Want to eat more vegetables. Please give me your tastiest veg-based recipes.

[Rocaille]

I want to start eating more vegetables, and decrease my intake of meat and processed food.

Do you know how I can make vegetables more appetising? I do like them, it's just they often seem a bit bland and unsatisfying.

I'd be really grateful if you would share your tastiest veg-based recipes.

I find that the way we tend to vegetables in this country so boring it's a wonder anyone eats them!

I do broccoli stir fried with garlic, chilli and ginger, green beans with cherry tomatoes and garlic, peppers slow fried with garlic, sea salt and a splash of white wine vinegar, roasted Mediterranean veg with olive oil and garlic.

Or are you thinking more vegetarian meals? I like chickpea and spinach curry or roasted veg lasagne.

Why don't you take up sprouting your own OP? There is nothig to touch the nutrient profile of sprouted seeds, grains and legumes and done right, you flush away the nasty lectins, saponins and other 'anti-nutrients' that vegetables have in them naturally to defend themselves against being eaten.
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It's very much trial and error as to what sprouts and what doesn't and getting some of the more unusual things to sprout is fun I have found it an addictive hobby and you get immense nutrition for very little money and you don't have to try and grow stuff in the garden that will be eaten by pigeons and mice.

I find that the way we tend to vegetables in this country so boring it's a wonder anyone eats them! Omg, yes. Unseasoned and boiled to death - bleurgh!

I do broccoli stir fried with garlic, chilli and ginger Sounds good. Do you steam or par boil the broccoli before it goes in the wok?

peppers slow fried with garlic, sea salt and a splash of white wine vinegar I'm going to try this. Sounds a bit similar to how I sometimes do chorizo but much less calorific and better for my fat bum!

Or are you thinking more vegetarian meals? Either/both, please. Keep the recipes coming!

Why don't you take up sprouting your own OP? Sounds good. I tried broccoli sprouting a few years ago but someone put my sprouting jar out with the recycling, so that was then end of that!

you get immense nutrition for very little money and you don't have to try and grow stuff in the garden that will be eaten by pigeons and mice. Sprouting sounds perfect for me, as I don't have a garden. I'm going to buy a new kit. What kinds of seeds do you sprout, Gargellan and what do you do with your sprouts? Smoothies, salads, or something else?

I don't bother par boiling the broccoli first as I like it to have a bit of crunch but you could if you prefer it softer.

The peppers is my Italian MILs recipe. They know how to make veg appealing!

I actually like veg cooked plain so that the glorious flavours and textures are the highlight. But definitely not boiled to death! I also like veg cooked more fancy.

Roasted greens:
Broccoli and cauliflower just need to be cut into chunks. Courgettes should be sliced into 1" slices (or baby courgettes whole). Fennel should be sliced across the grain, 1/2" sliced. Cherry tomatoes should be whole.

Heat an oiled tray in the oven. Wash the veg, pat dry, toss in a bowl of oil and seasoning. Transfer to the hot tray and spread out. Roast in a hot oven for about half an hour, gently turning the veg over once or twice in this time.

The seasonings:
You can do so the veg together, or you can do different veg with different seasonings in different treats or different parts of the same tray. My favourite is zaatar and lemon peel. Another good one is smoked paprika and sea salt. Or a glug of Nando's periperi sauce with a good pinch of rosemary.

This is a love it or hate it, but my grandmother's sweet and sour red cabbage recipe is certainly not bland:

Weigh a red cabbage. Per pound (4-500g) of cabbage put 2 tbsp sugar, 2tbsp malt vinegar, 4 tbsp water in a large saucepan. Remove outer leaves of cabbage, cut in quarters, cut out the stalk and throw it away. Slice each quarter finely and add to pan. Bring to boil and immediately turn down to a gentle simmer, cover and simmer for an hour. Stir regularly, check regularly, don't let it boil dry or it will destroy the saucepan (if in doubt top up the water) Taste and add more sugar or vinegar. Very nice with roast chicken, turkey, lamb, lentil loaf, nut roast. (I like it so I've eaten it with all of these) Reheats well (even better the next day), freezes too.

Be warned you will be able to smell it cooking all over the house.

I actually like veg cooked plain so that the glorious flavours and textures are the highlight. But definitely not boiled to death! I also like veg cooked more fancy. To my mind, nothing beats plain savoy cabbage with salt and butter - yum!

Roasted greens Thanks for being explicit with the instructions. I'm not much of a cook.

This is a love it or hate it, but my grandmother's sweet and sour red cabbage recipe is certainly not bland. This one sounds intriguing, I'll give it a try.

Roasting veg certainly enhances the flavours. Try sliced red onion, pepper, courgette with a drizzle of oil and Moroccan spice mix. Towards the end of cooking add chickpeas. Lovely hot or cold with a sprinkling of feta.

I also roast tomatoes with oil and oregano, then serve with rocket and mozzarella.

Roasted butternut squash can be eaten as a side dish or put into curry.

Dahl is lovely and cheap, a good source of protein if you are trying to reduce meat. Stir in baby spinach at the end.

Celeriac mash is lovely, or it can be eaten raw in mustard mayonnaise.

I often eat raw courgette and beetroot, just grated into salad.

Hassleback carrots.

Spinach and ricotta in lasagne or filo pie.

I love veg

I highly recommend the Deliciously Ella app or recipe books. There's just SO many good ones. The Green Roasting Tin is another good book. Also a girl known as @fitgreenmind on Instagram who shares loads of recipes. And another good free way, is to go raid your local library. Even my small local one usually has 3-4 vegetarian recipe books. I tend to take photos or screenshots of recipes and save them in an album together, so I can't really send you links here but at least can give tips on where to find them!

Jamie Oliver’s Cauliflower Carbonara is to die for! Hate the man but love the recipe! And my daughter, who ‘hates’ onions and cauliflower devours it!

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Another vote for the green roasting tin! We often do the one tray roasted Brussel sprouts, broccoli, halloumi with harissa paste recipe from the book. Once it's out the oven, you stir through some spinach leaves and serve with yogurt 🥰

I have lots of salt & pepper which I think is really needed with veggie dishes
some easy & simple ones I do are:
Butternut squash risotto
Cheese & tomato orzo
add blended sweet potato or squash to Mac Cheese

Oh and Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

and my favourite breakfast/brunch is fried spinach , tomato and garlic with poached eggs on toast

Wow, so many suggestions! Thanks to everyone who has posted: I really appreciate you taking the time. I feel quite excited now about working my way through the thread, trying all of these different ideas!

I think the easiest way to up your veg is to focus on the veg being the main part of the meal, rather than a side dish.
We like
Field mushrooms stuffed with a mix of red onion, garlic, finely chopped pepper, garlic and topped with mozzarella.
Or the mushroom stalk, chopped shallots, leeks and topped with blue cheese and bread crumbs.
Stuffed BNS is also lovely (stuff with onions, garlic, courgette, lots of herbs, pomegranate and cous cous).
Veg based curries eg cauli, sweet potato and red pepper.
Vegetable chilli
Root veg casserole
Cauliflower cheese or cheesy leeks

this, this this -

I could eat it every single day!

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/roasted-aubergine-courgette-and-macaroni-bake/

This pasta recipe is easy and so yummy. I add green beans and red pepper to it as well.

vm.tiktok.com/ZM87uuvgm/

Get yourself a nutribullet or similar so that you can blend veg and make soups.
My youngest DC is not keen on a lot of veg. I just blend onion,garlic, tinned Tom's and pepper and fry off before making a sauce. It all gets eaten as a base for a pasta sauce without even knowing.

I just throw as much veg into my recipes as possible.

A chicken curry will also have chick peas, broccoli, green beans and spinach.
Risottos and chillis are good dinners to pack with veg.
I make a lot of soups.
When I make mince and tatties the mince has peas, carrots and celery through it.

Even lasagne or bolognese I pack with veg and various beans to use it up. Peas and carrots get flung in with the mince. Hardly authentic but I like it! Lentils are also good for bulking out mince dinners.

For veg on the side, say with salmon, my favourite flavours are lemon and garlic. Broccoli or asparagus with coarse sea salt, garlic, and dowsed in lemon juice is completely addictive.

Homemade chunky guacamole goes great with chilli, wraps, fajitas etc. Use avocado, red onion, tomatoes, coriander and lime. Don't mash it up too much. Leave it chunky and add sea salt. Bloody gorgeous. I never buy the pots of green sludge the supermarkets call guacamole.

I don't overthink it. Just throw more veg at recipes and see what works. But then I feel virtuous eating sweet potato chips

I think the easiest way to up your veg is to focus on the veg being the main part of the meal, rather than a side dish. Yes: A meal doesn't have to be a slab of meat!

My youngest DC is not keen on a lot of veg. I just blend onion,garlic, tinned Tom's and pepper and fry off before making a sauce. It all gets eaten as a base for a pasta sauce without even knowing. I'm going to try this trick on DD who is very vegetable averse.

I just throw as much veg into my recipes as possible. This sounds very do-able.

Love the sound of the pasta dishes, by the way!

The Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi takes the approach of making the vegetables the focus of the meal, even if you have meat with it as a side. Many of his recipes are available for free on the Guardian's website.

Can I pitch for soups and interesting salads? As others have said you can blend all sorts in a soup. I like root veg (I use sweet potato, parsnip and butternut but you can vary quantities to taste) slow roast with cumin seeds, add quartered onion, garlic, curry powder and a chilli or 2 for the last half hour. Blend with coconut milk and water to very smooth - season to taste.
Or salads with interesting dressings are underrated. Make a dressing with 1 clove raw garlic marinated ( to ‘cook’ it) in fresh lime juice for 1/2 hour. Add soy sauce, a large spoon of sugar and some sesame oil. Grate carrot and courgette (squeeze excess water if using courgette) and mix with very finely sliced raw broccoli and whatever else you fancy - I like sugar snap peas. It gets better the longer the veg is in the dressing. Top with toasted peanuts or sesame seeds to serve.

The Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi takes the approach of making the vegetables the focus of the meal, even if you have meat with it as a side. This sounds like a wonderfully healthy way of eating. A middle eastern supermarket has just opened down the road from me: maybe I should head down there and stock up on spices...

Can I pitch for soups and interesting salads? As others have said you can blend all sorts in a soup. I like root veg (I use sweet potato, parsnip and butternut but you can vary quantities to taste) slow roast with cumin seeds, add quartered onion, garlic, curry powder and a chilli or 2 for the last half hour. Blend with coconut milk and water to very smooth - season to taste.
Or salads with interesting dressings are underrated. Make a dressing with 1 clove raw garlic marinated ( to ‘cook’ it) in fresh lime juice for 1/2 hour. Add soy sauce, a large spoon of sugar and some sesame oil. Grate carrot and courgette (squeeze excess water if using courgette) and mix with very finely sliced raw broccoli and whatever else you fancy - I like sugar snap peas. It gets better the longer the veg is in the dressing. Top with toasted peanuts or sesame seeds to serve. Oh wow, both of these recipes sound delish. I'm definitely going to try both!

Agree that we just don’t to just use boiled/steamed veg on the side in this country which is a little bit “meh”. Buy a Mediterranean cook book - I’m half Italian and sooooo many good recipes for vegetables especially in southern Italian food (caponata, any sort of veg “agrodolce”, broccoli fried with breadcrumbs and anchovies, pasta/risotto with all sorts of vegetables (butternut squash and sage, courgette and chilli, fresh cherry tomatoes with garlic, brocolli, ). Doesn’t have to be Italian though - Spanish, Moroccan, Middle Eastern all good places to get great ideas.

Making pickles/quick pickles is also a good way to add crunch/flavour/happiness to meals and sandwiches etc.

Another very common thing to do in Italy is eat salad with (not for!) dinner every day.

Sorry for my mangled first sentence, I’m sure you get the gist.