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My kids eat a pretty good variety of vegetables, but it’s taken a lot of trial and error, reintroducing the same vegetables over and over again, and preparing them in different ways because they’ve never been big eaters. Their favorite vegetable has always been raw cucumbers, particularly the Persian or East Asian varieties because they are small, seedless and taste slightly sweet. Once I started packing the kids bento boxes for school, I really tried to increase the variety of vegetables they would eat.

Below are 15 of their favorite veggie recipes, most of which are simple and easy to make because who has a lot of time to cook dinner!

Garlic Butter Asparagus via Raya Malaysia

Buttered Asparagus – Other than cucumbers, asparagus was a surprising early favorite vegetable for both kids. I just give them a quick saute in some butter and garlic (optional) and then sprinkle some salt and pepper. Want to take asparagus up a notch? Wrap them in bacon!

Broccoli Stir Fry via The Garden Grazer

Broccoli Stir Fry – Most kids love broccoli because they look like little trees. My favorite way to prepare them are Asian stir-fry style, and I usually omit the corn starch (or use Arrowroot powder if I have it on hand). You can easily mix this up by adding more vegetables, or a protein like chicken, tofu, pork, beef, etc. Typically I just make broccoli though because Charlie and Olive can eat an entire head of broccoli each.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower via Damn Delicious

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower – Roasting is my preferred method of preparing vegetables because it’s so easy, quick and flavorful. Adults and kids alike adore this simple delicious cauliflower recipe.

Silky Cauliflower Soup via Smitten Kitchen

If your kids are soup fans like mine, they will love this cauliflower soup. It has too many steps for me to make frequently, but my kids love it. Cauliflowers are amazingly versatile and can be used to make “fried” rice, crackers, faux mashed potatoes and more.

Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts w/ Bacon via Damn Delicious

Brussel Sprouts – Brussel sprouts are soooo good and underrated. This super easy recipe is topped with bacon giving it that extra savory, salty goodness. I skip the balsamic vinegar, but it’s a great addition.

Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce – Spaghetti sauce is a great way to get tons of veggies in your kids. I always bought a locally made variety in a jar with no additives when we lived in New York because it was quick and easy. There are some awesome tips here on how to take your jarred marinara sauce to the next level. I saute onions, mushrooms, garlic, ground beef or ground turkey, and add cheese, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. I make a huge batch and it freezes amazingly well.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes via Bon Appetit

Roasted Sweet Potatoes – I love sweet potatoes just baked plain, but it took a long time to get my kids to love them. I roast them using this recipe and then drizzle with butter.

Buttered Peas via Unsophistacook

Buttered Peas – Just frozen peas boiled and then add butter, salt, and pepper.

Corn via Spicy Southern Kitchen

Buttered Corn on the Cob – Boil the corn with a cup of milk and butter instead of putting butter on afterward!

Roast Carrot Coins via Weelicious

Carrots – It has been a challenge to get my kids to eat carrots, while many of their friends will happily snack on raw baby carrots. This has been the only carrot recipe they’ve eaten!

Mushroom Saute via All Recipes

Mushrooms – I always sneak mushrooms into my marinara sauce and sometimes when I’m sauteeing meat and veggies. I can only get Olive to eat this mushroom saute recipe (not Charlie), but I’ll take it!

Veggie Pizza via Super Healthy Kids

Veggie Pizzas – I can always get the kids to eat vegetables they wouldn’t eat otherwise like carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers when they make their own pizzas.

Seaweed Soup (Miyuk Gook) via Korean Bapsang

Seaweed is even better for you than vegetables grown on land, and luckily it is one of my kids’ favorite foods! They eat it in many different varieties though the soup is their favorite. They also eat dried seaweed (nori) with sushi, wakame in miso soup, and kombu in broths and soups. You can read more about nori, wakame, and kombu here!

Veggie Smoothies are one of the best ways to get tons of good nutrients in your little ones. We typically use kale or spinach, fruit, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. This toddler veggie smoothie recipe is one of our most popular recipes!

Sea Salt and Garlic Kale Chips via The Busy Baker

One of the few ways I can get my kids to eat leafy greens!

What are your kids’ favorite ways to eat veggies?