Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust We all need vegetables to stay healthy , but sometimes it can be hard to eat enough of them. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 12.5 percent of adults 51 or older eat the recommended daily amount (2-3 […]
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We all need vegetables to stay healthy, but sometimes it can be hard to eat enough of them. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 12.5 percent of adults 51 or older eat the recommended daily amount (2-3 cups).
An easy fix: Stay stocked with frozen veggies. They are easier to manage than trying to stay on top of using fresh vegetables before they go bad. Plus, they have the same nutritional benefits as fresh vegetables, says Ashlee Carnahan, the manager of nutrition and education services at Henry Ford Health, an academic medical center, adding they offer antioxidants, iron and vitamins. They also have fiber — something extra important for older adults, she adds. "It's even more important as you age, for that regularity of your digestive tract."
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But frozen veggies often get a bad rap for being mushy or watery when you cook them. So, we talked to experts about how to work them into your meals with the best results. Plus, five delicious recipes to get you started: Lemon and Green Pea Risotto | Frozen Veggie Chicken Noodle Soup | Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust | Spaghetti with Broccoli-Miso Sauce and Toasted Walnuts | Frozen Cauliflower Oatmeal
E xpert tips to making delicious frozen veggies
Get steamy. Looking for the healthiest way to cook your frozen vegetables? Carnahan says steaming is the best. "If you can tolerate a more hard vegetable and you don't like them mushy, that's actually better because the less time you cook them, the more nutrients stay in it,” she says. Pro tip for peas: Thaw them in a strainer with cool water. "This actually helps keep them plump and sweet and doesn't take much time," says Courtney Hill, a recipe developer at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street.
Watch out for ice! Feel your bag of frozen vegetables for ice blocks or large chunks of vegetables iced together before you buy, recommends chef and cookbook author Alyssa Brantley. "This usually indicates that the vegetables have thawed and refrozen at some point in the shipping process," Brantley explains. "The best quality frozen veggies for your recipes are those that are flash frozen and stay frozen until you are ready to cook with them!"
Plan ahead with denser frozen vegetables. Even if you're careful about choosing your frozen veggie bags from the grocery store, denser options can still pose problems. Frozen veggies like spinach or squash that are packed tightly when frozen usually have water crystals trapped within, says Hill. She recommends thawing them overnight in the fridge and patting them dry with a towel before cooking, if you don't plan to boil them. "This keeps them from being water-logged and will help if you want any browning when you cook them," she says.
Don’t forget the salt. Just like fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables need salt "to really make them sing," says chef, author and TV host Nikki Dinki. Just be sure to not overdo it if you have high blood pressure — something affecting more than half of adults age 40 to 59 and 7 5 percent of adults 60 and over, according to the CDC.
Opt for organic, if you can. Carnahan says choosing frozen vegetables marked as "USDA organic" is ideal if they're in your budget (they are sometimes more expensive) and available at your market, because they tend to have fewer chemicals. But buying non-organic options is still great, she adds.
Ready to get cooking? Try these five delicious recipes
LEMON AND GREEN PEA RISOTTO
By Laura Russell, recipe developer at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. Serving size: 4 people.
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth OR vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1½ cups frozen peas, thawed and patted dry
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (½ cup), plus more to serve
- Finely chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley OR basil OR mint, to serve
DIRECTIONS
1. Add the broth and 2 cups of water to a covered, medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer before reducing the heat to low to keep warm.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt to the large saucepan and cook until softened, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the rice to the large saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are translucent at the edges (1 to 2 minutes).
6. Add 3 cups of the hot broth mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
7. Reduce to medium heat and cook, stirring often and briskly, until most of the liquid is absorbed, (10 to 12 minutes). Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer.
8. Add ¼ cup of the broth at a time, until the rice is al dente and loose but not soupy (8 to 10 minutes). You may not need all of the broth.
9. Take the large saucepan off the heat, and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, peas, lemon zest, lemon juice and Parmesan.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve sprinkled with parsley and additional Parmesan.
FROZEN VEGGIE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
By Nikki Dinki, chef, author and TV host. Serving size: 8 people
- One 12-ounce package egg noodles
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Two 10-ounce bags of frozen onion, carrot and celery blend
- 1 tablespoon minced, fresh thyme leaves plus extra to garnish
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
- ¾ pound cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
