30-Day Eat More Vegetables Challenge

Frozen veggies and fruit sometimes get a bad rap, but they’re often even better than fresh—they’re picked at their peak of ripeness and have all the same nutrients as fresh, are often cheaper and last a long time in the freezer.  Thaw frozen veggies like broccoli, corn and peppers and add them to frittatas, omelets and muffin-tin eggs.

Don’t eat eggs or just want to mix things up? Frozen veggies are great in a tofu scramble as an alternative to traditional scrambled eggs. 

Whether you are making homemade macaroni and cheese or reaching for a box, add a few handfuls of frozen peas while the pasta is cooking. Try this Quick Stovetop Mac & Cheese with Peas if you want an actual recipe, or feel free to improvise. Frozen broccoli and green beans are also nice additions to mac. 

Using your time at home to bake more? Try working some veggies into your treats with delicious recipes like our Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins or zucchini bread. 

Veggie-based dips, like spinach and artichoke, are a creative, fun way to eat more produce. Our Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip calls for frozen spinach and canned artichokes, so it’s easy to make. Dig right in with bread, crudités or tortilla chips, or turn it into more of a meal with our Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta recipe (feel free to use thawed frozen spinach in place of fresh in the recipe). 

Yes, potatoes are part of a healthy diet. They keep for a long time if stored properly and they are basically the ultimate comfort food. Try this easy and super-popular Melting Potatoes recipe to get your serving of spuds today. 

Got frozen veggies? There’s a good bet that they’d benefit from cheese. Simply grate cheese over steamed veggies or make this Easy Cheese Sauce.

Add a handful of frozen kale or spinach to your smoothie—no need to thaw first. Vegetable smoothies are a great way to sneak some produce into breakfast or snacks. 

If your grocery store is out of frozen spinach but has plenty of frozen okra or chard, go ahead—give it a try. This okra recipe can be made with frozen okra and lima beans. 

You know what salsa’s made of? Vegetables! Scoop it up with chips or spoon it onto beans, tacos, eggs and more. 

We love our vegetables, but it is hard to deny that a little bacon makes most vegetables, and especially frozen and canned ones, taste better. If you aren’t a meat eater, smoked paprika is a great vegetarian substitute for bacon. Try these Green Beans with Bacon & Hazelnuts with frozen or canned green beans (and swap in any nut you have on hand or leave them out altogether). 

Pile sauerkraut onto sandwiches, add it to salads or serve it as a side—this fermented cabbage isn’t just a tasty way to eat your veggies, it’s also good for your gut. 

Other fermented veggies, like Korean kimchi, have many of the same health—and taste—benefits as sauerkraut. Try our fan-favorite kimchi fried rice.

While you might think of onions as something you add to a dish, don’t overlook them as a vegetable in their own right. Try these Caramelized Balsamic Onions and you’ll see why onions can be the star of your plate. 

If you’ve stocked up on canned tomatoes, this is good news. Outside of about a month or two in summer, canned tomatoes are your best bet for making tomato sauces like this stovetop Quick Tomato Sauce or this Pressure-Cooker Tomato Sauce. Want to bulk up your veggies even more in your spaghetti dinner? Add a handful of frozen spinach or kale to the sauce. 

This bright-tasting Carrot Smoothie can be made with cooked fresh or frozen carrots. 

Root vegetables like beets, parsnips and rutabaga last a long time, so if you see them in your grocery store, go ahead and stock up. Use them to roast a big batch to have on hand for adding to salads, grain bowls, soups and more. 

Frozen veggies might not be the best for roasting, but they’re right at home in casseroles. This comforting Broccoli, Beef & Potato Hotdish Recipe can be made with frozen broccoli and hash browns! 

Veggies in jars count as vegetables too, and they last a long time in the fridge! Try roasted red peppers on sandwiches or in this 5-ingredient, 20-minute Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Pasta. 

Cauliflower rice is well-loved in the low-carb community, but riced cauliflower—which you can make yourself or buy frozen in bags—is also great when you’re just looking to up your veggie intake. Try it in Greek Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Chicken, Southwestern Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Shrimp & Avocado Crema, Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice or anything else you’d serve over rice. 

Canned sweet potatoes or pumpkin puree last for a long time and add great sweetness and a nutrition boost to your smoothie. Try this Pumpkin Pie Smoothie with either one. Canned carrots and beets work well in smoothies too.

Cabbage is another vegetable that lasts a long time—up to two months in the fridge! Our Sautéed Cabbage recipe has suggestions for four variations, so it doesn’t get boring. Balsamic Roasted Cabbage is another fan favorite. 

Take it easy on your budget and up your veggie intake by adding diced fresh, frozen (thawed) or dried mushrooms to stretch ground meat in meatloaf, spaghetti sauce and more. 

Bell peppers (especially green ones) can last up to three weeks in the fridge, so if you see them at the market, grab them and make stuffed peppers, like these cheesy Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers. 

Beets aren’t just for Dwight Schrute. Fresh beets keep for a long time in the fridge and are great roasted or steamed, and you can add canned or vacuum packed beets to salads and smoothies as well. 

Perk up frozen or canned vegetables or roasted root vegetables with lemon and other citrus juices or any kind of vinegar. Balsamic is one of our faves! 

You know what goes great with sour flavors? Sweet ones! Add a bit of honey, maple syrup or brown sugar to simple vegetables like carrots. Try these Honey & Orange Glazed Carrots, Balsamic Roasted Carrots with maple and Candied Carrots with brown sugar. 

A dash of hot sauce or a sprinkle of cayenne is yet another great way to spice up your favorite vegetables. Growing up in North Carolina and Louisiana, I never ate collard greens without several shakes from the hot sauce bottle. Hot sauce also livens up spinach, broccoli stir-fries (try Sriracha) and of course, fajitas, tacos and chili. 

One way to eat more vegetables is to grow your own!  We have a guide to food gardening for beginners to help you get started. You can even grow vegetables from scraps. 

A Bloody Mary—or Virgin Mary, if you prefer—is a great way to get in some vegetables. Cheers to completing the challenge!