25 non-salad recipes to help you eat your fruits & vegetables

Avocados are superfoods, meaning you can get a heaping helping of essential vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants from a single source. On that note, let’s keep things relatively simple with a quick and easy (but very satisfying) recipe for avocado toast three ways, courtesy of California Avocados. You can always class it up with a more complex version too, as there are countless recipes out there!

There’s no replacing Buffalo chicken. We know that. But when you’re a vegetarian, trying to slim down, or just need to get some vegetables in your diet, this Buffalo cauliflower recipe from the Food Network is quick and painless (unless you use super potent hot sauce, of course). Plus, they even show you how to make homemade blue cheese dressing!

If you’re staring at this pizza photo and wondering why you can’t see the cauliflower, it’s because it’s in the crust! In a little treat for our gluten-free friends, this pizza uses mashed cauliflower in place of dough. The “crust” is then baked before the toppings are added. As you can see, this one is covered in meat, but you add or substitute some extra veggies if you want a healthier or vegetarian pie. Detoxinista has the recipe here, plus a special trick to help ensure your crust comes out perfect.

Think coleslaw can only include carrots and cabbage? Prepare to have your mind blown with this recipe from All Recipes that calls for the addition of red bell peppers and two types of apples. It might seem odd at first, but we think you’ll love this dish, which is perfect for summer cookouts! (Just don’t leave it in the sun for too long… there’s still mayo in there, after all.)

It might sound a bit far-out, but you can actually mix avocado and dark chocolate, roll it into a ball, and serve it as dessert. Don’t believe us? Check out this simple no-bake recipe from Spoon University and try it for yourself!

Fajita ingredients can vary based on the recipe and the chef, but most will include peppers (red, yellow, and green), onions, and sometimes tomatoes, in addition to all the savory spices. If preparing sizzling fajitas seems akin to standing in a sauna, you’ll love this slow-cooker recipe from Amuse Your Bouche. Feel free to add mushrooms (like in the photo), or steak, chicken, shrimp, etc. To cool things down further and give your meal a superfruit boost, throw in some avocado or guacamole too!

Instead of buying packaged ice pops made with a ton of sugar and who knows what else, try making your own at home. This recipe from All Recipes suggests using blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and bananas, as well as plain or vanilla yogurt.

 Sure, you could make banana bread, but why limit yourself to just one type of fruit? Check out this recipe from Food.com and you’ll learn how to make fresh-baked bread with strawberries, blueberries, and/or peaches... and we’re sure you can add bananas too, if you insist. There are also instructions in there for prune bread and cranberry bread!

Frittatas, which are basically Italian omelets, are an easy way to add vegetables to your diet because you can throw in almost anything you want (including meat, for our carnivorous readers). As a bonus, you can also prepare frittatas in a slow cooker, which will help you avoid extra heat in the summer months. For instructions, try this slow-cooker frittata with broccoli, ham, and Swiss recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

If eating fruit isn’t your thing, try drinking it instead. You can turn almost any fruit into a smoothie and mix and match to discover some new combinations to add to your arsenal of recipes. If you’re not a boss when it comes to using the blender, here are some instructions from All Recipes to get you started. This one uses bananas, strawberries, peaches, and orange-peach-mango juice, but feel free to substitute any of your favorite fruits.

If your goal is to get more greens down your gullet, take a tip from the healthy-eating pros and sneak it into a smoothie. As 100 Days of Real Food suggests, the best ratio for green smoothies is 2 cups leafy greens (kale, spinach, romaine, bok choy, etc.), 2 cups liquid base (water, coconut water, coconut milk, almond milk), and 3 cups fruit (banana, mango, and basically any other kind). They’ll get you started with their “Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie” recipe right here.

Did you know you can grill fruit on the barbecue? Not only is it doable, but it makes them taste even better. Simply skewer your favorite fruits - pineapples, peaches, watermelon, cherries, strawberries, grapefruit - and then toss them on the grill. And, as this recipe from Epicurious suggests, you can also cover them in a spicy maple cumin glaze!

 Obviously you can put fruits and vegetables into a variety of sandwiches and wraps, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, try a grilled pita wrap, which combines marinated chicken, romaine lettuce, fresh tomato slices, onion, and tzatziki sauce (with freshly chopped cucumber). You can probably figure out how to make one yourself, but this recipe from The Food Network will help you prepare the homemade marinade and tzatziki sauce, and also give you tips on grilling the pita.

This one’s great for picky kids (and picky adults), as it’s not mac and cheese mixed with summer squash pieces, but instead summer squash in a cheese sauce! The secret is turning the squash into a puree first, and Super Healthy Kids has all the info and instructions you need.

There’s so much pasta, sauce, and cheese in lasagna, you’ll barely even notice if vegetables are added. And by “vegetables” we mean more than just spinach. In addition to Popeye’s favorite food, this vegetable lasagna recipe from Betty Crocker also includes yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini - and you can make it in your slow cooker! (Side note: Does anyone else think of “Seinfeld” anytime they hear the words “vegetable lasagna”?)

If regular fruit salad seems boring to you, mix things up with a parfait. Gather all your favorite fruits together and layer them in between scoops of yogurt and granola. You’ve now added some sweetness, texture, and variety to your breakfast while still keeping things healthy - plus, you can make as much or as little as you want. This recipe from Williams Sonoma suggests drizzling in some honey too!

Okay, I know we said no salads, but we don’t consider salad and pasta salad to be all that similar (if you do, just be cool for a minute), even when you substitute the pasta for zucchini noodles or “zoodles.” While you could easily top these bad boys with your favorite tomato sauce, we decided to take it in a more summery direction and suggest zoodle pasta salad. And before you say no, we’d like to point out that this recipe from The Kitcheneer uses pancetta, which is basically Italian bacon.

Quesadillas are so cheesy that it’s super easy to sneak some veggies in there. You can be creative and original, but for inspiration, this recipe from the Food Network uses corn, scallions, and red peppers. We know you probably don’t need a recipe to make quesadillas, but if you do, it’s okay; we won’t judge. Just don’t forget the guac!

It’s not quite rice, but it’s not quite pasta: it’s risotto! This Italian dish is a cinch to make, and it can be customized with whatever vegetables, meats, and seafood you like. The Wimpy Vegetarian has a great slow-cooker-friendly recipe right here that includes leeks and asparagus.

It doesn’t really matter what veggies you stuff into this meal, as the cup is the vegetable, making this dish healthy, well-contained, and adorable-looking. For some guidance, be sure to check out this recipe from Vigo that uses yellow rice, onions, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pork or beef (optional).

Sushi isn’t all about fish and crab, some varieties just include fruits and vegetables. (For those of us allergic or averse to seafood, this is a lifesaver at sushi restaurants!) Stuff your sushi rolls with whatever you like, but here’s a recipe from Epicurious using cucumbers, carrots, and avocados to get you started.

You’re probably familiar with shrimp or chicken tempura, but you can also add veggies to the mix for more crispy goodness. This recipe from Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network includes both green beans and asparagus – but zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and cauliflower all work too. Sure, it’s essentially deep-fried vegetables, but we never said these recipes had to be totally healthy!

We love chicken parm, but where are the veggies? Instead of filling up on all that meat, try this healthier recipe from The Endless Meal. It uses eggplant, onions, carrots, and bell peppers, plus some other ingredients you might not expect, like honey, feta cheese, and almond milk. It may sound like a lot, but you’ll barely notice under all that cheese.

We didn’t want to include more than a dessert or two here, but how could we leave out pie? It may not be particularly healthy, but it’s one of the best ways to get fruit into almost anyone’s diet. To make the most of this opportunity, we opted for a mixed berry pie recipe from Taste of Home that uses four different types of berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Follow the link to find out how to make it at home!

 Zucchini bread is the perfect breakfast, snack, or side dish for any meal. If you’ve never tried it before, trust us, you’ll barely even notice the zucchini. (It worked when our moms made it back when we were picky little children.) Since warm weather is upon us, there’s no better time to utilize this summer vegetable! Get the recipe here, courtesy of Epicurious.