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Original poster

Easy kid friendly meat-free meals?

79 replies

Rockbird · 17/02/2019 19:09

We're a family of happy carnivores but over the last few months DD1 (11) has developed an aversion to meat. She's not fully veggie so cheese etc is fine. She'll eat fish fingers and certain types of sausages but that's it.

However, I'm totally stuck for what to cook. I'm happy for our family meals to be largely veggie and to do her an alternative on the days we have meat but I'm struggling to find things she'll eat. I've googled but finding that a lot of so called kids' recipes still have avocado and other stuff she won't touch. I need help with something both girls will recognise and be vaguely familiar with but will suit both of them.

Does that make any sense? TIA.

OP posts:
MyBreadIsEggy · 17/02/2019 19:12

Veggie chilli with baked potatoes, and veggie lasagne are winners in our house Smile

Original poster
Rockbird · 17/02/2019 19:14

Thanks, yes I have bought lentils. Never used a lentil in my life but am hoping they'll suffice for pastas/chillis shepherds pies...maybe...

OP posts:
Original poster
Rockbird · 17/02/2019 19:14

(Will add veg too)

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

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General food
Plump82 · 17/02/2019 19:14

Calderon veggie sausages taste amazing. Im eating loads of tofu just now. Not sure if your daughter would be willing to try that? The world's your oyster when it comes to tofu recipes.

AutumnCrow · 17/02/2019 19:16

Do they eat pizza? Jacket potato?

Doje · 17/02/2019 19:17

Veggie meals my kids like are: (PM me if you want any recipes)

Stuffed Peppers
Cheese and Leek Tart
Quiche
Spinach and Chickpea 'curry' (most spice omitted these days)
Veggie Cobbler

Disfordarkchocolate · 17/02/2019 19:18

Veggie chilli and veggie bolognese are easy to make and family friendly.

If she likes spicy food
www.theguardian.com/food/2019/feb/02/indian-winter-soup-recipes-chetna-makan-potato-coriander-chicken-lentil-squash-chickpea-black-eyed-beans-cavolo-nero - the third recipe down with butternut squash is really nice.

And this one too
www.bbc.com/food/recipes/chickpea_spinach_and_egg_50755

PurpleDaisies · 17/02/2019 19:20

How do you feel about using Quorn?

The meatballs are great either with mash and gravy or with pasta and a tomato sauce. They also do nice chicken nuggets, chicken burgers etc.

Disfordarkchocolate · 17/02/2019 19:20

The BBC food website is great for ingredient based inspiration.

ScarlettDarling · 17/02/2019 19:20

Pesto pasta, perhaps with some cream cheese stirred in too, and whatever veggies you like ( we stir in wilted spinach and mushrooms. ) Takes less than 15 minutes.

Beamur · 17/02/2019 19:21

My DD really likes Tesco Lincolnshire style veggie sausages. She generally quite likes Quorn products which are fine for quick and easy meals.
Batch cook tomato sauce. Good with pasta, I also stir it into rice to have with veggie sausages & a fresh veg.
Tofu is a good idea if she likes it, my DH does a nice dish where you blitz tofu with mushrooms and add Mexican spices and have it with wraps.
Omelette. Spanish omelette. Pasta with pesto.

londonliv · 17/02/2019 19:22

Veggie risotto? Think river cottage for kids has a pea risotto. Also polenta chips with tomato sauce (also River Cottage). Sweet corn fritters (recipe was from an old Waitrose magazine). Bill Granger recipe for cooked salmon with sweet potato fritters & yog & cucumber dip. Cauliflower cheese?
My ds1 was practically veggie for a while (he's now a lot better) so we had to build up a repertoire!

Merename · 17/02/2019 19:23

Macaroni cheese full of whatever veg they will eat (I usually do broccoli and cauliflower, mushrooms and sweet corn). Add mixed seeds/ nuts and breadcrumbs to extra grated cheese for a lush topping with a bit of protein.

Shepherds pie made with dark lentils

Noodles/ fried rice with acceptable veg and tofu and/or scrambled egg

Quiche

Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes

Veg fajitas/ enchiladas from kits

There’s some nice veggie family cookbooks about too...

Racheyg · 17/02/2019 19:24

Egg fried rice with tons of veg.
Mixed veg noodles with tofu
Veggie sausage toad in the hole - we had this tonight

ShadowKitty · 17/02/2019 19:25

I like meat free meals but can't manage without cheese and eggs etc - a few I do regularly are:

  • Spaghetti with vegetarian pesto, fresh tomatoes and torn up mozzarella
  • roasted veg with halloumi in flat breads or wraps with sour cream
  • cheese and onion potato skins with salad
  • frittata with roasted peppers and whatever other veg you've got in

Depends how willing the kids are to eat the veg and salad type stuff - if you take those out it's definitely more of a challenge...

JurassicGirl · 17/02/2019 19:26

Mixed bean chilli with rice
Pasta with a tomato & vegetable sauce
Butter bean curry & rice
Jacket potatoes with cheese & beans or egg mayo
Vegetable & lentil stew with dumplings
Egg fried rice with curry sauce
Toad in the hole with mash & veg
Pizza & salad/chips
Risotto

Original poster
Rockbird · 17/02/2019 19:27

These are fabulous, thanks! I've only just really accepted that it's pointless trying to get her to eat meat so I'm a real beginner and she's new to it too. Am happy to use Quorn and other substitutes but also would like to try some things from scratch. Some great ideas here.

OP posts:
ShimmeringIce · 17/02/2019 19:29

Sainsburys frozen veggie hotdogs are really good!

SleepDeprivedCabbageBrain · 17/02/2019 19:34

Just tried the following last week:

nut roast
cheesey broccoli pasta bake w breadcrumbs on top
oven fritatta

going to try these this week:

giant veg rosti
pasta salad
tomato and caper linguine

Maybe chuck some halloumi on the side of those.

Galvantula · 17/02/2019 20:38

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/asian/indian/dhal-curry

Ours will eat a mild version of this. We use sweet potato instead of white potatoes. Asks is no tomatoes in the house it works ok with a tin of tomatoes.

We usually give them scrambled eggs + toast for dinner one night most weeks too. Blush

Galvantula · 17/02/2019 20:40

'Asks is' was meant to be 'and if'. 🙄

Scotinoz · 17/02/2019 21:05

We're a mixed house; husband and youngest are meat lovers, I'm vegetarian and eldest doesn't mind fish/white meat.

Antonio Carluccio's Courgette Pasta is an absolute winner for everyone. Spinach 'meatballs with a Courgette sauce for the pasta. Sainsbury's sell bags of frozen chopped spinach - much less of a faff than fresh. Receipt is on BBCGood Food.

Glamorgan sausages have been a surprising hit - there are various brands in the freezer/fresh cabinet, but I also make my own.

Veg lasagne

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

My husband hoovered down down the kids left over Quorn Dippers the other day and was adament they were chicken...

happypotamus · 17/02/2019 21:16

Vegetarian meals my DC enjoy:
pizza
toad in the hole with vegetarian sausages (only DH is actually vegetarian so we sometimes made a meat version and a veggy version)
lentil shepherds pie (much nicer than it sounds)
various vegetarian chilli recipes, especially if served in wraps with accompniments such as cheese, sour cream, guacomole
all kinds of pasta dishes as long as they don't contain aubergine, courgette, goats cheese, spinach
dhal
mushroom risotto

Original poster
Rockbird · 18/02/2019 08:42

Brilliant thank you! Loads of ideas to go through.

OP posts: