Not every step toward a more nutritious diet has to taste like one. Forget the steamed broccoli and try incorporating more great-for-you greens into your favorite meals you're already making.
We asked the experts to share with us some of their favorite sneaky ways to get more greens. Here are some of their most drool-worthy suggestions.
Baked Goods
Try pureeing greens and adding them to muffins, suggests Elisa Zied, MS, RDN, CDN. When paired with other flavorful ingredients, like blueberries or chocolate, you won't notice the spinach hidden in the mix. "You won't even feel like you're eating vegetables," says Heather Bauer, RD, CDN. This trick even works with brownies! (Just remember this isn't a free pass to eat the whole pan.)
Eggs
Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD, swears by greens in omelets, especially kale, which you can easily buy frozen and throw into the mix whenever you're in the mood to make breakfast.
Pasta
As you're just about finished cooking your favorite noodle dish, around the time when you might typically add some fresh basil, try adding heartier greens to the mix, says Julie Upton, MS, RD, CSSD. Spinach works particularly well, she says. Greens also work in lasagna, says Zied, or instead of basil in homemade pesto, says Cheryl Forberg, RD. (You can even try the pesto as a yummy condiment to serve on sandwiches, she says.)
Smoothies
To change up your morning routine, try mixing spinach or kale into those homemade fruit smoothies, says Ward. A handful of leaves doesn't have to make your sip look -- or taste -- green!
Pizza
There's no reason you can't add a little green to your favorite homemade slice. A handful of leaves can add a refreshing factor to that warm and gooey cheese. Upton suggests baking your dough with just fresh mozzarella. Then when it comes out of the oven, cover the entire pie with a mix of arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar.
Beans
"When I'm making black beans (with tomato, garlic, onion, cumin, etc.), I love to stir in a couple cups of chopped, blanched greens like spinach, chard or kale at the end," says Forberg. "Adds great color, texture and flavor!"
Soups
Just about any green can be pureed to make a thicker soup, helping to camouflage a distinct health-promoting taste, says Bauer. Whipping up a greens-based soup or sauce is an especially good trick for the severely veggie-averse, she says, who might not even want to see vegetables.
What's your favorite way to sneak more greens into a meal? Let us know in the comments below!
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