Quick Veggie Recipes For Lazy Cooks

Do you struggle to get your family to eat vegetarian meals? Most kids will turn their noses up at most vegetables, so giving them a plateful of greens might be a surefire way for you to turn your family dinners into a war zone. There could be a lot of complaining quickly followed by tears and tantrums!

It doesn’t always have to be like that, though, promise me. I’m sure that you will be able to find some great-tasting veggie dishes that your kids will love to tuck into. Take these, for instance. These recipes are quick and easy to whip up, and they make the perfect family dinners for lazy cooks.

Mediterranean Gnocchi

Vegetarian cuisine will be a lot more appealing to kids if the dish is pasta or potato-based. Well, why not combine those and cook with gnocchi? These little balls are part pasta and part potato, and I’m sure your kids will wolf them down.

Serves four.

• 14 oz gnocchi
• 2 tbsp pesto
• 7 oz grilled veggies (you can choose the ones that you know your children will eat)
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Parmesan or a similar hard cheese to grate on top.

1. Boil the gnocchi in a large pan of salted water for a couple of minutes. Once the little balls start to rise to the top of the water, they are done. Drain them and leave to steam dry in the pan for a minute.
2. Add the roasted veg along with the pesto to the gnocchi. Stir well so it all combines. Then stir in the shavings.
3. Serve onto plates and sprinkle the grated cheese over.

Courgette And Asparagus Salad

Serves 4.

• 5 oz asparagus
• 5 oz courgette
• 2 oz peas
• Handful of rocket leaves
• 1 oz feta cheese or similar crumbly, soft cheese
• Grated zest of half a lemon
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

1. Fry the sesame seeds over a low heat. Once you can start to smell a toasted fragrance, they are done.
2. Cook the asparagus by steaming it for about three minutes. Once cooked, drop into some iced water to stop the cooking process.
3. Boil the peas for three minutes until cooked.
4. Slice the courgettes thickly and quickly fry them in a heavy griddle pan. Once the courgette is done, griddle the cooled asparagus.
5. Once everything is cooked, mix all of the vegetables together in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and rocket leaves and stir again. Crumble in the feta cheese and mix so that all the ingredients are combined.
6. Season the salad and then serve it up. If you want, you might also like the idea of toasting some croutons to add to it.

Hopefully, one of these recipes will inspire your family to start eating a lot more veggie meals this summer. Not only will they taste fantastic, but you’ll find that eating a lot less meat will also bring you a few health benefits, such as having more energy throughout the day.

Get ready to tuck in!