Frozen vegetables are the unsung hero of the home cook. They make it possible for busy people to have delicious, home cooked meals every night of the week. Vegetarians and carnivores can both appreciate the benefits of frozen vegetables.
Why buy frozen veggies?
Convenience
The number one reason people choose vegetables from the freezer section is convenience. It can be extremely frustrating to get home, start dinner preparations and realize you still have to chop and prep a few different vegetables. Frozen vegetables already come clean, prepped and ready for cooking.
Buying frozen vegetables can also help you avoid multiple trips to the store for produce. Purchase a frozen bag of vegetables of your choice and put it in the freezer and it will still be good two weeks later when you need it. There is no need to rush through the checkout line on the way home from work when you know your veggies are waiting for you at home in the freezer.
Variety
The freezer section makes it easier to have an array of produce available. Having frozen produce on hand means home cooks have a variety of options when it comes to preparing dinner. Changing up a recipe to suit personal tastes is easier when the freezer is full of healthy options.
Inexpensive
Frozen vegetables help you to save money by reducing waste. Cauliflower, peas, asparagus, corn, and squash can all be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them; even if it takes a few weeks (those same veggies on your counter would go bad in just three to five days.)
Are frozen vegetables healthy?
For a long time, frozen vegetables got lumped in with frozen dinners as less healthy than freshly prepared food. Thankfully, advances in food science have led to a better understanding of the nutritional value of vegetables.
In many cases, frozen vegetables are actually higher in nutrient counts than their fresh counterpart. This is because the nutritional value of vegetables diminishes the longer it sits on the shelf. Conversely, frozen vegetables are picked at peak ripeness and have their nutritional value locked in when they hit the cold. Frozen vegetables can actually be healthier for people in the long run.
Top Five Recipes for Frozen Vegetables
Here are some popular recipes where you can make use of those frozen vegetables sitting in the back of your freezer.
1 – Chicken Pot Pie
This comfort food favorite can easily be thrown together with pantry and refrigerator staples. Combine one bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, and carrots), a shredded rotisserie chicken and a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup. Put your mixture into a prepared, refrigerated pie crust or top with canned biscuits for a quick meal. Bake until the crust or biscuits are brown and completely heated through.
2 – Lasagna
Loading up lasagna with frozen veggies is easy. The only catch is you need to make sure all extra liquid is drained before adding them into the layers. Adding frozen vegetables can be as easy as layering broccoli in between the sheets of pasta. Looking for a fancier way to incorporate frozen vegetables? Add chopped spinach to the ricotta cheese mixture. To do this, defrost the spinach and then squeeze out the excess liquid. Stir the spinach into the ricotta mixture and spread onto the lasagna noodles.
3 – Roasted Vegetables
Spread your favorite frozen vegetable out on a cookie sheet. Coat the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle them with either salt or garlic salt (onion powder can also be used.) Then, roast the vegetables at 450 degrees until they are cooked to suit your taste (from 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the pre-cut vegetables.)
4 – Crock Pot Soup
Throwing food in a crock pot always makes dinner time easy and using frozen vegetables makes it even simpler. Add a box of chicken broth, bag of frozen vegetables, garlic, seasonings and a couple of diced chicken breasts. This will result in a delicious dinner at the end of the day.
5 – Side Dishes
New steamer bags make it easy to add a quick side dish at dinner time (some even come pre-seasoned or with sauce.) Store a few steamer bags in the freezer, it will make dinner prep fast and easy. Heat and eat without using multiple pots for veggies and sauce. This recipe is done for you; all you need to do is microwave.
You can use frozen vegetables in place of fresh for nearly every recipe, since they are more convenient, accessible and nutritious than the fresh versions. A well-stocked kitchen will always have at least a few bags of frozen vegetables. Remember, a great dinner can start with frozen vegetables.
