Okayyyy!!! Frozen vegetables. Sometimes laughed at, sometimes maligned. Frozen vegetables are always a great thing to have in the freezer. My Top Five Frozen Vegetables To Keep In The Freezer will make the world a better place! What? Why? How?
Why Are Frozen Vegetables A Good Thing???
Frozen vegetables are usually grown in season, picked at their best and frozen quickly. Unless vegetables are in season where you live the chances are the vegetables in supermarkets, shops and markets have been grown in a country far, far away, flown halfway around the world and sprayed with who knows what to stay ‘fresh’.
Unseasonable vegetables are destructive to the environment for a number of reasons; from the intensive farming, , to the spraying of vegetables are to preserve them, to the transportation (usually via air).
It makes much more sense to grow vegetables in-season, freeze them quickly (usually on-site). Transportation can then be done without the need for quicker air-freight.
Freezing vegetables does still require energy and resources and eating seasonally all year round would be ideal. However, in many parts of the world that is just not possible. Freezing is an almost happy medium!
I do buy frozen vegetables from the supermarket but I also buy lots of seasonal vegetables and prepare them and then freeze them myself e.g. I often prepare Roasted Squash and then freeze it ready for my next recipe.
Pick Your Own farms are also a great way to get seasonal vegetables and then you can freeze them yourself.
What Is The Best Way To Use Frozen Vegetables???
Use frozen vegetables as you would use fresh vegetables. Depending on the dish you are making you might want to thaw them first but usually you don’t need to. (Make sure you check and follow manufacturers instructions.)
If the frozen vegetables have been shop bought they will have been lightly blanched before being frozen so will only require light cooking (if any at all). For example, I use frozen peas quite a lot in soup, rice dishes etc. I use them straight from the freezer, straight in to the soup, stew and in a couple of minutes they are done. They really only need thawing and heating thoroughly!
The best way to use frozen vegetables is NOT to boil them in salted water for 20 minutes. That was the 1970s. No more!
Top Five Frozen Vegetables To Keep In The Freezer – And Recipes Too
Frozen Peas
I already mentioned frozen peas. Amazing! So easy to use. Be very careful not to overcook these. They turn into little balls of green dough if you do.
I use frozen peas in lots of dishes including my latest dish, Broccoli, Kale and Pea Salad. My other favourites include Lettuce and Pea Soup which is one of my go-to soups.
I also adore Chard, Courgette and Pea Tart which is great anytime of the year when chard is in season. I also love Beetroot and Millet Mega-Salad.
Frozen peas also work really well in curries. They are possibly the most useful and versatile frozen vegetable.
Frozen Sweetcorn
Everyone has frozen sweetcorn in the freezer! Along with peas, they will gather at the bottom of any freezer, no matter how carefully you seal the bags. My favourite dish with frozen sweetcorn is Mexican Black Bean Soup. The bursts on flavour when the sweetcorn burst is magical.
Sweetcorn also works really well in my winter staples of Mexican Black Bean Casserole and Chilli Sin Carne. Warming and delicious!
Frozen Broad Beans
Frozen broad beans are probably not as popular as other beans but they are so good. They are fabulous in Summer Vegetable Paella and I often add them to Rainbow Winter Vegetable Soup With Quinoa
Frozen Soya Beans
Frozen soya beans are fantastic in stir fries and soups. I often add frozen soya beans to Miso Soup with Tofu and Shitake Mushrooms in place of tofu (or sometimes in addition to!).
Frozen Butternut Squash
You can buy frozen butternut squash (and pumpkin) but I prefer to freeze my own. I follow my Roasted Squash recipe and then cut the squash into chunks, portion it out and freeze it.
Then I can make all sorts of things… Like Roasted Squash Soup, Chickpea and Pumpkin Burger or Gluten Free, Vegan Sweet Squash (Pumpkin) Tart.
Butternut squash and squash/ pumpkins in general are so versatile. I always have them in the freezer.
What are Your Top Five Frozen Vegetables To Keep In The Freezer?
There are lots and lots and lots of Frozen Vegetables To Keep In The Freezer out there – this is just a tiny selection of ideas. There are lots more…
What are your Top Five Frozen Vegetables To Keep In The Freezer? Drop a comment below or ping me on social media! 🙂