Life

23 National Eat Your Vegetables Day Recipes

by Dacy Knight

Your parents repeated the command all throughout your childhood, but now there is an official day to remind you to get your greens. June 17 marks National Eat Your Vegetables Day, so prepare yourself with this roundup of appetizing vegetarian recipes so packed with flavor even steadfast meat eaters will be coming back for seconds.

Every one of these 23 dishes is a delicious way to get your daily serving of veggies. Get to grilling juicy portobellos to stack up on spicy sliders or slices of bread with peppers piled high for fresh bruschetta just in time for summer. Stir fry edamame and beautiful baby bok choy for a zesty bowl full of flavor. Roast spaghetti squash until caramelized, then pack with red cabbage slaw and tons of lime for a south of the border snack, and serve with palate-thrilling sides like garlicky lemon butter grilled zucchini or baked green bean fries.

Going meatless has never been so satisfying, and what better way to fully commit than on the holiday devoted to eating your veggies? So hit the produce section of your local grocery and get to cooking up all the greens mom and dad used to beg you to eat.

1. Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables

Take on your veggies with this exciting dish by Cookie & Kate that combines fresh asparagus or snow peas, carrots, and wilted spinach with spicy Thai green curry for a filling bowl packed with flavor.

2. Grilled Lemon Garlic Zucchini

This side dish by Damn Delicious is deceivingly simple. The crisp and tender zucchini rounds are doused and grilled with a dangerous lemon butter garlic sauce that may get you wanting to double the portion.

3. BBQ Portobello Sliders

Just because you're committing to vegetables doesn't mean you can't get your barbecue fix. These barbecue portobello sliders by How Sweet It Is pack a hefty drizzle of barbecue sauce, as well as peppers, paprika, and chili powder, caramelized onions, avocado, and a slice of melted gouda.

4. Zucchini and Crimini Street Tacos

This simple recipe by A Spicy Perspective takes just 15 minutes and mixes together sautéed onions, thinly sliced zucchini, garden squash, crimini mushrooms, and smoky spices to be piled high in fresh corn tortillas and topped with crumbled cheese.

5. Rainbow Veggie Pad Thai Noodles

Serve up some gorgeous bowls of Pad Thai remixed with beets and sweet potatoes for rainbow results. Half Baked Harvest uses a spiralizer to make the noodles, but if you don't have one you can also cut up the veggies into tiny matchsticks or half rounds. The rest of the recipe is simple, calling for adding tons of your favorite veggies, fresh basil and peanuts, then topping with a "killer" sesame and soy sauce.

6. Grilled Vegetable Spinach Pesto Quesadilla

It's impossible not to drool over these vegetarian spinach pesto quesadillas by Simply Scratch. Generously stuffed with grilled portobellos, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers, and onions, as well as grated farmer's cheese and crumbled feta, these triangles ooze with flavor.

7. Sesame Broccoli and Shiitake Stir Fry

Prepare a bowl of deliciousness in no time at all with this stir fry approach. Using every part of every veggie, Love & Lemons combines edamame, baby bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and broccoli for an enjoyably healthy concoction.

8. Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta

Heat up the grill to serve up this fresh summer snack by Apron & Sneakers, toasted to perfection and piled on with fire-roasted veggies that take you to another place.

9. Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado

Bite into these juicy sweet potato burgers by How Sweet It Is, stacked with thick slices of avocado and fresh roasted garlic cream, and your tastebuds will be thanking you long after National Eat Your Vegetables Day.

10. Avocado and Mango Brown Rice Sushi

Roll up your sleeves, then roll up some delightful fish-free sushi. This recipe from Love & Lemons serves up delectable avocado and sweet mango bites while putting your sushi-rolling skills to the test.

11. Vegetarian Sushi Bowl

If you find the idea of rolling your own sushi daunting, opt instead for this undone version by Cookie & Kate. The sushi bowl saves you the trouble of rolling while still delivering the veggie sushi roll flavor you crave.

12. Baked Green Bean Fries

Sure, fries already are "a vegetable," but really get in the healthy veggie spirit with this green bean alternative by Damn Delicious that's "baked to absolute crisp-perfection."

13. Sun-Dried Tomato, Mushroom, and Spinach Tofu Quiche

Quiche is an easy way to get your vegetable fix without trying too hard, and this tofu rendition by Oh She Glows hits the spot with baby spinach, crimini mushrooms, and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

14. Avocado Egg Rolls

Damn Delicious declares this restaurant-inspired appetizer puts the original to shame. Egg roll wrappers stuffed with avocado are thrown in a skillet and cooked until they're "wonderfully crisp and golden brown." The side dish takes just 20 minutes to make, and even less time to devour.

15. Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Drizzle

How Sweet It Is promises this is a "surefire way" to get anyone eating veggies. Between the juicy tomatoes, roasted corn, crunchy peppers, and Chipotle drizzle, these sweet potatoes are taken to a whole new level of deliciousness.

16. Oven Baked Ratatouille

Go super traditional with this classic veggie dish by Pass The Sushi. You can't argue with the delicious simplicity of eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash bathed and baked in marinara sauce and spiced up to the right degree.

17. Spicy Roasted Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese

Who would have thought that classic mac could get an upgrade by way of veggies? This daring number by The Comfort Of Cooking spices things up — creatively, with yellow squash, broccoli florets, diced red pepper, and baby carrots, and literally, with cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. The butter-free mac and cheese is simply mouthwatering and packs even more flavor thanks to the "heap of hearty, crisp vegetables."

18. Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl

Serve up some south of the border flavor with this super healthy take on the popular burrito bowl by Cookie & Kate. The spaghetti squash is roasted until tender and caramelized with crisp edges, then stuffed with red cabbage slaw mixed with black beans, lime, salsa verde, and creamy avocado.

19. Turmeric Roasted Carrots with Lemon Tahini Dressing

For a fun side that packs a flavorful punch, try this simple recipe by Simply Scratch. The carrots are roasted until caramelized after being quickly tossed in a turmeric spice blend and then are drizzled in addictive lemon tahini. Top off the dish by sprinkling crunchy chopped pistachios and fresh cilantro and you'll have yourself "an out-of-this-world flavor combination" no one will be able to resist.

20. Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup

This soup by Love & Lemons calls for whatever vegetables you already have on hand. Make it in a big pot and eat at your leisure over the next few days, or freeze for a future date. "It's a great bowl to cozy up with," and you'll be extra comforted in knowing that you saved by using what you already had lying around.

21. Miso-Butter Grilled Veggies With Basil-Mint Pesto

Unleash your holiday spirit by serving up this shameless platter by A Farm Girl Dabbles that features a liberal assortment of colorful veggies grilled in tasty miso-butter. Pair the plate of "summer's fresh garden bounty" with a refreshing basil-mint pesto dip and you'll be surprised to see just how fast this perfect party appetizer is devoured.

22. Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese

Recipe creator How Sweet It Is knows everyone loves Brussels spouts when they're "shredded into tiny pieces and combined with salt and garlic and balsamic and then layered in between thick, melty cheese and toasted bread." Add that extra veggie kick to a lunchtime favorite with this subtle upgrade to the classic grilled cheese.

23. Simple Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna

It's hard not to love your veggies when layered into thick, gooey, melted mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan. The results, achieved here by Half Baked Harvest, are downright sinful. So if you're still wary of going after your veggies for National Eat Your Vegetables Day, this decadent approach to getting your greens should do the trick.

Images: Cookie & Kate (3), Damn Delicious (3), How Sweet It Is (4), A Spicy Perspective, Half Baked Harvest (2), Simply Scratch (2), Love & Lemons (3), Apron & Sneakers, Oh She Glows, Pass The Sushi, The Comfort Of Cooking, A Farm Girl Dabbles