky-eater approved!). It comes together in a 40 minutes (start to finish) and leftovers freeze like a dream.
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Sides
Baked Cauliflower Tots (Air Fryer Option)
These Cauliflower Tots are easy and a delicious way to eat more veggies! The combo of cauliflower with cheese, bread crumbs and seasoning makes for the perfect veggie tot and cooks up beautifully crisp in your air fryer or oven!
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Savory Double Corn Muffins
These Double Corn Muffins are perfect for dipping into a bowl of chili or enjoying as a BBQ side! Simple to make in one bowl, these savory muffins have a tender cornbread texture with whole pieces of corn in each bite!
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Mashed Instant Pot Potatoes with Cauliflower
These Mashed Instant Pot Potatoes with Cauliflower are delicious, creamy and easy! You can get these mashed potatoes on the table in about 30 minutes! Plus, they’re a great way to get more cauliflower into your family's diet!
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Veggie-Loaded Savory Muffins
These savory muffins are soft, fluffy, and packed with broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and cheddar cheese all mixed into one easy batter. A veggie-loaded savory muffin that works just as well alongside soup and chili as it does with eggs or a cottage cheese bowl for breakfast.
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Desserts
Moist Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
These Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes are rich, moist and the perfect sweet treat. Mixed all in one bowl, naturally sweetened, and done in 20 minutes, these cupcakes are dairy-free and easily gluten free. Top them with rich sweet potato frosting for an extra decadent dessert.
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Feel-Good One-Bowl Pumpkin Brownies
These Pumpkin Brownies are delicious and easy to make. Fudgy, made with feel-good ingredients and less sugar than traditional brownie recipes, this is the perfect fall dessert.
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Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
These lemon poppy seed cupcakes are tender and moist thanks to the addition of grated zucchini! Topped with an easy cream cheese frosting, they are naturally sweetened and lower in natural sugar than most cupcake recipes. The perfect treat for any celebration!
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Sweet Potato Chickpea Blondies
These Sweet Potato Chickpea Blondies are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser. Made from pureed cooked sweet potatoes + canned chickpeas (that, no you can't taste!), they are the perfect snack or sweet treat that is full of feel-good ingredients.
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Sweet Potato Banana Bread
Super moist texture, the perfect balance of natural sweetness, and studded with chocolate chips, this sweet potato banana bread is quick to become a favorite. Easy to make and lighter on sugar than most banana bread recipes. Perfect for a healthier dessert or fun snack option.
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Soft Carrot Gingerbread Cookies (less sugar!)
These soft Gingerbread Cookies are going to become a new holiday season baking staple. Perfectly spices, just the right amount of molasses, and the addition of carrots makes enjoying these holiday cookies a little sweeter!
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Chocolate Beetroot Cake (with raspberry whipped cream)
This chocolate beetroot cake is my go-to birthday cake every year—and for good reason. The earthiness of the cooked beets deepens the richness of the chocolate in this magic way that makes each bite feel a little extra. Made with white whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and less added sugar (but don’t worry—it’s still decadent), it’s the kind of dessert that feels both indulgent and quietly feel-good. And the raspberry whipped cream? Light, lovely, and the perfect flavor complement to all that chocolatey goodness.
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