“My lunch is a healthy and fun take on a hamburger.  I came up with this burger because I love meatloaf, and I thought I could show kids how delicious vegetables could be when you think of fun and creative ways to add them to your meal,” says Sydney. She likes to serve this with Baked Zucchini Fries and fresh strawberry lemonade. —Sydney Brown, age 11, North Carolina

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef

½ cup finely diced green bell pepper

½ cup finely diced zucchini

½ cup finely diced onion

½ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 egg

Salt and pepper

½ cup ketchup

½ cup barbecue sauce

Reduced-fat provolone cheese or any other type of melting cheese

8 whole-wheat or multigrain hamburger buns, toasted

For garnish: Lettuce and tomato slices

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, green bell pepper, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, tomato sauce, egg, salt, and pepper. Make patties and place them on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, then flip them and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Mix together the ketchup and barbecue sauce, drizzle on the burgers, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add a slice of cheese to each burger and bake until melted, about 1 minute.
6. Remove the burgers from the oven and place the burgers on buns. Serve garnished with lettuce and tomato.

Featured in the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. Check out all the winning recipes here.