Most kids are picky when it comes to eating green vegetables. They have their favorites and then there are the ones that they won’t eat at any cost. If your kid won’t venture to try anything green, learn ways to get them to consume it and appreciate the flavor. Today, we’ll be starting with broccoli.

The quickest way to convince your child to eat broccoli is to add it to a dish that they already like. If your child has never tried broccoli, this will make it easier still. The taste of the other foods will mask the taste of the broccoli. Broccoli doesn’t taste bad, but it does need some sprucing up to taste better.

Add broccoli to a dish of macaroni and cheese. Almost all kids like to eat macaroni and cheese. Steam a pot of broccoli until it is almost done, but still very green. Once the macaroni and cheese is done mix the broccoli in. Before you mix it, cut off the stalks. The tops are easier to eat. Sometimes the stalks have hard parts that you could chew on for days and they still wouldn’t disappear. If you don’t want to chop all of those stems, buy bags of broccoli that just contain the florets.

Does your kid crave hot dish? Add broccoli to your favorite casserole. Transform a cheesy chicken and rice hot dish into a cheesy chicken, broccoli, and rice hot dish. A beef and noodle casserole could get a touch of green with some broccoli florets. Your kids will be so glad that they don’t have to eat peas that they won’t even care about what’s in the hot dish.

My kids crave chicken potpie. Many potpies contain chunks of potatoes, carrots, and green beans. If you are making it from scratch, add a few baby broccoli florets to the veggie mixture. Once the vegetables soften and combine with the chicken, and the cream soup the taste mixes right in. You can add broccoli to a turkey or a beef potpie in addition.

Offer broccoli as a snack. Many times, kids will snack on vegetables when they are raw and they taste better to them that way. Set out a plate of broccoli with the stalks and a bowl of ranch dressing. Ranch dressing on vegetables is tasty and a convenient snack to munch on while watching television or doing homework. It fills them up for the moment and there’s no sugar in it to ruin their dinner. If ranch dressing is not their thing, try cottage cheese, yogurt, or another type of dressing.

Broccoli works well as a side dish with a sauce. Often you see broccoli with a sauce, it is cheese sauce. Beware of the fat content though. Use a low-fat cheese to melt over the top or try Velveeta® light cheese spread. Light salsa con queso (with cheese) is also an option for a sauce topping.

Broccoli is a wonderful vegetable to consume. It can be added to any pasta dish or casserole, or used as a side dish with a sauce for flavor. Getting your kids to consume broccoli is a task but it can be completed if you use their favorite foods as a decoy.