15 Better-for-You Recipes That Hide Veggies in the Sneakiest Ways Possible

Vegetables don’t always have to take center stage. Grating, puréeing and finely chopping them can help familiar favorites like pasta, pizza and meatballs accommodate a little extra produce without dramatically changing the flavors and textures you already love. It’s a particularly handy strategy for picky eaters, but these recipes are just as useful for anyone looking for creative ways to eat more vegetables. Cauliflower disappears into silky pasta sauces, broccoli is a natural fit for cheesy casseroles and chocolate desserts are easily enhanced with a little sweet potato. Every recipe in this roundup proves there’s plenty of room to sneak a little something extra into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

A little shredded carrot and zucchini blends right into these savory turkey meatballs. The vegetables add moisture, helping keep the meatballs tender as they cook. Thread the meatballs onto skewers and serve them with a creamy lemon dipping sauce.

You’d never know how many vegetables are hiding in this seemingly simple tomato sauce. Tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper and onion are roasted until tender and lightly caramelized, then blended into a silky puree. Toss it with whatever pasta your family likes best.

This mac and cheese takes cauliflower and blends it into the sauce to create a rich, silky texture. Once cooked, the cauliflower melts completely into the Colby Jack and Cheddar cheese. Bake it all in the oven under a crunchy potato-chip topping for a comfort food dish that isn’t totally without good stuff.

A whopping pound and a half of sweet potatoes form the base of this velvety chocolate pudding. Once blended with oat milk, milk chocolate, cocoa, maple syrup and vanilla, their naturally creamy texture feels right at home in dessert. The sweet potato also adds natural sweetness and body, helping the pudding feel decadent without relying on heavy cream.

These muffins take everything you might expect to find in a green smoothie and turn it into something you can eat with your hands. Spinach is blended completely smooth with apple, banana, ginger, milk and avocado oil before the vibrant mixture is folded into the batter. The banana and apple lend plenty of natural sweetness, keeping the spinach flavor firmly in the background.

No flour is necessary for this clever pizza crust. Finely processed cauliflower combines with mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs to form a sturdy base that bakes until crisp and golden before you pile on your favorite toppings. For an extra fun activity, involve the kids with having them top their own pizzas so everyone can customize dinner to their liking.

Grated zucchini pulls double duty in this classic meatloaf. Once mixed into the beef and veal, it practically disappears while helping the finished loaf stay juicy and tender.

There’s a whole can of possibility hiding in these rich chocolate brownies. Chickpeas are blended with yogurt and tahini to create the base for these fudgy treats. Tahini and crunchy toasted sesame seeds add a nutty component that’s simply irresistible.

Thin ribbons of zucchini are just similar enough to fettuccine to mingle easily among the noodles in this lighter take on Alfredo. Once everything is tossed with the creamy Parmesan sauce, you get pasta and vegetables together in every forkful. If you want the zucchini to melt in visually as well as texturally, peel it before slicing into ribbons.

There’s more than cheese tucked inside these satisfying lasagna rolls. Chopped spinach is folded into the creamy filling, while finely chopped portobello mushrooms mimic the texture of ground beef. A coating of tangy tomato sauce, grated mozzarella and Parmesan make this look and taste just like a traditional pan of lasagna.

The creamy sauce clinging to these noodles has a surprising base of cauliflower. It’s cooked until completely tender and pureed until smooth, then bolstered with vegan Cheddar, nutritional yeast and miso for plenty of savory, cheesy flavor.

These mini cupcakes leave plenty of room for customization. Choose carrots, zucchini or spinach for the vegetable component, then pair it with grated or finely chopped fruit for a sweet snack that packs plenty into a few small bites. The flavor is similar to carrot cake, with plenty of texture and warm spices throughout.

Meatballs offer plenty of opportunity for adding vegetables without requiring an extra side dish. This version works an entire bunch of finely chopped kale into ground turkey, along with hearty rolled oats in place of the usual breadcrumbs.

Beans might be more at home in a pot of chili, but their mild flavor makes them surprisingly easy to disguise with chocolate. Here, black beans are pureed until smooth with oil before cocoa, coffee, vanilla and chocolate chips turn the mixture into a batch of rich brownies. Even though you can’t taste the beans, they are still providing plenty fiber and vitamins.