One in 20 Britons have not eaten any green vegetables in the past month, according to a poll by Organic UK. That number increases to 68% in the past week. This phobia of lush greens could be damaging to our health. GPs around the western world draw a line from the beigeness of our communal plate to our collectively expanding girth – and its related ills. So how can you eat green vegetables even if you hate them? Perhaps, as with toddlers, the answer is to sneak them into delicious things. Here are six recipes for grownups to get more veg.

Burgers

You can make a decent patty including just about any veg – the key is to chop them finely, squeeze out all moisture and get the meat to greens ratio right. To 500g minced beef or pork (or a mixture), add an onion, a carrot or a red pepper and a courgette or a handful of green leaves. Mix well with one egg, a tablespoon of Worcestershire or soy sauce, a pinch of salt, black pepper and some chilli or grated cheese, and shape into rounds. Then flatten in a hot, oiled pan to fry. Serve with the usual trimmings.

Bolognese

Tom Kerridge extols the virtues of serving bolognese on a pile of steamed courgetti. But you can get the same amount of greens in the sauce itself – to serve on actual spaghetti – withpicky eaters none the wiser. Do as Mandy Mazliah of the website SneakyVeg does and blitz a trayful of roast veg (an onion, some garlic, a courgette, an aubergine, a red pepper and a wedge of squash or a handful of greens, drizzled with olive oil and oregano, and baked for 45 minutes at 180C/350F/gas mark 4) with a tin of chopped tomatoes and as much water as you need to get a sauce. Meat eaters can add fried-up minced pork or beef to the mix. And the basic principle is easily translated into lasagne, too.

Courgette lemon drizzle cake

Carrots are not the only veg to go undetected in a good bake. Thomasina Miers folds 200g grated courgette with the same quantity of flour, 70g roasted and blitzed pistachios, a pinch of salt and the zest of two lemons into a beaten mixture of 170g olive oil, 250g caster sugar and two eggs. Bake in a lined loaf tin at 180C for just over an hour – or until a skewer comes out clean – poke all over and drizzle with a lemon juice syrup.

Kale chocolate muffins

Mandy Mazliah works similar magic with muffins: mix 50g of finely shredded kale, 60ml milk and two mashed bananas with 50ml oil into which you have beaten 100ml maple syrup, and fold into a sifted mix of 160g flour, 40g cocoa powder, a teaspoon each of baking powder and cinnamon, and half a teaspoon bicarb. Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes at 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Veggie croquettes

Into a batch of mashed potato, mix an egg yolk, some grated cheese, salt, pepper and a handful of finely chopped veg –broccoli, carrot, green leaves, cauliflower – all blanched until tender. Shape into fingers or balls and chill. When firmed up, roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs or sesame seeds, before frying in oil until golden. Serve with lettuce and mayo.

Green chocolate smoothie

The beauty of a good blender is that the resulting slush is undecipherable. To a cup of the milk of your choice, add a tablespoon each of cocoa, nut butter and honey (or a few pitted dates), a pinch of salt, a banana (an avocado will work well, too) and a handful of kale or spinach. Delicious.