Ready-made vegetable mixtures, which today are sold not only in reputable supermarkets, but also in ordinary grocery stores, can make the life of any housewife much easier. They help save time spent on cooking.
In this article we will look at several of the most popular mixes, talk about preparing side dishes, soups, salads and many other dishes that use frozen vegetables. And a few suggested ideas, easy to implement at home, will help you add recipes to your home cookbook.
Vegetable casserole
A casserole made from frozen vegetables turns out fluffy, tender and aromatic. This delicacy can be prepared for a family lunch or dinner as a side dish for meat or fish dishes.
Ingredients
To prepare a tender casserole you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- vegetable mixture – 250 g;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- sour cream – 60 g;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- salt – 5 g;
- spices and herbs as desired.
Step-by-step cooking process
You can prepare a tender casserole in just 25-30 minutes, and the process itself consists of a simple algorithm of actions:
- The vegetable mixture must be removed from the freezer within 25-30 minutes. before cooking and place in a colander so that excess liquid drains immediately.
- Eggs should be combined with sour cream, salt and lightly whisked until smooth. Here you can add your favorite spices and chopped herbs.
- After greasing the mold with vegetable oil, you need to put the vegetable mixture into it and pour the egg-sour cream dressing over the mixture.
- The dish must be placed in the oven preheated to 200 °C. It will take about 25-30 minutes to bake the delicacy.
The casserole is best served hot in the form in which it was prepared. You can decorate the delicacy with chopped herbs, halved cherry tomatoes and grated cheese.
Freezing vegetables yourself
- If you decide to freeze vegetables yourself, select the products you need. Inspect them carefully to ensure there is no damage to the fruit. After this, rinse thoroughly.
- Dry the vegetables, removing inedible parts if necessary. Chop to your taste. If you are going to freeze carrots, bell peppers, beets or greens, you must scald them with boiling water, then place them in cold water for a few seconds.
- Dry the vegetables, then distribute them into portioned bags made of thick polyethylene with a plastic zipper. Remove air before freezing. You can also place the vegetables on a tray and place them in the freezer. As soon as the product freezes, pack the mixture into packs.
Experiment with recipes and serve the vegetable mixture as a side dish. Season it with various additives and sauces. To keep food frozen for a long time, the temperature in the freezer should be about -20 degrees.
how to make frozen seafood cocktail
In a frying pan
The frozen vegetable mixture, for which there are numerous recipes, turns out juicy and tender when fried in a frying pan. It can be served as an independent low-calorie dish, or as a side dish for boiled or baked meat.
Ingredients
To make a fragrant side dish, you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- vegetable mixture (frozen) – 300 g;
- vegetable oil – 30 ml;
- salt, a set of favorite spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
You can make a delicious side dish in 15-20 minutes; you don’t need to defrost the vegetables first.
In the process, just follow these instructions:
- Place a dry frying pan over medium heat and add the vegetable mixture into it and heat for 5 minutes. During the process, you need to occasionally stir the mass so that it defrosts evenly.
- Pour boiling water (50-100 ml) into the mixture and, covering the frying pan with a lid, simmer it until the liquid has completely evaporated. This will take about 7-10 minutes.
- When the time comes, you need to pour vegetable oil into the vegetables, add salt and spices. Without covering with a lid, you need to fry the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
The side dish should be transferred to a deep serving plate and served while still hot. If desired, you can top the treat with sour cream or mayonnaise, but this will significantly increase its calorie content.
Healthy breakfast with vegetables
- chicken eggs - 3 pcs.
- frozen green beans - 110 gr.
- granulated garlic - 5 gr.
- table salt - to taste
- milk - 35 ml.
- corn oil - 20 ml.
- Place the beans in a dry, hot frying pan and wait until the moisture has completely evaporated. At the same time, mix the eggs, milk and seasonings, beat the mixture until smooth.
- After the moisture in the vegetables has evaporated, add oil to them and stir. Fry the mixture until bronzed. After this, pour in the egg mixture. Mix the ingredients and reduce the heat to low. Wait for the omelet to cook.
In the oven with chicken
To prepare this dish, it is better to use a Hawaiian or Mexican mixed vegetable, and you do not need to defrost it first. After all, in the process it will release liquid, thanks to which the chicken will turn out to be as juicy and tender as possible.
Ingredients
To create a juicy delicacy you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- vegetable mixture – 300 g;
- chicken fillet – 300 g;
- potatoes – 400 g;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- sour cream – 200 g;
- greens – 20 g;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- salt, a set of favorite herbs and spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
You can prepare a hearty delicacy in just 40 minutes; to do this, you should follow the following algorithm of actions:
- Potatoes should be peeled and chopped into slices 0.5 cm thick. Chicken fillet should be washed, dried with a paper towel and cut into small pieces.
- The cheese must be grated and mixed with sour cream, adding your favorite seasonings to the mixture. The greens need to be washed, shaken off excess moisture, chopped, and combined with the dressing.
- Grease a baking tray with vegetable oil and place potatoes on it. The layer can be lightly salted and sprinkled with spices. Frozen vegetables should be evenly distributed on top of the potatoes, and then shredded chicken.
- The products must be poured with sour cream and cheese dressing and placed in the oven preheated to 180 °C.
- It will take about 35-40 minutes to bake the delicacy.
The finished dish must be placed on serving plates and served immediately before it cools down. You can decorate the delicacy with sprigs of herbs, slices of cherry tomatoes and sliced olives.
Vegetables with buckwheat
- purified water - 450 ml.
- buckwheat - 230 gr.
- mixed vegetables - 390 gr.
- sunflower oil - 50 ml.
- Pour the buckwheat into a small container, add water and rinse the cereal. Remove excess particles. After this, put the buckwheat on the stove, add salt to taste, and cook until done.
- Then fry the vegetables in oil and add spices, stir the mixture. Add buckwheat to the total mass. Cover the heat-resistant container with a lid, set the burner to low, and simmer for 4 minutes.
In a slow cooker
The following recipe will be useful for busy housewives, because thanks to it you can make a hearty and juicy stew in just 30 minutes. In this case, you don’t need to pay a lot of attention to preparing the delicacy; you just need to put the necessary products in the multicooker and turn on the appropriate mode.
Ingredients
To make a juicy dish in a slow cooker, you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- vegetable mixture (Mexican) – 400 g;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- potatoes – 2 pcs.;
- sour cream – 75 g;
- water – 100 ml;
- vegetable oil 15-20 ml.
- salt, seasonings of your choice.
Step-by-step cooking process
Preparing a juicy delicacy will not cause any trouble, because it consists of a simple algorithm of actions:
- Fresh vegetables must be peeled and chopped: grate the carrots, chop the onion into half rings, and chop the potatoes into bars.
- Pour vegetable oil into the multicooker bowl, and then place onions and carrots in it. Having turned on the “Baking” or “Frying” mode, you need to sauté the vegetables for 6-7 minutes.
- To the fried onions and carrots you need to add frozen assorted vegetables and potatoes. Sour cream must be diluted with water, combined with salt and spices. Pour the resulting sauce over the vegetable mass and mix it carefully.
- Having started the “Stewing” program, you should cook the dish for 20-30 minutes.
After the signal, the delicacy must be placed on plates and served immediately while it is still hot. You can decorate the dish with sprigs of parsley and green onions.
Stew with chicken and vegetables - preparation for a slow cooker
A multicooker greatly simplifies life: put in some food, press a button and go about your business. And if, in addition, you freeze the preparation, where all the ingredients have already been washed and chopped, then the time savings becomes even more noticeable.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg chicken fillet;
- 2 bell peppers;
- 1 onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tablespoon honey;
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar;
- 1 tablespoon chili powder;
- 2 teaspoons cumin;
- 1 teaspoon paprika.
Preparation
Wash the chicken and cut into strips. Also wash the pepper, remove seeds and chop. Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
Take a ziplock bag and add all the ingredients, including honey and apple cider vinegar. Release as much air as possible from the bag. Freeze.
When needed, defrost the bag, pour its contents into the slow cooker and simmer the stew for 3-6 hours.
You can do all the manipulations in the morning so that in the evening, when you come home from work, you can enjoy a delicious dinner.
With rice
Frozen vegetable mixture, cooked with rice, will be an excellent side dish for meat or fish appetizers. But this delicacy can also be served as an independent vegetarian dish, and its creation according to the recipe will take no more than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
You can make a juicy side dish from a set of the following products:
- vegetable mixture (Mexican) – 250 g;
- rice – 150 g;
- vegetable oil – 10 ml;
- bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.;
- salt – 5 g;
- water – 400 ml.
Step-by-step cooking process
To prepare a juicy dish, you will need to follow the following instructions:
- After boiling water in a small saucepan, you need to pour assorted vegetables into it. After adding salt to the mixture, heat it over medium flame, covering with a lid. After boiling, it will take about 4-5 minutes to cook the mixture.
- When the time comes, you need to add washed rice, vegetable oil, bay leaf and other spices as desired to the vegetables.
- After stirring the mass, you need to bring it to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Then you need to reduce the heat to a minimum level and close the saucepan with a lid.
- It will take approximately 10 minutes to prepare the dish. After this, you need to turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid from the dish for another 5-7 minutes. During this time, the cereal will absorb the remaining liquid and become crumbly.
The side dish is best served hot. If desired, it can be decorated with lettuce and chopped herbs.
Vegetable stew
- frozen vegetables - 450 gr.
- broccoli (frozen) - 300 gr.
- onions - 2 pcs.
- spices - to taste
- vegetable oil - 85 gr.
- Pour vegetable oil into a thick-bottomed pan, add finely chopped onions and vegetables. Sprinkle seasoning mixture and stir.
- Fry the mixture over the fire for 3 minutes, then reduce the stove to minimum power and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for about 25 minutes.
With buckwheat and chicken drumsticks in the oven
Thanks to the following recipe, you can immediately prepare a hearty meat dish and a side dish for it. Moreover, creating a culinary masterpiece will not cause much trouble, and the process itself will take about 60 minutes.
Ingredients
To make a hearty treat, you will need to stock up on the following set of products:
- chicken drumsticks – 6 pcs.;
- garlic cloves – 2 pcs.;
- sour cream – 50 g;
- buckwheat – 300 g;
- mixed vegetables – 400 g;
- vegetable oil – 30 ml;
- salt, suneli hops or another set of spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
Even an inexperienced cook can prepare a hearty dish, because the process is simple and consists of the following algorithm of actions:
- The drumsticks should be washed, dried with a paper towel and placed in a bowl with high sides. To the meat you need to add garlic, parsed through a press, salt, spices and sour cream. The mixture needs to be mixed and left to marinate for 45-50 minutes.
- Vegetable oil must be heated in a frying pan, and then pour frozen vegetables into it. The mixture should be fried over medium flame until excess moisture evaporates. Then the vegetables need to be salted and seasoned, stirred and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Buckwheat must be thoroughly washed and placed on a baking sheet with high sides or in a heat-resistant form. On top of it, you need to evenly distribute the fried vegetables, and then the pickled drumsticks. Add enough boiling water to the mold so that it completely covers the buckwheat.
- The dish should be placed in the oven, preheated to 180 °C, and baked for 45-50 minutes. During the process, you need to check the condition of the cereal and, if necessary, add boiling water to the mixture.
It is advisable to serve the finished delicacy to the table while still hot and in the form in which it was baked. You can decorate the dish with chopped herbs, grated cheese and cherry tomato slices.
Delicious meatballs
Meatballs are an Italian dish made from minced meat balls. They are similar to meatballs and meatballs, but neither. Meatballs are usually stewed, meatballs are boiled in broth, and meatballs are baked in the oven (Italian version) or deep-fried (American version). Meatballs are a great solution for those who don’t have the time or desire to stand at the stove. It's tasty and satisfying. Meatballs can be eaten as a separate dish or served with a side dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg minced beef;
- 200 g breadcrumbs;
- 200 g ricotta;
- 2 eggs;
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
- parsley, salt, pepper and other spices to taste.
Preparation
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Ricotta can be replaced with thick sour cream, but it is better to use minced beef: pork is too fatty for this dish.
Form the resulting minced meat into balls about 5 cm in diameter. Place them in a container, wrap it in foil and freeze. Meatballs should be baked at 180 ºС for 20–30 minutes.
With pork
The frozen vegetable mixture, the recipes for which are presented in the article, when fried with pork, turns out juicy, tender and very satisfying. Moreover, you can use any assorted vegetables to create a dish. But due to the fact that the delicacy contains pork, it turns out to be quite high in calories, so those who are on a diet should not get carried away with it.
Ingredients
To prepare a hearty meal you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- pork – 500 g;
- assorted vegetables (frozen) – 500 g;
- champignons – 5-6 pcs.;
- vegetable oil – 30 ml;
- salt, favorite spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
You can prepare a hearty dish in 60 minutes, to do this you need to follow these instructions:
- The meat must be washed, dried with a napkin and cut into pieces 2-3 cm thick. If desired, the pork can be pre-marinated in a mixture of olive oil and spices for 60 minutes. Then it will turn out juicy and aromatic.
- Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and place pieces of meat in it. You need to fry them over medium heat for about 10 minutes. It is important to stir the mixture periodically so that it does not burn.
- While the meat is cooking, you need to wash the mushrooms and cut them into slices, and when the time is right, add them to the pork. After mixing the products, you need to fry them for about 10 minutes.
- Then add assorted vegetables to the mixture. The dish will need to cook for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end, the mass must be salted and seasoned with spices.
The dish must be placed on plates immediately after cooking and served while still hot.
Homemade chicken nuggets
Nuggets are usually associated with fast food, but they can be the basis for a second one for lunch or dinner. When you don't have time to fry the cutlets, remove them from the freezer and reheat the nuggets. As a side dish, you can boil pasta or make mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ kg chicken fillet;
- 200 g flour;
- 200 g corn flakes;
- 5 eggs;
- 1 tablespoon paprika.
Preparation
Rinse the meat, dry it and cut it into small pieces about 3–5 cm long. Grind the corn flakes in a blender. Mix flour and paprika in a separate bowl. Also whisk the eggs separately.
Dip each piece of chicken first in flour, then in eggs and finally in cereal. Do this carefully if you want the nuggets to have a real crunch.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the breaded chicken pieces on it. Bake the nuggets in the oven at 180 ºC for 15–20 minutes.
Once the nuggets have cooled, place them in a sealed plastic bag and place it in the freezer. It is useful to label frozen food packages. Indicate the name of the dish and the date of preparation.
With turkey in a slow cooker
A delicacy prepared according to the following recipe turns out juicy, satisfying and low in calories. And it can be made for a family lunch or dinner in just 80 minutes. This dish can be classified as a dietary menu, because during its preparation a minimal amount of oil is used, and all products are cooked in their own juice and retain the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
To make a healthy dish, you will need to prepare the following set of products:
- turkey breast – 500 g;
- assorted vegetables – 300 g;
- onion – 100 g;
- water – 200 ml;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- salt, seasonings as desired.
Step-by-step cooking process
You need to prepare a healthy treat according to the following algorithm:
- The turkey fillet should be washed, dried with napkins and cut into cubes measuring 1*1 cm. Pour vegetable oil into the multicooker bowl and, turning on the “Frying” program, warm it up slightly. Then you need to pour the meat into it and fry them in the same mode for 5 minutes.
- During this time, it is necessary to peel the onion and chop it into half rings. When the time is right, they should be added to the meat and fried for about 6-7 minutes. During the process, it is advisable to periodically stir the ingredients so that they do not burn.
- When the onions and meat acquire a golden crust, you need to add the vegetable mixture and add water or broth. After seasoning the mixture with salt and spices, you need to mix it thoroughly.
- By turning on the “Stew” program, you will need to cook the dish for 60 minutes. During the process, you need to occasionally check the treat and, if necessary, add boiling water to it.
After the signal, you should put the mixture into a deep serving plate and serve it to the table while still hot. You can decorate the dish with chopped parsley or dill.
Vegetables with seafood
- Mexican mixture - 650 gr.
- seafood cocktail - 400 gr.
- green salad - 90 gr.
- soy sauce - 55 ml.
- olive oil - 95 ml.
- lemon juice - 40 ml.
- French mustard - to taste
- crushed white pepper - 9 gr.
- table salt - 15 gr.
- Pour olive oil into a thick-bottomed frying pan, place seafood in it, add seasonings to taste. Fry the food over high heat for 7 minutes, then pour lemon juice over it.
- Then place the vegetable mixture on top of the seafood cocktail. Simmer until the liquid evaporates completely. Then pour soy sauce over the dish. Stir the mixture and fry. Wash the lettuce leaves, chop and mix with mustard. Add to the total mass. Mix well and serve.
Pasta with vegetables
The following dish of Italian cuisine can be prepared in just 40 minutes. This delicacy will be an excellent choice for a family lunch or dinner, because it is juicy, aromatic and at the same time satisfying.
Ingredients
To prepare this Italian delicacy you will need to stock up on the following products:
- assorted vegetables – 400 g;
- pasta – 450 g;
- water – 4.5 l;
- onion – 75 g;
- garlic cloves – 1-2 pcs.;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- Italian herbs – 5 g;
- salt – 8 g.
Step-by-step cooking process
It’s not difficult to prepare a masterpiece of Italian cuisine; to do this, you need to follow these instructions:
- Boil water and add salt to it. Then you need to put the pasta there and, after boiling it over medium heat for 1 minute, mix thoroughly so that the products do not stick together. Cover the container with a lid and cook the paste for about 7-8 minutes. As a result, they should be slightly undercooked and hard. Then the products need to be thrown into a colander so that excess moisture drains from them, but you need to set about 50-70 ml of the drained broth aside.
- Onions and garlic must be peeled and chopped into cubes. They should be poured into a frying pan with heated vegetable oil and fried over medium heat until transparent.
- You need to add assorted vegetables to the onions and garlic. Having seasoned and salted the mass, you need to stir it and fry it for 7-10 minutes. Then you need to add the drained broth and ready-made pasta to the vegetables.
- Without covering with a lid, you need to simmer the mixture for 1-2 minutes, and then immediately place it on serving plates.
If desired, you can sprinkle the finished treat with grated cheese, chopped herbs and cherry tomato slices.
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Frozen vegetables are a godsend for tired, always busy and simply lazy housewives. No “kitchen slavery”: I bought several multi-colored bags - and I don’t have to shed tears over onions, peel “obstinate” eggplants and spend a long, long time chopping cabbage. It will take a few minutes to throw the vegetables into the pot or pan, add the necessary ingredients... voila - dinner is ready! And the wolves are fed, and the manicure is intact. True, there are small subtleties that you need to know to ensure that dishes made from frozen vegetables are both tasty and healthy. Carrots in shock Shock freezing is an ideal way to preserve maximum nutrients in a product. At the same time, vegetables do not lose shape and color; they retain up to 90% of vitamins and up to 100% of microelements. Water, which is contained in excess in vegetables, does not have time to form large crystals during shock freezing, which means that the structure of the fruit remains homogeneous and not damaged. Therefore, when you see the inscription “instant (or shock) freezing” on the packaging, take it with confidence. The main thing is that the required temperature conditions are maintained during storage, and the vegetables are not re-frozen (which often happens during transportation). Before buying, feel the packaging: there should be no frozen lumps, which are what appear if the product has already been thawed. Also pay attention to the appearance of the packaging: there should be no damage to it. If a bag of vegetables is covered with frost, it means it was stored at a lower temperature than it should be, this should also alert you. By the way, you should also cook vegetables without defrosting them. Winter and summer in the same color Multi-colored vegetables in a plate can improve your mood in winter or autumn, when everything around is gloomy and gray. And again, deep-frozen products will come to the rescue: often it is either impossible to buy fresh vegetables in winter (for example, fresh spinach does not last long, and fresh green beans cannot be found at all in most stores), or is very expensive. So stock up on frozen vegetables and you'll have a bright summer on your table all year round. True, practice shows that “prefabricated hodgepodges” leave much to be desired: the vegetables in them are chopped haphazardly, and the ratio of ingredients always turns out to be in favor of very simple ingredients such as carrots. So if you need a vegetable mixture, it’s better to make it yourself - from different packs. “Lazy” recipes Country-style potatoes To prepare country-style potatoes, it is best to take young tubers with thin skin, and they are not so easy to find in winter. And it would be nice if it was only the peel - store-bought potatoes “overwinter” very poorly, in practice, every second tuber may turn out to be spoiled. Therefore, frozen potato slices are a very convenient thing. Of course, it is not the most dietary, because before freezing it is first fried in oil. But you can bake it in the oven without fat, spreading it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, adding salt and spices to taste - it will be healthier and certainly no worse than in a famous fast food restaurant. Omelette with green beans You can also use other frozen vegetables. Simmer the frozen beans over low heat first and then over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. At this time, beat the eggs, add salt and pepper to taste, and you can add a little milk. Mix well. Place the beans evenly in a heatproof dish. Pour in the egg mixture and place in an oven preheated to medium temperature for 10-15 minutes. Spinach Cream Soup Ingredients: 3 cups chicken broth, 1 cup cream, package frozen spinach, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pinch nutmeg, salt, pepper. Preparation. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Add spinach and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the spinach in a saucepan with the broth and cook for another 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a blender and grind until pureed. Return to the pan, mix with a glass of cream and heat through (do not boil!). Sprinkle with nutmeg. You can also bake a pie with frozen berries (for example, cherries). A step-by-step cooking recipe can be found in our master class. Vegetable casserole Ingredients: 500 g cauliflower, 200 g green beans, 3 carrots, 200 g green peas, 3 eggs, 150 g milk, 150 g hard cheese, salt to taste, olive oil. Preparation. 1. Boil cauliflower in salted water until half cooked (after boiling water - 7-10 minutes). Remove, drain and divide into florets, removing coarse veins. 2. Boil carrots, beans and peas until half cooked, drain the water. 3. Grease a non-stick baking dish with olive oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. 4. Place the vegetables in the form. First carrots, then beans, peas and cauliflower on top. 5. Beat eggs with milk, add half of the grated cheese, salt and pour the whipped mixture over the vegetables. Instead of milk, you can use cauliflower decoction. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. 6. Place in an oven preheated to 180°C and bake for 15 minutes. 7. Serve hot, sprinkled with finely chopped fresh herbs. Vegetable stew Ingredients: 400 g frozen broccoli, 400 g mixed vegetables (100 g each Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, 50 g each green peas and leeks), 2 slightly smaller onions, 4 tablespoons sunflower oil, salt , black pepper to taste. Preparation. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil into a metal saucepan with a thick bottom and fry the finely chopped onions until golden brown. Pour in the frozen vegetables, stir, add 50 ml of water, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Tea with lingonberries and mint Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of black tea, 500 ml of boiling water, 5 tablespoons of frozen lingonberries, 2 sprigs of mint, 1 tablespoon of honey. Preparation. Brew tea with mint. Mash the lingonberries with a fork and mix with honey, add to tea. Let it brew for 10 minutes, pour into cups. Author: Nadezhda Grishina
Vegetable soup made from frozen vegetables
Frozen vegetable mixture, the recipes for which are not complicated, can be used to cook soup. Such a delicacy will become a storehouse of vitamins in the winter, and its creation will take no more than 60 minutes.
Ingredients
To make a healthy soup, you will need to stock up on the following set of products:
- vegetable mixture – 200 g;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- potatoes – 3 pcs.;
- small vermicelli – 65 g;
- garlic cloves – 2 pcs.;
- dill and parsley – 10 g each;
- water – 2.5 l;
- salt, a set of favorite spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
You can prepare a healthy soup using the following algorithm:
- Potatoes should be peeled and cut into cubes. The onion and garlic need to be chopped into pieces, and the greens should be chopped.
- Boil water in a saucepan of a suitable size and pour chopped potatoes, onions and garlic into it. Covering the container with a lid, you need to cook the food over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- When the time comes, you need to add assorted vegetables to the mixture. It will take about 10 minutes to prepare the dish. after boiling, and then add vermicelli into it.
- After adding salt and spices, you need to boil the mass for 5 minutes. Then you need to turn off the flame, but leave the dish to steep under the lid for 15-20 minutes.
The article provides a recipe for soup made from frozen mixed vegetables.
The finished soup should be poured into bowls and served, sprinkling each serving with chopped herbs.
Cooking from frozen foods
Frozen foods and semi-finished products are a salvation for modern housewives who do not have time to cut meat or fish, chop vegetables and other complex culinary manipulations that every woman encounters in the kitchen. But food is frozen not only to facilitate and speed up the process of preparing lunches and dinners. The fact is that thanks to frozen sets, you can diversify your diet if your area does not have full-fledged seasonal vegetables, fruits and berries. In addition, frozen food is often cheaper than fresh food, since not every average Russian can buy fresh meat or live fish. It remains to figure out how to prepare frozen foods in order to preserve their nutritional value, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Useful tips and tricks
For cooking, it is better to use a high-quality mixture. It is advisable to buy frozen vegetables in bulk, because they can be immediately assessed by their appearance. When choosing products in packaging, you must check its integrity and also try the components by touch. And if they froze in large pieces, this means that the vegetables were thawed and frozen again several times. And this had a bad effect on their quality.
Most dishes with frozen vegetables can be classified as a diet menu.
A few examples for comparison:
Squirrels | Fats | Carbohydrates | Calorie content per 100 g | |
Vegetable casserole | 6 | 11 | 5 | 143 |
Chicken option | 9 | 8 | 7 | 142 |
Rice mixture | 2 | 2 | 17 | 92 |
Dish with buckwheat | 9 | 8 | 12 | 147 |
Assorted turkey | 10 | 2 | 3 | 73 |
A healthy frozen vegetable mixture will be an excellent source of vitamins in winter and early spring. It can be prepared in a variety of ways, creating both flavorful side dishes and hearty main courses. Most recipes with assorted vegetables are classified as dietary nutrition, so such delicacies will not spoil your figure.
How to choose frozen vegetables in stores?
If you prefer to buy frozen mixed vegetables, it will be useful to know the following information.
Make sure that the factory packaging says “flash freezing”. Blast freezing is a technology that allows you to preserve as much as possible the taste, color, structure of vegetables, as well as up to 90% of vitamins and 100% of microelements. Nutritionists say that such vegetables are no worse in their beneficial and nutritional properties than fresh ones. The packaging itself must be free of damage, swelling and icing. Inside, the vegetables should mix freely and not be frozen in lumps - this means that they have been defrosted several times. The presence of frost on the packaging indicates a lower storage temperature for vegetables. Do not buy vegetables unless the above conditions are met and the production date is more than 6 months old. And be sure to pay attention to the temperature inside the refrigerated counter - the optimal indicator is usually 18 ° C.
When you buy frozen food, wrap it tightly in foil to carry it home, especially if you don't plan to cook it right away. This will prevent them from thawing.
Varieties of frozen vegetable sets
Each manufacturer of this product can use different packaging, take vegetables from different countries, write their own recipes on the label, but the main component of the product almost always remains the same. Regardless of the season, these vegetables are always fresh, and cooking with them is a pleasure.
There are several main compositions:
- Lecho: onions, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots and paprika;
- Mexican: carrots, corn, green beans, peas, corn, celery, red beans, peppers;
- Hawaiian: corn, rice, peas and peppers;
- Chinese: bamboo shoots and soybeans, onions, peppers, celery, green beans, corn, cabbage, Chinese black mushroom;
- Country style: potatoes, onions, broccoli, peppers, beans, carrots, corn;
- Spring bouquet: 3 types of cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts), carrots, peas, onions, bean pods;
- Mushroom soup: champignons, carrots, onions, potatoes;
- For scrambled eggs: tomatoes, onions, paprika, zucchini, celery.
You can also buy frozen vegetable mixtures for making sorrel soup and borscht, and individual vegetables (for example, green beans, tomatoes, French fries).
It is recommended to purchase sets that are no more than six months old. Cut vegetables should move freely throughout the package and not be stuck together in one lump. Which company to give preference to is up to everyone to decide for themselves. Frozen vegetable mixtures “4 seasons” are of fairly high quality. It is pleasant to cook any dishes from them.
The simplest recipes are to pour the contents of the bag into a steamer or frying pan, add meat, cereals or other vegetables if desired, and thoroughly steam everything under the lid. But this is an option for the lazy. Below we will tell you how to prepare frozen vegetable mixtures quickly and tasty.
Lamb with ratatouille
- lamb tenderloin 800 g
- frozen vegetable mixture 900 g
- onion 1 pc.
- vegetable oil
- bay leaf 1 pc.
- garlic 1 clove
- rosemary, pepper, salt
- garlic 2 cloves
- a couple of sprigs of basil
- dry white wine 50 ml
- tomatoes 2 pcs.
Marinate the lamb (mix the ingredients for the marinade), leave under the film. Fry and simmer the onion with vegetables.
For the sauce, fry the garlic without oil, add tomatoes (blanched, without skin) and wine, cook for 5 minutes, add basil at the end. Fry the lamb on the grill or in a frying pan, serve with vegetables and sprinkle with sauce.
Preparation:
- Pour water into the pan. If you have corn, peas or green beans, then you need to take not 100 g of water, but 2 times more.
- Then you need to salt the water and put it on fire.
- By the way, vegetables do not need to be defrosted first. Since they are cold, the process of boiling water will immediately stop, so you need to wait until it begins to boil again.
- If the vegetables are not cooked in separate pieces, they will cook unevenly. To avoid this, they must be separated from each other using a fork.
- Then add seasonings and herbs to the vegetables, reduce the heat, and cover the pan itself with a lid.
- Since very little water was added, the vegetables are cooked almost by steam, so they retain their shape and color well.
- Cooking time will depend on the type of vegetables. Carrots and zucchini are cooked for approximately 7 minutes, corn, Chinese beans and peas - 5, and leafy ones - a couple of minutes.
- After cooking, drain the water from the vegetables and they are ready!
- By the way, if you immerse frozen vegetables in boiling water, they will retain more vitamins, and adding a couple of drops of lemon juice during cooking makes the products juicier and brighter in taste.
Frozen vegetables can be used to prepare first courses, main dishes, side dishes, etc.
Preparation:
- Without defrosting, pour the beans and Mexican mixture into a bowl and add water so that it covers the vegetables by about a finger.
- Now the bowl needs to be placed in the microwave and cooked until half cooked.
- Break eggs into milk, add flour, spices, salt.
- Mix the ingredients until smooth.
- Pour the prepared vegetables into a baking dish along with butter.
- Now they should be filled with the egg-milk mixture and placed in a preheated oven until golden brown.
- You can add cheese, smoked meats or seafood to this casserole, this will give the dish a new taste.
- This casserole is delicious both hot and cold!
Are frozen mixed vegetables healthy?
This type of product has many advantages. The main one is naturalness. Modern technologies make it possible to prepare them without losing the vitamins and minerals they contain. Such products are mainly made from domestic vegetables, and they are much healthier than imported ones.
By purchasing vegetable mixtures, you save not only money, but also time. This product is usually inexpensive and can be stored in the freezer for more than 1 year.
The recipes are printed right there, but even without them you can whip up a complete breakfast or dinner. The soup will be rich and aromatic, the salads will be low-calorie, and the stew will be satisfying. Therefore, such sets are very useful and popular. Bon appetit!
Frozen vegetables are a real salvation for the modern housewife, who, in between cleaning, laundry, children and working from home, must still have time to prepare delicious dishes for her household. In this article we will tell you how to deliciously cook frozen vegetables.
at home.
The British were the first to learn how to freeze vegetables back in the 19th century. An inventor from England, G. S. Baker, who moved to the USA, decided to build a real business on this matter. He collected unusable crops, froze them, and then sold them. This idea was quickly picked up by the world, so today in every supermarket you can find entire departments where frozen vegetables are sold.
Although there are still unscrupulous sellers of frozen vegetables and fruits, and there is no escape from them. They are easy to recognize - you just need to look at the packaging of vegetables to understand whether the product in front of you is of high quality or not:
- The packaging must have a consistent appearance;
- There should be no frost or icing on it (this indicator will indicate to you that the vegetables have already been defrosted several times);
- At the time you decide to buy frozen vegetables, their production date should not exceed six months;
- Pay attention to the temperature at which vegetables are stored in the refrigerator in the store (the optimal temperature for frozen products is -18 degrees).
However, if you are afraid of using low-quality store-bought produce, freeze the vegetables you grow yourself when they are in season, and then use them to prepare wonderful meals for your friends and family. Only for this you need to know the correct freezing technology. It should be instant:
- Immerse the vegetables, chopped into equal pieces, into boiling water for three minutes (if you are freezing greens, then I put them in boiling water for literally one second);
- Pour ice water over the vegetables and place them on a flat surface to dry;
- Seal the cooked vegetables in an airtight container and place them in the freezer.
And if you do not neglect these rules, then you don’t have to worry - frozen vegetables and fruits will retain all their beneficial properties.
Important! When you are thinking about what you can cook from frozen vegetables
, remember that the main thing is not to defrost them, but to use them frozen during the cooking process - under no circumstances should they melt, otherwise they will lose their value.
Preparation:
- Beat the meat until you obtain a thin, but not luminous layer, no more than 1 cm thick.
- Fry the champignons along with vegetables and 1 piece of butter.
- Place fried mushrooms and vegetables, sliced cheese, butter, herbs, and salt on top of the meat.
- Now you need to roll the meat into a roll, sew up the sides and edges, and wrap it in foil.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place the roll in it.
- The dish is baked for about 1 hour, cut and served cooled.