How to Create Vegetable-Focused Meals

Learning to create vegetable-focused meals can be a great way to modify the meat-centered meals that we often see served. Focusing on the vegetables instead of the meats adds nutrients and flavor to any dish.

It has become normal for our meals to be centered around meat. This often leads us to forget to add the appropriate amount of vegetables to our diets. There are a few simple changes we can make to our meals every day to increase our vegetable intake.

I watch a lot of home maker and cooking YouTube videos and often protein, specifically meat, is considered the essential part of the meal. It always surprises me how frequently in these videos vegetables are forgotten in meals or added as an afterthought. In order to make sure my family is eating an adequate amount of vegetables I like to focus and plan my meals around the vegetables. Then if I feel it is needed I can add the protein as an afterthought. Most proteins can fit seamlessly into or on the side of a veggie packed main dish. This helps me keep at least half my plate vegetables.

How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Be Eating?

We have been given several recommendations for how to make sure we are eating enough vegetables. Common recommendations include 5 servings a day, or half a plate for each meal. According to the USDA, young children should be eating 1-2 cups of fruits and vegetables every day. Older children and women should be eating 2-3 cups and men 3 cups or more.

For me these numbers used to seem completely unattainable. If your only vegetable is a pile of peas it is going to be very difficult for it to fill up half your plate. I have learned that incorporating the vegetables into the meal makes eating vegetables more enjoyable and delicious.

My goal is to include at least 2- 3 veggies on the table each for dinner. Rarely are these vegetables presented on their own. Most often they are fully incorporated onto the meal’s sauce or filling. I focus on the vegetables from the start, including when meal planning and shopping.

Three Ways to Create Vegetable-Focused Meals From Meat-Centered Dinners.

1. Add Vegetables to Meat-Based Fillings

A lot of recipes start with a carb such as bread or tortillas, then stuff it with meat. Think of hamburgers, lasagna, or enchiladas. Occasionally meals like these will have a slice of lettuce or be topped with tomato but I find it can be much more delicious to incorporate the vegetables into the fillings for these meals rather than simply putting them on top.

In traditional recipes for lasagna and enchiladas, the only vegetables are those blended into the sauce. In order to create vegetable-focused meals out of these meat-centered ones I like to substitute or add vegetables to the fillings. Some of my favorite meals to add extra vegetables to are lasagna, sloppy joes, and chicken salad.

2. Blend Vegetables into Sauces

A long time mom hack to get kids to eat more vegetables is to blend the vegetables into the sauce so they can’t find them and pick them out. This hack doesn’t only need to be used in a pinch. Blending vegetables into sauces is one of my favorite techniques for many reasons. It is a great way to ways to use up veggies that are getting past their prime, and can make a super flavorful sauce.

One of my favorite vegetable filled sauces is my sweet potato macaroni. Each vegetable blended into the sauce significantly enhances the flavor. Another type of sauce I love to blend vegetables into is curries. Because of the strong seasoning in curry you can blend in a lot of vegetables without significantly changing the flavor.

3. Trade Meat for Plant-Based Alternatives

Meat is not a requirement for a full meal in my house. Just because I don’t make meat a priority doesn’t mean I don’t get protein in my meals. Protein can come in a lot of plant-based varieties. I love using lentils rather than ground beef in my tacos, and the nuts in my mushroom meat balls add some protein too.

Taking out the meat in meals can leave room to focus on adding vegetables that can really add to and bring together a nutritious dish. I frequently use my mushroom meal balls as a substitute in a variety of dishes to add a vegetable.

Regardless of where you start, learning how to create vegetable-focused meals can be easy, satisfying, and fun. Next time you are planning meals for your family, try focusing on the vegetables first and see what a difference it makes.