One of the biggest issues for feeding children is usually getting them to eat their vegetables. When kids refuse to eat their veggies, parents have to pull out their superpowers and come up with a good hidden veggie recipe. With two toddlers in need of well-balanced meals, I came up with the idea for a hidden veggie meatloaf recipe.
Since having kids I want to make sure I’m feeding them right but I don’t always have the time or energy to cook. This recipe is simple enough to prepare, cook in the oven, and freeze for another day.
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Hidden Veggie Meatloaf Inspiration
My youngest didn’t take well to eating meat. She loved fruits and vegetables but chicken and meat would immediately get spit out.
One day I got fed up and decided to mix veggies with meat and hope for the best. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of decision and I just grabbed whatever veggies I had, chopped them up in my food processor, and blended it with some ground meats, seasoning, and sauce.
Probably not the usual reason for a ‘hidden veggie recipe’ but this meatloaf was a huge stepping stone for our family.
Since then I’ve never stuck to a measured recipe for this so please bear with me. It’s still pretty simple because trust me, I’m no chef!
We’ve also had it as meatballs because it’s easier for led weaning and who doesn’t love a flavorful meatball with vegetables mixed in!?
Customizing your ingredients
What I like most about making this meatloaf is that I can pretty much add whatever I want into it, depending on what I have in stock in the fridge/freezer. My freezer is always stocked with frozen veggies because they’re so easy to prepare for whatever occasion.
A hidden veggie recipe works best with finely chopped or riced vegetables. It is easier for us to hide them into the recipe and also easier for our children to chew them. We can easily convince them it’s just “seasoning” for them to accept it.
I abused my food processor for this because it saves me time and makes them even smaller than I could chop by hand, so much so that I needed an upgrade. If you’re in the market for blender, food processor, and for making smoothies, I highly recommend investing in this Ninja, I use it daily! But a simple vegetable chopper also works really well. For other vegetable recipes, like veggie noodles, a spiralizer (or spiralizer attachment kit) would also be a fantastic kitchen tool to have.
Sometimes you can find riced veggies at the store (usually in the frozen isle) so that can save you even more prep time but may be a little too watery.
hidden veggie Meatloaf/Meatballs Ingredients
So here’s what you need for a hidden veggie meatloaf or meatballs:
- Ground Beef (or Turkey, Chicken or a combination)
- Meatloaf Pan or Baking Pan
- Seasoning (salt & pepper as a minimum, plus an Italian blend for added flavor)
- Finely Chopped or Riced Veggies (my usuals range between carrots, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower…)
- Eggs
- Onions and Garlic (freshly chopped gives it more flavor but powder works too)
- Sauce for flavor (I mix bbq and ketchup)
- Topping Options (I use more of the sauce and sprinkle panko breadcrumbs)
Below is the full recipe for the latest one I made, but like I said, this is an improvised “recipe” and sometimes not having all the ingredients or having extra ingredients work just the same.
You could also scoop or roll them into hidden veggie meatballs, yum!
Kid-Approved Hidden Veggie Meatloaf or Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- Ground Beef (or Turkey, Chicken or a combination)
- Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, Oregano, and Parsley
- Riced Carrots, Broccoli, and, Cauliflower
- 1-2 Eggs
- Chopped Onions (1/4 of onion should do)
- Fresh Minced Garlic
- Sauce: BBQ and ketchup
- Parmesan Cheese
- Panko Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 F
- Chop all Veggies, Onions, and Garlic. If using frozen veggies, cook them first and then use your food processor to save you time chopping/ricing the veggies.
- Mix all ingredients together and place in baking sheet.
- Optional topping: spread the top with sauce and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-40 minutes, depending on amount of meat or thickness of your meatloaf.
My name is Paula and I’m a mom of two scrumptious cuties. Thanks Mommy Blog became a project for me to help guide other new moms and current moms through any of my own personal experiences and struggles. My hobbies include singing, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking, designing and trying to stay creative.
i have a picky eater. I’m hoping this will work for her, thanks Mama!
My kids, and husband, for that matter are such horrible veggie eaters. I think I’m going to give this a try on my family! Thanks for sharing!
Super excited to give this a try with my three little people!
I hope this works out for my baby. Sometimes he just too picky. Thanks for sharing ☺
I love making meatloaf like this with veggies. Chopping them real small doesn’t give them any chance of picking up the veggies . This is a great recipe.