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There are lots of things dietitians and nutritionists disagree on. But one thing we all agree on is that people need to eat more vegetables. Quite simply because most people don’t eat enough of them.
And here’s the thing: vegetables are a carbohydrate. And they are the type of carbohydrate you need to focus on eating, especially with diabetes or prediabetes.
The reason is, vegetables are low in carbs compared to things like bread, pasta and rice. Therefore, if you’re hungry, fill up on all you can eat veggies!
Still, when most people think about vegetables. They think they are destined to eat ‘steamed broccoli or carrots’ for the rest of their lives. Now, if you had to live on that it would be plain boring and not at all appealing long term!
The good news is, you’re not going to be stuck eating plain ‘ol steamed veg because there are many tasty things you can do with veggies to make them enjoyable – like this Cheesy Veggie Bake.
This is the type of meal that works well as a side dish with chicken, meats or fish. And, it can be made ahead, kept in the fridge and even be frozen for a later date.
Virtual Cooking Class
Recipe
Cheesy Vegetable Bake
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion - finely diced
- 2 carrot - sliced
- 2 zucchini - sliced
- 6 oz broccoli - equiv. to 1/2 broccoli - chopped
- 10.5 oz cauliflower - equiv. to 1/4 medium cauliflower - roughly chopped
- 4 tomato - diced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 cup cheddar cheese - grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420°F/ 220°C.
- Place all the chopped cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, and zucchini in a ceramic baking dish.
- Heat oil in a pan, add onion, and saute until well browned.
- Add the tomatoes and basil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes until nicely softened and saucey.
- Pour the mixture over the top of the vegetables, then use a spoon or spatula to mix the tomato into the vegetables so they are covered.
- Make sure the vegetables are dispersed evenly and then cover with a sheet of foil and then cook for 40 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, top with the cheese and then put back in the oven uncovered. Bake for a further 10 minutes with the foil off so it goes nice and brown.
- Eat hot or cold on it's own or serve beside some fish, chicken, or beef for a tasty, healthy meal.
Options/ Alternatives
Cut carbs further – use asparagus, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts instead of carrots. Use spring onions/ scallions instead of onion.
Super dairy lovers – add 1/2 cup cottage cheese and mix through the tomato mixture.
Cheats – use canned diced tomatoes instead of dicing fresh ones. 1 x 14 oz/ 400 g can will do the trick.
Storage – keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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Where does the sugar come from in this recipe?
Vegetables! All natural foods also contain natural sugars.
Ty
Wonderful! Love these recipes!
I just put the veggie bake in the oven.
Hope you enjoy it Cheryk!
Made the Vegie Bake last night for dinner. It was delicious. My husband loved it as well. Will be a stable in our meal plans.
Thank you so much.
So glad you enjoyed it Marjorie!
I’ve just learned I’m pre-diabetic, so this is all quite new to me.
Couple of curiosities : Should I be concerned by what seems to be quite a lot of saturated fat( 40% daily value)?
Another recipe I viewed (Raspberry cream pie) showed high saturated fat AND cholesterol @ 52% daily value. Seems awfully high.
Just trying to learn.
Thanks for your helpful web-site.
Dennis
It’s so great that you’re being proactive, Dennis! We’ve previously written an article about getting started with a diabetic diet, this should give you some good information. As far as the fat goes…
Fat, especially saturated fat, often gets a terrible reputation when in actuality it doesn’t need to be feared. Same thing with dietary cholesterol, and you’ll be pleased to know that new research confirms dietary cholesterol (meaning when you eat cholesterol) has no impact on your blood level of cholesterol. The only fat you NEED to avoid is processed fat, as well as trans fat (they go hand-in-hand.) Otherwise saturated fat coming from dairy or meat is absolutely fine. Give this article a read when you have some time, it will help clarify a lot.
I SO appreciate hearing sound advice about real food! So tired of the crazy low-fat lies!
I’ve been told to eat 45-60 mg of carbs. I have type 2 diabetes. What gives? You can eat less carbs? What is the serving size? What would I add to reach the 45-60 mg of carbohydrates?
Hi Beth, most of our members find consuming between 50-80 grams of carbs per day results in the best control over their blood sugar– whoever told you to eat between 45-60 grams is pretty in line with our philosophy.
Your carb intake should come from vegetables, nuts, dairy, and maybe the occasional fruit– check out this list of the best foods for diabetes.
I don’t have cauliflower can it be omitted or substituted?
Absolutely! If you have additional veggies laying around in your fridge this is a great recipe to use them up- think vegetables like peppers, asparagus, or green beans. Alternatively you could increase the amount of broccoli or squash the recipe calls for. Otherwise just omit the cauliflower all together.
Thank you for the receipe, no salt or spices at all?
The original recipe is simply seasoned with basil- but by all means you can add additional salt and spices at your discretion. Let us know if you come up with any yummy modifications!
Thank you for this great recipe. I have been pre-diabetes for some time and have now been diagnosed with full on type 2 diabetes. I find it hard to understand why as I have never had a sweet tooth, as in biscuits,cakes etc. always been savoury for me. I’m finding it very hard to lose weight and wondered if age has anything to do with it, I’m 72 and weigh 12stone, 5ft 6inches in height. I’ve never carried weight, always been very thin ( 8 to 81/2 stone) until my middle sixties.
What do you recommend for exercise. I can’t walk too far as I have bad hips which become very painful so feel as if I’m in a catch 22 situation!
It’s not just sugar that causes diabetes Eileen – it can be a poor diet overall, and stress, lack of sleep and exercise and lifestyle and genetic factors can also be part of it. You can lose weight at any age. Many of our members are an older age and are losing weight successfully. You may need to make dietary changes – here’s a food list you may find helpful. As for exercise you could try yoga, swimming, light body weight exercises, tai chi etc.
I just made the Cheesy Veggie Bake last night. WOW!
I never knew veggies could taste soooo delicious.
I portioned and put it in my freezer. Will have a smile on my face when I take some out to add to a meal. It was so tasty and sweet because I used leeks in place of onions. I would enjoy this over a piece of my carrot cake any day. Yum yum. Thank you for the recipe.
Looking for my next recipe for today from you!
Fantastic Gail!! Yes – veggies can taste amazing. So glad you tried it. 🙂
If I want to freeze it do I bake is first?
Bake it first, yes.
How many servings are in the
Cheesy Vegetable Bake?
The servings are listed at the top of the recipe Janice. As you can see, it says 4 serves – though it does stretch if serving with meats.
Thanks for all the info that is shared it helps when you’ve got to change your eating habits because of having to eat healthy and more so when you’re not use to it. Awesome information from this page. Keep it comin’ ?
I made this tonight and it was surprisingly very good! I used cabbage, asparagus and leeks for the lower carb count. I also used fire roasted canned tomatoes. I used two cloves of garlic and that was all the extra spice I used. The fire roasted tomatoes had their own flavor. No carrots. I will be making this again. Thank you for the recipe.
Jedha do you know anything about water keifer? Its a fermented drink that I just started making. I need to know if its ok for diabetes.
Great to hear Debbie. This recipe is a favorite of many. We have a great article on water kefir here.
Awesome recipe!!! I mixed in a little salt (1/2tsp) with the raw vegetables Prior to placing in the pan.
Glad you enjoyed it Linda, it is a goodie!
So thankful for what you do, keep up the good work!
Thanks for being here to enjoy it Deborah 🙂
isn’t 16 grams of sugar per seving a lot?
‘Sugar’ can be deceiving on a food label because it does not give an indication of “added” sugar. As you can see from the ingredients there is no “added” sugar in this recipe. The sugar comes from the vegetables, as all natural foods have natural sugars contained in them. Your best measure is total carbs or net carbs.
Thank you Jedha for all the valuable information. I am putting it into practice and my sugar readings are under control since I started on a low carb diet.
Awesome Molly, great to hear 🙂
Trying the veggie bake tonight. I am going to use frozen winter vegies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrot mix)
With tinned tomatoes – am hoping it will work, if so, it’ll be so easy!
I have started this week on the low carb lifestyle. I have been prediabetes for a few years and am very overweight. Am feeling good for my changes, had a small weight loss, but am trying not to focus on as previous history shows I get depressed if weight doesn’t move. Instead I am trying just to focus on making this my lifestyle diet now. It’ll take time I know but I am studying about it as much as I can.
Thank you so much for this site and for the information you provide. It’s appreciated
Sounds great Anne. Let us know how it goes 🙂
I’m new to your emails but I am very excited to have found you. Thank u for sharing your knowledge! I can’t wait to try the veggie bake. Nancy
Glad you found us too and welcome Nancy! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
I am so grateful for your emails! I was just told this past week I have diabetes.
1 1/2 years ago I was told I have Lupus, fibromyalgia and Schoegren’s.
Your site, due to how healthy it is, will most likely help with inflammation from the other things I have.
Take care and keep it coming 🙂
Welcome Roberta, hope you find info and support here. And yes, our way of eating will definitely help inflammation too.
Wow, picked up a little gizmo that shreds veggies. Just chowed down some Zucchini spaghetti and it was awesome, with momma’s home made sauce and meatballs. Ready for some more, next time tho’ I’ll need two Zucchini’s.
Jedha,
Diabetes and heart problems sometimes go hand in hand. I’m in that group. Fighting a cold for a week now I tried a cough syrup for diabetics from the pharmacist and then a gel cap for colds. Both contained Guaifenesin which unknown to me can adversely interact with the heart meds. It did, over two days I had 200mg of the stuff, which drove my heart rate crazy. Normal resting has been 65bpm for a long time, it shot up to 97 and the next morning it was 108.
It’s slowly coming back down, if not back to normal by Friday I’ll call my cardioligist
If it’s the Paderno Vegetable Slicer, we absolutely love those here, they are awesome!!
Definitely 2 zucchinis per person or 5 if you’re making a dish for 2. They are very low in carbs so nothing to be concerned about there Brewster 🙂
Yes they do Brewster, but it just goes to show that if you are on meds you really should run any other medication past your doctor before taking it. Next time, just give them a quick call if you can. You definitely don’t want that to be happening. Hope you’re well again soon, and your wife too, I know she was also ill.
can i print recipes from this site if yes how do i do it
Yes Maureen. Where it says ‘Print Recipe’ at the top, just click on the blue icon next to it. 🙂
I do not see a “print Recipe” or a blue icon next to it. I looked up and down a couple of times.
Not sure why Chriss, it is there at the top, the icon is next to the ‘print’ word. I can see it.
My print icon is at the bottom of the recipes. Just in case hers in too.
Good morning Jedha,
This recipe sounds great.I love vegies so any recipes with them is great. I have been doing great with eating almost carb free You have to have some but I have cut out all bread and sugar related carbs.I have reached my first goal of reaching 199 pounds and I now weigh 198 yippee! that’s a 11 pound weight loss I would not tell anyone that its easy to change your eating habits and what you eat and getting more exercise, but the benefits from doing all this are so great( like saving your life) that it is well worth it. Thanks again for all our help and the 30 day plan has been great!
JoAnn
Great work JoAnn, thanks for the update!!
You’re right, changing our diet does come with challenges but like you’ve said, the benefits can literally save your life and your life is worth every little bit of effort!
It’s gets easier too, so now that you’ve made so much great progress it will only keep getting better and easier to do. Glad you enjoyed the 30 Day Turnaround Program and CONGRATULATIONS 🙂