Dinner ideas with lots of veg

[karmakameleon]

We’ve just got back from holiday and although the food was delicious, we barely ate any veg. Any ideas for dinner that use lots of veg and preferably different types? Children aren’t too fussy but don’t really eat mushrooms or butternut squash. Doesn’t have to be vegetarian but I’d probably prefer something that is. TIA

I've contributed this before. Quantities below make quite a lot but I love eating leftovers for lunch or freezing them for another time. Plenty of scope for varying/increasing the veg!

Chop smallish and roast two aubergines, three courgettes, two or three red onions, two or three red/yellow/orange peppers, lots of garlic, box of mushrooms, with olive oil, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil. Mix in a tin of chopped tomatoes, some chopped black stoned olives, capers, sundried tomato paste.

Cook best part of a packet of frozen spinach and drain thoroughly. Mix with two little tubs of ricotta, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Layer up lasagne sheets and tomato veg mixture. About three layers of lasagne should do it. Ricotta mixture goes over top layer of lasagne sheets. Put lots of grated Parmesan across top. Bake for at least 40 minutes.

Mozzarella could be incorporated in some way.

Stir fry?

Ratatouille is a classic. Make a lot and eat it a few different ways: with fish, with polenta, with goats cheese and good bread etc. Blend up the rest and use it as a pasta sauce.

Palak or saag based Indian dishes use an incredible amount of spinach or greens. Something like this: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/saag-paneer I throw in roast baby potatoes too.

We do quite a lot of things where we just up the veg quantity and variety. Eg instead of steak, with a few sides we did steak ciabattas with a big pile of a sort of pickled slaw (carrots, cabbage, onion), some wedges. Or a pork mince stir fry that's light on the mince and heavy on veggies - garlic, finger, onion, peppers, tenderstem broccoli, carrots, baby corn, chilli.

I like these sorts of things for more variety and because the veg ate lightly cooked or raw.

Aubergine tomato, chilli pasta is super popular here. Usually topped with feta.

We have lots of vegetable soups. I make a couple at the weekend and then we use for lunches or have a bowl as a small starter for dinner. I find that if we have soup first we have a smaller main course and it's no more hassle if it's already made and in the fridge.

Other ideas are veggie chillis, curry, shepherd's pie, pasta sauces. Casseroles are also good for cramming in extra veg.

I made a lovely roast veg lasagne yesterday. Lots of veg and was delicious.

Thanks all. Think I will go for a stir fry tonight as quick and easy. Probably add soups and curries to the meal plan for the week.

Cauliflower and brocolli cheese.
Root veg casserole.
Cauliflower and sweet potato curry.
Veg and bean chilli (serve over jacket sweet potatoes for even more veg!)
I make a vegetable Shepard's pie where the base is finely chopped carrots, swede, mushrooms (chop them small enough and kids won't know they're there) onions, courgette and lentils in a simple gravy with thyme, sage and rosemary and top with sweet potato and parsnip mash with cheese on the top. It's delicious and has tons of veg.

Buy ready cooked chicken thighs and puff pastry.
Cook 1 chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves, then whatever veg you like - carrots, peas, cabbage etc.
When the onion and garlic is cooked through, add some flour , then chicken or veg stock. Cook until thickened. Add sweetcorn.
Stir in the veg.
Put into an oven dish, top with puff pastry, and cut 3 slits. Brush with beaten egg.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is done.

Vegetarian enchiladas https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/red-pepper-and-courgette-enchiladas/

I made the toad in the hole from this link which contains all of your five a day (though I used carrot and parsnip instead of celeriac and beetroot). As it's so filling, it doesn't need any potatoes or veg on the side.

I made a roast yesterday and then realised how much veg I managed to get in there! For 8 people I roasted a 1kg loin roast (which is v much on the small side for our appetites) and then the veg made up the rest:
Roast salad potatoes and roast carrots with lemon & fennel, in the tin with the pork
Cauliflower cheese
Roast tenderstem broccoli and wedges of savoy cabbage

5 veg in one meal which is pretty good going and if you leave out the pork, it's still a really nice veggie meal in itself with the cauli cheese as the "main".

I also make chicken thigh traybakes and ring the changes of veg around the chicken:

• wedges of pumpkin, chickpeas and red onion with rose harissa
• halved brussels sprouts and potatoes with honey mustard
• sweet potato, thyme and sweet onions
• wedges of savoy cabbage, sliced potatoes and onions with caraway seeds

Pasta 'pomodoro' but with added veg. I start it with a sofritta: carrot, onion and celery, then add garlic, red and yellow peppers, courgettes, herbs, tinned chopped tomatoes. Children love it. With pasta, grated cheese, fresh chopped basil. Add chilli flakes and black olives, capers and anchovies on top if adults want it to have more punch.

Mild curry: new potatoes with skins on, carrots, onions, peas, spinach, tinned chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn if you like it. If they are really ok with most veg you can add small cubes of kohl rabi or finely shredded savoy cabbage, with fried garlic and ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek and curry leaves. add chilli if you like a punch. With rice or naan

Veggie 'Thai' curry - sugar snaps, baby corns, red and yellow peppers, cashews, wilted greens e.g. pak choi, coconut milk, dollop of peanut butter, thai green curry sauce, beansprouts - with rice or noodles

I add steamed cauliflower (a whole one, cut into small florets) and leek to macaroni cheese, with roasted baby tomatoes on the side. If cauli is too strong a flavour, romanesco green cauli is much sweeter. Or you could use broccoli.

1 - three bean chilli with tomatoes, peppers and onion then have it in enchiladas with a big side .

2 - Veg tart - puff pastry base with ratatouille topping (cherry tomatoes, aubergine, courgette, pepper, red onion) and a sprinkling of feta and pine nuts.

3 - Same ratatouille is great with pasta.

4 - roast aubergine goulash and crusty bread.

5 - hidden butternut squash curry - roast the chopped squash and 2 white onions with chosen curry spices (curry powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander and turmeric) plus seasoning then when soft blitz with a pint of veg stock and a tin of coconut milk. Then add a tin of butter beans, griddled courgette rounds, tender stem broccoli and green beans. Serve with homemade flat bread or rice.

Shepherds pie, meat or lentil.

Add carrots, sweetcorn and peas to the 'meat' layer. For the mash use a mix or parsnip and potato or parsnip and sweet potato for the topping.

Veg kebabs, on skewers thread onion chunks, cherry tomatoes, aubergine and courgette slices (put the skewer through the skin) serve with salad in a pita bread.

Bubble and squeak made with left over potato, butternut squash, onion, parsnips, carrots.

Tomatoes (preferably beefsteak) stuffed with rice and veg or cous cous and veg.

CHips / wedges made with a variety of root veg.

Veggie bolognaise is easy - loads of diced onion, carrots, celery, peppers then red lentils and a small pack of quorn mince. Use beef stock and I also fry off chopped sun dried tomatoes and tin of anchovies (it's odd but works I promise!) into the onions and garlic to make a really tasty base. Slosh of Lee and Perrine helps 'meat' it up too.

I'm vegan and my DH is vegetarian so our meals are always packed of veggies.

I made Bolognese last night. I know you say the kids don't like mushrooms, neither do mine but I dice them up until they're like a mince. I also add grated carrot, onions, celery and tomatoes. Add mince, lentil or whatever you prefer for protein.

Fajitas with onions, peppers and water other veggies you like. I always serve with chargrilled corn on the cobs.

A fave in our house is green risotto. Diced onion, garlic, arborio rice, veggie stock and add whichever veggies you like. I add asparagus, broccoli and peas.

Veggie curries are also good for using up whatever veg you have in the fridge. I love adding spinach to mine.

Carribbean curry. I roast onions, peppers, aubergine and sweet potato. I add cooked green beans season with Carribbean jerk seasoning. Add tinned tomatoes and coconut milk.

Was going to say this...
My DS developed a deep love of broccoli via stir fry. Lots of peppers too and carrot also work really well.

Also. There's a thread on here started recently with some amazing soup recipes. I know you were looking for dinner but soup is anyways a great way to get veggie in your body.

A roast - we usually have carrots, broccoli, parsnips, cauliflower, Brussels & peas, plus roast potatoes.
Traybake's - can add loads - peppers, courgette, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, baby sweetcorn, tomatoes, parsnips, potatoes, onion, aubergine etc