Blog

Jump to recipe

When my kids were younger, getting enough vegetables into their meals wasn’t always easy. This hidden veggie meatloaf became one of those recipes that worked surprisingly well—they loved it, and I loved that I could pack several vegetables into something they were already happy to eat.

I also started making the same mixture into meatballs, which quickly became a favorite. My kids are much better veggie eaters these days, but they still ask for these every once in a while—and honestly, they’re really good even if you’re not trying to hide vegetables from anyone.

* This post includes Affiliate Links.

Hidden Veggie Meatloaf Inspiration

When my kids were younger, my youngest actually loved fruits and vegetables but wasn’t a big fan of meat. One day I decided to combine the two and hope for the best. I grabbed whatever vegetables we had, chopped them really small, mixed them with ground meat, seasonings and sauce, and this recipe was born.

It wasn’t exactly the usual reason for making a “hidden veggie” recipe, but it ended up being a huge hit with both kids. Over time I started changing up the vegetables depending on what we had in the fridge or freezer, so this has always been more of a flexible recipe than one that needs to be followed perfectly.

We also started making the same mixture into meatballs, which the kids loved—and honestly, I think I prefer them that way too.

Customizing Your Ingredients

What I like most about this meatloaf is that you can change up the vegetables depending on what you already have in the fridge or freezer. I’ve always kept frozen vegetables around because they’re easy to have on hand and work well for recipes like this.

For a hidden veggie recipe, finely chopped or riced vegetables work best. They blend into the meat mixture much more easily and make the texture more kid-friendly. I usually used the food processor attachment from my Ninja kitchen system to get the vegetables much smaller than I could by hand. A food processor works especially well when you’re chopping several different vegetables at once, but you definitely don’t need a whole kitchen system just for this recipe. A small manual vegetable chopper can do the job too if you want something simpler and less expensive.

You can also use frozen riced vegetables to save prep time. Just keep in mind that they can contain more water, so you may need to drain off some of the excess moisture before adding them to the mixture.

Best Vegetables to Add to Meatloaf or Meatballs

One of the reasons I’ve made this recipe so many different ways is that you can use whatever vegetables you already have. The biggest thing is getting them chopped small enough to blend easily into the meat mixture and watching how much extra moisture they add.

Carrots add a little sweetness and work especially well when they’re finely chopped or riced.

Broccoli and cauliflower are easy to chop very finely in a food processor, and frozen riced versions can save even more prep time.

Zucchini can work too, but it holds a lot of water. If you use it, grate or chop it finely and squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible before mixing it into the meat.

Spinach can be chopped very small and mixed throughout the meat. If you’re using frozen spinach, thaw and drain it really well first.

Bell peppers add flavor and color, but I’d chop them especially fine if texture is an issue for your kids.

You can also combine a few vegetables rather than relying on just one. The version pictured here used carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, but this has always been more of a use-what-we-have recipe in our house.

Short on prep time? Frozen riced vegetables are an easy shortcut for recipes like this. I also like keeping a few basic freezer staples on hand because they make it much easier to add vegetables to meals without worrying about using fresh produce before it goes bad.

Hidden Veggie Meatloaf/Meatballs Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for hidden veggie meatloaf or meatballs:

• Ground beef, turkey, chicken or a combination
• Finely chopped or riced vegetables
• Eggs
• Onion and garlic
• Seasonings — at minimum salt and pepper, plus Italian seasoning for extra flavor
• Sauce — I usually mix BBQ sauce and ketchup
• Optional toppings — extra sauce, Parmesan cheese and/or panko breadcrumbs

Below is the full recipe from one of the versions I made. This has always been a flexible recipe in our house, so don’t worry if you don’t have exactly the same vegetables or want to adjust the seasonings and sauce to your family’s taste.

You can also use the same mixture to make hidden veggie meatballs. I like using a cookie scoop to portion them so they’re roughly the same size and cook more evenly. It also makes the process much faster and less messy than trying to portion every meatball by hand.

Meatloaf or Meatballs: Which Should You Make?

The same mixture works either way, so it mostly comes down to how you want to serve it. Meatloaf is the easier option when you want to mix everything, shape it and let the oven do the rest. Meatballs take a little more hands-on time, but they cook in smaller portions and were always the version my kids got most excited about.

I also like meatballs when I want leftovers that are easy to portion. Using a cookie scoop makes it much faster to keep them close to the same size so they cook evenly.

Can You Freeze Hidden Veggie Meatballs?

When my kids were toddlers and eating much smaller portions, I would sometimes make the mixture into meatballs or little fritters and freeze them. It made it easy to pull out just a few at a time instead of making a separate meal or reheating a larger portion.

Once cooked and cooled, I stored the meatballs in a freezer-safe container or bag and froze them in portions that made sense for how much my kids would eat at a time. For little kids, freezing smaller portions was especially helpful because I could take out only what I needed for a meal.

Ways Kids Can Help Make This Recipe

This recipe started when my kids were little, but as they got older, recipes like this also became opportunities to let them help more in the kitchen.

Younger kids can help with simple jobs before the raw meat is added, like adding pre-measured seasonings or vegetables to the bowl. Older kids can take on more of the prep, such as measuring ingredients, chopping age-appropriate foods or using a scoop to portion the meatballs.

I’ve found that giving kids small kitchen jobs over time is much more realistic than suddenly expecting them to make an entire meal independently. I shared more of the easy foods my kids can make themselves and the simple kitchen skills they’ve gradually learned as they’ve gotten older.

An Easy Recipe to Make Your Own

This was always one of those recipes I changed depending on what we had on hand, so feel free to make it work for your family. Switch up the vegetables, adjust the seasonings and sauce, or make the mixture into meatloaf or meatballs. The meatballs were always a favorite in our house—and my kids still ask for them sometimes, even though hiding vegetables isn’t really necessary around here anymore.

More Easy Family Recipes

• Our Favorite Homemade Waffles Recipe with Cinnamon Butter and Apples
• Chocolate Chip Muffins (Our Favorite Sour Cream Recipe)
• Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies with Lightly Crisp Cinnamon Sugar Edges