Spinach Mushroom Meat Loaf: Get the kids to eat veggies

spinach-mushroom-meat-loaf-healthy-recipe-for-kids

Coming up with a healthy recipe for kids that actually gets kids to eat veggies can be challenging. I sometimes have a hard time getting my teen to eat veggies. He only likes baby carrots, cucumbers and mushrooms. That doesn’t leave me much of a choice. I want him to have a balanced diet, which means he needs to eat more veggies! Hiding the veggies in my vegetable muffins worked so well last week, I tried it again with this spinach meat loaf!

I know we want all our kids to eat vegetables presented separately but we do what we have to do to bring them to eat a balanced diet. If hiding vegetables in their favorite recipes is what works then so be it. My son is a huge fan of meat loaf . The idea of adding vegetables to this dinner recipe came when someone suggested swapping mushroom with meat. Basically, instead of having 3 servings of meat, mix 2 serving of meat and one serving of mushroom. It is leaner, healthier and cost effective. So I thought it will be a great swap for the meat loaf.

Spinach Mushroom Meat Loaf: Healthy Recipe for Kids

 spinach-mushroom-meat-loaf-healthy-recipe-for-kids

Ingredients

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  • 1 cup of mushroom washed and uncooked
  • 1 cup of spinach: boiled and drained
  • 3 cups of ground beef. I usually go with extra lean ground beef.
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup of your favorite crackers.
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup of ketchup
  • 1/4 cup of grated cheese. I usually go with cheddar but mozzarella works too

Make it

  • In your favorite blender, blend the mushrooms.
  • In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. Make sure to mix well the mushrooms with the meat
  • Heat oven to 350F
  • Add your mixture in a 10.*5 pan.
  • Bake for at least 40 minutes.

Tips

The above meat and vegetable mixture will be a great addition to your spinach lasagna.

spinach-mushroom-meat-loaf-healthy-recipe-for-kids

If you want to save some time, mix the mushrooms, meat and spinach and freeze them in freezer bags. You will find them ready for future use. If your kids don’t like mushrooms, you can swap them with zucchini. It adds nice color along with the spinach. My kids love topping the meat loaf with tomato sauce, make sure to have it handy. I usually cook a homemade tomato sauce and have it in the freezer. It is handy.

Do you have any great swaps that you make in the kitchen to get your kids to eat more veggies? What do you think of this healthy recipe for kids?

 

36 thoughts on “Spinach Mushroom Meat Loaf: Get the kids to eat veggies”

  1. Why are none of the comments about how the food tastes??????? Recipe moms please come back and tell me if it’s good or not. I’m just a college boy trying not to waste a week of groceries. Please.

    1. This us my go to meatloaf recipe. Its fabulous. I use gravy instead of ketchup as a topping and swap out grated cheese for parmesan. Pair the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and its prefect with brown gravy.

  2. Used this recipe as inspiration for dinner tonight. It’s in the oven and can’t wait to try it. I didn’t blend the mushrooms or add any cheese, and used marinara sauce that came with a recent delivery instead of ketchup plus onions and some Italian seasonings. While it may sound totally different, it really is the same basic recipe with minor substitutions/additions. Thanks for giving me something to work from!

  3. Meatloaf is such a versatile recipe and so easy to hide veggies in. I have never put spinach in it so I will have to try that.

  4. Spinach is so moist! I love putting it in meatloaves. The more veggies you add to a meatloaf, the more moist it will be! This is especially true if you’re using a ground poultry. This one looks amazing and I can’t wait to put it #onthemenu for dinner soon! Pinning!

  5. This looks and sounds amazing and healthy. I really think this is something I can trick my husband into eating and get away with it. Thanks.

  6. I’m pinning this for later! One of the things I’m finding is meat is getting more and more expensive so if this tastes great with more veggies it’s a great go-to dish!

  7. This sounds delicious, what a great twist on a traditional meatloaf, and a great way to add some veggies to a plate! The spinach sounds really good in this!

  8. This sounds and looks amazing indeed. I love mushrooms and the kids love meatloaf so I will have to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  9. This is such a clever idea! Except for the fact that I can’t even get my toddler to eat meatloaf lol. Ahh picky kids.

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