substitute for watercress that are nutritious
Watercress is unique vegetable which is not liked by everyone and sometime you don’t find it in market so you need to have a substitute for watercress to make tasty dishes with its alternatives. its taste is somewhat similar to spinach and is packed with lot of nutrition in it which are good for our body.
here i have shared some of the popular and less know alternatives which you can use in place of watercress in its absence to add to your salad bowls with escarole, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, vegetables curries, grilled meat and veggies platter, casseroles, pie fillings and other similar dishes of your choices. i would recommend that you eat it raw or cook it lightly as extreme cooking of watercress can reduce its nutrients amount in this leafy veggie.
Watercress substitutes and alternatives
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage is a good substitute for watercress. you can use in all kinds of dishes like soups, salads etc. it is very popular in Chinese and Korean regions as you can find it in wonton soups, kimchi noodles, kimchi fries etc. it is crunchy with neutral taste.
it is cheap and readily available in all kinds of grocery stores. you can add it in your stir fries, stews, soups, wraps, rolls, or even make pickle and tasty sauerkraut from it.
Lettuce
lettuce is one of the great alternative to watercress. it is packed with nutrients and has low calories count. you can find many varieties of it in market easily anywhere. you can buy iceberg lettuce, Batavia lettuce and many more varieties of them to make your dishes tasty. you can use them in salads, burgers, sandwiches, vegetable stir fries and many more dishes across the world making them a good substitute for watercress.
Dandelion green
They are green leafy vegetable that can be used as watercress substitute. it comes with sharp ridges on sides of its leaves.it is packed with lot of health benefits and nutritional value for our body. green dandelions are good for health lovers and anyone who want to improve his green veggies intake to make body more fit in long run.
Try it in dishes like stir fries made in pan frying skillets, salads, boiled potatoes, boiled vegetables platter etc.
Spinach
spinach is powered packed nutritious substitute for watercress. it is cheap and easy to buy from everywhere when in season. for off season you can store it in freezer. it has lot of health benefits so you should it eat it when you don’t have watercress and other wise also in your diet for healthy body. it comes with small size leaves and big size leaves, you can choose as per your liking and dish requirement to make it tasty and look good too.
water spinach can also be used as watercress substitute to add in your diet. it is cheap and easy to find in tropical regions across the world. it is mainly grown in wet areas. it has savory taste with crispy texture having long and thin leaves. stir fry are made with spinach, you can add to soups, stews, spinach sauce with tofu mix is also good to taste.in some places people also eat spinach fritters.
Purslane
It is a succulent and leafy substitute for watercress to eat raw. it has similar taste of watercress with little bit salty and sourness traces and can be replaced instead of watercress in various dishes including salads, burgers, sandwiches, soups etc. some people also use them on veg rolls, as pizza toppings, as pie fillings and on bruschetta. you can Sautee and enjoy it normally also.
All 3 items from purslane plant including its leaves, flower and stem are edible in nature and can be eaten without any issue to get great benefits for our body.
Studies have also found that it contains good amount of anti oxidants and anti inflammatory which seems to be quite beneficial for improving kidney function and overall body working without any unwanted issues and diseases.
Radicchio
they are purple color cabbage which can make your salad bowls and other items such as burgers etc. colorful and comes with great taste too. it is little tinge of bitterness but can be eaten raw and cooked also to have a great meal. you can replace it in absence of watercress in all recipes you add the regular watercress as it will give them a unique taste besides appetizing looks to the dish also.
Arugula
arugula is popular leafy veggie to replace watercress. it is less bitter and comes with good aroma to serve as watercress alternative in salad bowls, stir fries and other veggies mixture used in various dishes and recipes. many people also use in burger patties to make them little healthy by addition of these green arugula veggies in them. you can also add these to sandwiches, fritters bowls, sauce making, green smoothies and similar recipes to add a component of nutrition to them.
it has been found that leaves of arugula are little hard and less crisp when compared to water cress so cook it for short time like in stir fry and brushing or light grilling as long cooking will make its leaves mushy which some people wont like. you can add it to pasta in end time of cooking or add few leaves in your soups bowls or use as pizza toppings if you like the taste for satisfying the mind of eating healthy greens in food when binging on unhealthy food items like pizza.
Endive
endives comes with taste similar to cabbage with little bitterness. it is good alternative to watercress if you like cabbage taste. you can try them if you can find them in your local market. it is white yellow in color.
Endive helps to improve your bone density along with digestive health. it also helps to improve your body immunity and reduce blood pressure. some people has also found that it seems to be beneficial in improving eye health and reduce underlying eye issues like redness, eye watering etc.
mainly it is used in salad and different kinds of sandwiches fillings but you can also roast or grill it to enjoy with grilled veggies or grilled non veg platter of different items that you like to eat. you can also make endives dish wrapped in prosciutto or enjoy it with different types of dips and cheese or stuff it with veggies to make some different yet tasty endive recipes.
Belgian endives are quite popular and exported across the world which make add to the cost to customer making it expensive in some parts of of the world.
Kale
you can also make use of kale to replace watercress in dishes of your choice. kale is leafy and healthy vegetable to replace watercress. you can use it in green smoothies, juices, vegetable stir fries etc. you can buy it from grocery store and vegetable market to use it in different products. some places also sell premade kale products like kale yogurt, kale smoothies, kale powders etc. for fast usage of kale in all the recipes.
Nasturtium Leaves
nasturtium leaves seems to be a good alternative to try in absence of watercress as its taste and texture match with that if watercress. its leaves are bigger and stems are thicker. it looks pale but taste great. you can eat stem and leaves both so try it once to see if you like the taste and aroma of this watercress alternative to replace it in your meals and dishes.
people generally add it to different salad dishes, stir fry veggies platter while others like to make its paste in blender with spice mix and different herbs of their choices and enjoy as dip or rub for different sandwiches and other food dishes.
Cabbage
cabbage can also be used in place of watercress when nothing is available in market as its leafy and cheap and gives good taste in dishes. you can make salad bowls with it along with soups and also serve as dressing on grilled chicken, potato wedges and other similar recipes. some people also like to add chopped cabbage in sandwiches, coleslaw and cabbage pancakes.
if you are non veg lovers than sea food, chicken, meat and other similar items go well grilled cabbage. people who love to eat boiled cabbage would get a good combination when paired with cheese like blue cheese, mascarpone cheese, feta cheese, garlic, cilantro, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, olive oil and some dry fruits like walnuts etc. with spice mix of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
what are watercress benefits for our body?
watercress helps good digestions and good gut. it works as laxatives and helps remove toxins in our body. it comes with high amount of vitamin k which helps in body pain issues and antioxidants which strengthens the immune systems and reduce the chances or unknown chronic diseases and issues in the body.
Is watercress a superfood?
it is packed with lot of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in it making it a green superfood. it should be included your regular diet for better body health.
What are the watercress nutrition values?
below i have shared a basic chart of nutrition data information on watercress for you to look at and increase your knowledge about watercress and add it to your daily diet.
Conclusion
hope you like our collection of watercress substitutes shared above to eat and make your body healthy with active mind. included watercress and its alternative in your daily diet to make your body fit and healthy as vegetables are very useful for nutrients which are body requires.
let me know in comments below what all recipes you make with watercress and its substitutes to enjoy with your friends and family. checkout jalapeno substitutes to make your dishes and recipes hot and spicy.
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