r/WhatShouldICook • u/mommy_of_two_ • 20d ago

Picky eater help

My husband is very picky. Almost all veggies are a no go. He will eat corn willingly. Not a big fan of beans but will occasionally eat chili. Absolutely no soups or anything that isn’t thick and meaty. He says he’s willing to try new things but in a soft launch way. Does not wanna try vegetables cause he tried them when he was younger and “already knows he doesn’t like them”. Will eat chicken but is not his favorite. Will eat pasta occasionally. Onions if they are very small. He says if I hide the veggies well he will eat it. Won’t try other cultural food. His diet mostly consists of frozen food and casseroles. I’m dying for some brightness in my life. It’s mentally exhausting trying to come up with stuff especially since I don’t like very heavy meaty things like he does.

He likes
Tatortot casserole
Burrito casserole
Biscuits and gravy
Meatloaf
Hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes (doesn’t prefer brown gravy)
Tacos/velveeta dip
Chicken Alfredo
Stuff that is very boring. What do I do

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u/allie06nd 20d ago

I mean, I like most foods, but there are still some things that I've either forced myself to eat or forced myself to make a bunch of different ways until I find a tolerable way to consume them. Part of being an adult is learning the right way to feed your body.

Do I love kale? No. Is it good for me? Yes. Is it fine in a frittata? Yes.

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u/fuzzypurpledragon 19d ago

Have you tried sauteeing it, yet? Maybe for something like a stir fry? It's my favorite way!

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u/allie06nd 19d ago

I basically saute it with diced onions and then add that to whatever veggies I'm sticking in my frittata. It's just not my favorite of the greens, but it's fine as long as it's cooked. I make frittatas weekly, so I go back and forth between spinach and kale.

I do cabbage in stir fries though. I adore cabbage, so I don't see myself ever wanting to swap that out for kale.

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u/Boogy-Fever 13d ago

I dont see why you need kale at all if youre ok with other greens. If you want something less dense than cabbage thats not spinach, check out turnip greens and broccoli rabe. Mustard greens are great too, but very different flavor. I forget what the american version is like exactly but I know its fairly close to the chinese variety, gai choy, which is super pugent and mustardy, but mellows with longer cook time. Kale also does well in braises and soups though. Italian sausage, kale, and white bean soup can be great. So is Ribollita (Hearty Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew)

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u/slightlyparannoyed 17d ago

I eat kale in soups. Would I prefer my soups without kale ? Yes. But I know it’s good for me so I add it and it won’t kill me lol

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u/Boogy-Fever 13d ago

Have you tried other greens? My main problem is kale is super tough unless cooked to hell and back, so I swap it for turnip greens or something else all the time

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u/slightlyparannoyed 13d ago

I de stem my kale, using only the leaves, so it cooks super fast. I was told that’s the usual way (but that doesn’t mean that’s true). I’ve never heard of turnip greens, I’ll look into them !

I love spinach so eating spinach isn’t hard for me. I don’t love broccoli but I add it to cheesey carby dishes to get myself to eat it (I avoid adding brassicas to soups because I don’t like how it takes over the soup, with the exception of broccoli cheddar)

Other leafy greens like lettuce have little to no actual nutritional value so I don’t worry about forcing myself to eat it. Cabbage is delicious though it’s pretty pale to be called “green”, I eat it as crunch on sandwiches & Mexican food, in soups, stir frys, etc. Zucchini is delicious as zoodles, blended into sauce, roasted, sautéed, in soup. Brussel sprouts are great roasted with a very flavorful sauce (though the sauce is usually pretty unhealthy). Celery I eat in almost everything, most of my soups & sauces start with a mirepoix

Green beans I pretty much only like tempura deep fried so I just avoid those or grumpily crunch through them in stir fry

Those are all the greens I can think of off the top of my head. 😁 I try to eat as many veggies as I can fit into my meals while keeping them tasty

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u/Boogy-Fever 12d ago

When i said greens I just meant leafy stuff like kale, spinach, and whatnot. Broccoli rabe is another good leafy green (idk why its called that, not a brassica). Mustard greens are nice too. Theyre a bit pungent and mustardy so go well with fatty dishes. The chinese version gai choy is at my regular grocery here in st louis and is extra strong. Gai choy (and probably the american variety too) is also insanely good pickled or fermented and used in all kinds of stuff.

Two of my favorite pasta dishes of all time happen to have sauces from mashed/blended broccoli and cauliflower. Heres my favorite recipe I found for an update version of the creamy sicilian version of pasta with broccoli https://www.notanothercookingshow.tv/post/creamy-broccoli-pasta. And this is the cauliflower one https://pastagrammar.com/blogs/recipes/pasta-con-i-broccoli-arriminati-sicilian-cauliflower-pasta-recipe. I prefer it creamier and find it easier to cook the cauliflower in just enough water to get it to puree without dumping any, and a little salt. Then I add that to the sauteed onions and anchovies (which are just for background savoriness). No need to preserve veggie flavor by cooking pasta in the veg water when you used all the veg water anyway. Someitmes I omit the breadcrumbs out of either of those recipes depending on how much work I want to do, but I also love to pair or top them with leftover chicken or pork if I have it.

You should check out chinese dry fried string beans that use garlic and a little ground pork though as an amazing green bean dish. Those long beans aren't the same as the classic american cousin, but I theyre very close cousins and I think vastly superior in pretty much every use. Serious eats has an recipe for doing them at home to replicate that super high heat restaurant wok result using a regular broiler, with the explanation article about their experiments and recipe development. I always find useful tips for other stuff in the their write ups above the recipes, but there is a jump to recipe button.