• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Kettle & Kale

Tiny kitchen. Big, plant-based flavor.

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Shop My Kitchen
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
You are here: Home / Recipes / Sides / How To Cook Frozen Vegetables So They Don’t Suck

How To Cook Frozen Vegetables So They Don’t Suck

April 21, 2020 by Mel Leave a Comment

Frozen vegetables are a perennial staple in my house. I love being able to toss a bag of veggies into the microwave and wind up with a warm, flavorful side. Unfortunately, when you do microwave those ‘steam right in the bag!’ foods, you often wind up with wet, mushy lump of broccoli that is far from appetizing. In today’s quick post, I am going to share with you a couple of tricks I use to cook frozen vegetables so they taste fresh and flavorful. With just a couple of extra minutes (and a dash of seasoning), you can use these as a tasty replacement for the fresh version!

My tips will have you cook frozen vegetables as tasty as if they were fresh from the grocery store!

What is the problem with frozen vegetables?

In theory, nothing at all! Frozen vegetables are quick and convenient. But boy are the instructions vague. They do not always account for the varying wattages on microwaves (different microwaves have different wattages? If you have an older model, you might not even know what the wattage on yours is!) and as a result, vegetables wind up overcooked and limp.

Is there anything worse than a mushy lump of broccoli? I really don’t think so. And if this is what a lot of young kids are exposed to, then no wonder a lot of them hate broccoli!

So what is the trick?

Cooking Frozen Vegetables Step 1: Undercook In The Microwave

Microwaves have TOO much margin for error. If my bag of steamfresh frozen broccoli tells me to microwave for four and a half minutes, I start with three. If the instructions say eight minutes, I start with five or six! If it looks like 80-90% of the ice has melted away, I stop microwaving! This is the big key- use the microwave to lightly defrost your vegetables. You are not looking for a full steam this way. The timing in the instructions on freezer bags is overly generous and this is how we wind up with MUSH. Do not wind up with mush! Undermicrowave the the veggies, please.

Step 2: Prepare Your Pan

While you under cook your frozen vegetables in the microwave, get your pan ready. Remember last Friday when we sweated garlic in oil? We are going to do something similar to that. For something like this, I do not concern myself with gently caressing and sweating a few cloves of freshly minced garlic. If I have it, great! If I’m microwaving broccoli or another vegetable, I’m probably in a bit of a hurry. You probably are, too! I hear you. Take half a teaspoon of minced garlic out of the jar and plop it in the pan with some kosher salt and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Keep the heat medium-low, and allow the garlic to warm through while the microwave is running.

If you don’t want to use garlic then that’s okay, too! Sometimes I’ll infuse a little bit of cumin into the oil. Or paprika, or white pepper. Really, whatever you are in the mood for, sprinkle some of it into your oil. Maybe it’s chopped onion or shallot! The choice is yours, oh kitchen traveler.

Step 3: Finish On The Stovetop

Finishing off microwave vegetables on the stovetop, even just for a minute or two, is how we break out of the rut of squidgy vegetables that disintegrate on our forks and have no flavor whatsoever.

Drain your vegetables (there is usually some water left in the bottom of the microwave bag) and add to the of oil. You do not need to sauté on a particularly high heat, but continue warming the vegetables through.

When Are My Vegetables Properly Cooked?

This is a trick I learned in cooking school. It seems silly, but give it a shot. I promise it works!

Pierce one of your veggies with a fork. Then give it a little shake or tap against the side of the pan. If the veggie slides off with just a little bit of effort, they are perfectly cooked. If they fall off the fork with no work from you, they’re likely overcooked. If they don’t fall off the fork no matter how much you shake, they need more time. After the shortened turn in the microwave, you should not need to cook on the stovetop for more than three minutes.

Step 4: Add Final Seasonings

Things are just the right amount of cooked and you are ready to to serve! Before I put the veggies on the plate, I will taste and then toss with one final bit of seasoning. My preference is a dash of lemon juice and red pepper flake to taste, but this is a place where the sky is the limit!

Does This Actually Save Time?

Yes and no. Maybe it adds a minute or two to your cooking time. I find that the time I spend with the vegetables in the pan rarely is more than the time the food would have spent in the microwave anyway. If there are a couple of extra minutes added, I say they are worth it in the name of texture and flavor. Two to three extra minutes to save us from a mushy side dish? Yes, please.

Cooking frozen vegetables can be more than just throwing them into a chili because they are half disintegrated upon reheating! Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Happy Cooking!

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly

You might also like

Filed Under: Recipes, Sides Tagged With: broccoli, freezer cooking, freezer meals, plant based, plant-based, sides, vegan, vegetables

Want MORE?

Sign up for email updates and get Kettle & Kale straight to your inbox every week!

Comments

  • YtheWait on Peanut Butter Sourdough Cookies: Quick, Simple, & A Surprisingly Good Combo!
  • Jonathan Clemons on The Best Vegan Carrot Cake
  • Renae on Bakery Style Banana Coconut Muffins
  • ปั้มไลค์ on Simple Vegan Chicken Salad
  • Alex on Vegan Challah Bread
Previous Post: « Plant-Based Pasta Aglio e Olio
Next Post: Vegan Challah Bread »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About Me!

Hello! I'm Mel, and I have a 45 square foot kitchen. That's it! I With tea in hand, I have set out on a (cramped) journey to bring you delicious plant-based food. Read More…

Don’t Miss A Post

Subscribe to my e-mail list and get weekly updates straight to your inbox. Recipes, restaurant reviews, product tests, and more!

Featured On:

my foodgawker gallery

my finding vegan gallery

my healthy aperture gallery
Web Hosting
Web Hosting

Footer

FOLLOW KETTLE & KALE ON INSTAGRAM

Not perfection, but PROGRESS!!! . . . . . . . . #b Not perfection, but PROGRESS!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#bread #breadbaking #sourdough #quarantinebaking #whatveganseat #eatplants #ilovebread #vegan #vegancooking
Currently working on solving the mystery of the tw Currently working on solving the mystery of the two-toned banana bread! This is what happens when you try to use vintage cookware, I guess?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #plantbased #adventuresinbaking #pyrex #plantbased #eatplants #whatveganseat #bananabread
Thanks, @hungryharvest , for setting us up with ve Thanks, @hungryharvest , for setting us up with veggie goodness for the week. Very excited to dive into cooking these!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#plantbased #eatplants #govegan #vegan #veganfood #producedelivery #produce
Getting ready to share a VERY tasty breakfast trea Getting ready to share a VERY tasty breakfast treat 🤤
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #veganrecipes #vegancooking #plantbased #plantbasedcooking #plantbasedfood #foodphotography #foodtographyschool #eatplants #govegan #cinnamonrolls #challah
Second pass at the french toast casserole, this ti Second pass at the french toast casserole, this time featuring candied pecans! ALMOST got it. One more go....and more French toast for us 😋 Happy Easter, everyone!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #plantbased #eatplants #whatveganseat #frenchtoast
Super quick spring veggie curry, complements of @c Super quick spring veggie curry, complements of @cookieandkate♥️ produce delivery last week had some bok choy that really needed to be eaten and I had NO idea what to do. This recipe is perfect because it works with whatever veggies you have on hand. Which, in our case, is not that many.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #cookieandkate #plantbased #eatplants #whatveganseat #quarantineeats #quarantinefood #vegansofig #vegansofinstagram #govegan
When life gives you leftover challah...you make Fr When life gives you leftover challah...you make French toast! When the French toast won’t stop sticking to the pan and turns into a burnt, crusty mess, you make french toast CASSEROLE! Sometimes our mistakes lead to something even better than what we’ve planned 🥰
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #lemonadefromlemons #challah #leftovers #frenchtoast #govegan #eatplants #vegansofig
kettleandkale

Copyright © 2021 · Kettle & Kale on the Foodie Pro Theme

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.