Veggie meals for a kid who hates veg

[tinatsarina]

I'm looking to add more vegetarian meals to the weekly dinners as we have meat with everything. My son is 4 and doesn't eat veg or fruit unless it's potatoes or bananas. He won't even try anything that looks like it has veg in it.

I've tried adding some carrot to mash hiding mushrooms in a cottage pie etc.
Vegetables are always added to his plate anyway but he won't even try them. I know he would like carrots and sweetcorn but I'm at my wit's end.

I need suggestions and recipes to try. Hoping to have alternating days, meat dinner one day veggie dinner another day.

Blitz veg in quorn or lentil bolognaise/chili etc so they are invisible

Veg pasta sauce blitzed til smooth

Thanks so far all I've done is cut it really fine but he still tries to pick it out

You can get veggie fingers as an alternative to fish fingers, and veggie kievs with mushroom and spinach?

Try this:
Make breadcrumbs with one thick crust end of sliced wholemeal
Then blend a raw egg with chopped onion, half a chopped fennel bulb (centre and leaves removed) and 3-4 cubes of frozen spinach, defrosted ad squeezed dry. Blend until they are a smooth puree with no lumps at all.
Stir the veg puree and breadcrumbs into a 400-500g packet of minced beef, pork or lamb. Keep stirring until you can't see the veg any more. If the spinach still looks a bit green, add a bit of tomatoe puree. Form into burgers and grill or fry. Put in burger buns with ketchup and serve with chips or sweet potato chips.

If they like spag bol, puree onion, red pepper, mushrooms and courgette into it. Do the same with chilli or minced beef tacos etc.

Finely grate carrot, celeriac and swede or parsnip into mince for cottage pie, and add a bit of sweet potato to the topping.

you need to get an electric whizzer to whizz sauces smooth. My veggie DD decided at about aged 3 that the lumps of veg were no longer acceptable but she was fine when sauce was whizzed smooth.

Second veggie fingers, you can get them in Sainsbo's.

Also, have a look at the final section in this book - we still do some of these recipes: www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-Child-Vegetarian-Recipes-Delicious/dp/0091853001/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=baby+toddler+vegetarian&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1551454967&sr=8-2

Hide courgette in this recipe for Mac and cheese www.myfussyeater.com/one-pot-mac-cheese-with-hidden-veg/
Or hide cauliflower with this version www.bbc.com/food/recipes/macaroni_cauliflower_53315 Cauliflower is good for hiding in mash, as are parsnips.
Chickpea meatballs www.myfussyeater.com/veggie-chickpea-meatballs-for-kids/
Sweetcorn pancakes www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/s/sweetcorn-pancakes.html
Add puréed sweetcorn to scrambled egg.
Cauliflower cakes www.healthylittlefoodies.com/cauliflower-tots/
Pasta bake www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/secret-veggie-pasta-bake/23305

Cauliflower pizza base:
Heat the oven to 200C, gas 6. Blitz 250g cauliflower in a food processor and tip into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 5-6 mins, until softened. Carefully squeeze out any excess water in a clean tea towel, then mix with 1 beaten egg, ½tsp freshly chopped oregano and 1 tbsp Parmesan, and season. Spread the cauliflower mix onto a lined baking tray, to a circle about 23cm wide. Spray with Frylight and cook for 10 mins.
Mix tomato purée with a little hot water and spread onto the cauliflower base. Top with mozzarella and cook for a further 10 mins.

How about falafels in pita? They have a strangely nugget like quality! I make baked falafel with sweet potato or butternut squash in, their really nice.

Does he like baked beans, or tomato type sauces? What about jacket potatoes and he can pick toppings. Make your own pizza, (just buy the base ready made) etc. Will he eat spicy food? What if you serve some veg like potatoes - Make sweet potato "chips", carrot mash, etc.

Quorn or veggie burgers or Linda McCartney sausages? I know these are processed so not great but it would be a start.

General fussy eating ideas:

Could you make a deal with him that he is allowed to have a total of 5 foods you will never serve him or expect him to try but he has to at least try everything else? This worked well with my 10yo but obviously he is older.

What about growing some vegetables together this spring? Tomatoes are meant to be easy and can be done in grow bags if you don't have a garden. He might be more inclined to try it if he's grown it.

Do a challenge as a family every week one person chooses one new food from the supermarket that everyone has to try. Make it more exciting by watching some "kids react" videos on YouTube and then making a little video of everyone's reactions every week. Bad reactions where you say yuck are allowed as well as good reactions when the food is yummy.

I'm not a vegetarian but a friend who is swears by Aldi breadcrumbs 37p a pack to coat various non-meat things like quorn.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I think whizzing into a sauce is best atm. I like the idea of veggie fish fingers etc but he would be very suspicious as he eats regular fish fingers. He tried sweet potato in the curry I made yesterday but that was all. I told his dad we're doing meat free Mondays so he can see us eat more veg instead of it being on the side of something. Dad wasn't happy. Says he needs meat everyday so he wasnt going to lead by example.
How is my son going to see veg are nice and normal if his dad isn't even willing to try new things?
I'm still doing it and dad can just make his own food that day.