20 Recipes That Start With Frozen Broccoli (2024)

FAQs

What to do with too much frozen broccoli? ›

The best way to cook frozen broccoli in my opinion is roasting it in the oven. It's way more delicious than boiled or steamed broccoli because it gets crispy – rather than soft, watery, and mushy! If you haven't tried roasting broccoli before, please give it a shot – it's the best.

No need to wait around for traditional thawing: Cooking broccoli from frozen is simple. And there's no need to feel like you're cutting corners if you're cooking with frozen vegetables instead of fresh.

bake with NOTHING on it—no salt, no oil, no seasonings!! —for 25-30 min, or until brown at edges. remove from oven and toss with oil, salt, and any seasonings you like until well coated (garlic and onion powder are my bare minimum go-tos). return to oven for 7-10 more minutes until brown and CRISPY af.

“Fresh vegetables are most nutritious when they're picked at peak ripeness and eaten soon after, but that's not always possible,” says Amanda Otruba, a registered dietician at Geisinger. “Veggies that are frozen shortly after they're picked can be just as nutritious as fresh produce.”

Eventually frozen broccoli will go bad, but it has a pretty long shelf life, given that it is stored frozen. A general rule of thumb is that they are good for up to 12 months, though they are still safe to eat even past their expiration date.

Most often, I enjoy steamed broccoli as a healthy side dish. Before I serve it, I toss it with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a big squeeze of lemon juice so that it's nice and bright. It also tastes fantastic dressed with lemon vinaigrette, vegan ranch, honey mustard dressing, or romesco sauce.

This is because broccoli is mostly water; when it's frozen, the water turns to ice, and the crystals expand. When the crystals melt slowly, the water seeps into the vegetable, creating a soggy mess.

If the package suggests to drain or rinse the vegetables, then they should be washed. While there has been some controversy in the past about the food safety of frozen produce, the AFFI assures that frozen produce is highly safe and manufacturing facilities are held to high standards of cleanliness.

Frozen Vegetables May Change in Taste and Texture

Like with many other frozen foods, you may notice that your frozen vegetables have a texture or taste that's different from the fresh option. If texture is important to your dish, we recommend choosing fresh vegetables instead of frozen.

If you are using frozen broccoli in a dish with other ingredients that aren't frozen, quickly steam the frozen broccoli or place the florets in a bowl and cover with hot water, let sit for a couple of minutes and then drain. Use paper towels to remove excess water from the broccoli.

How do you use frozen broccoli in place of fresh? ›

Sauté it or roast it for a side dish.

You could simply defrost and heat, but it's really worth it to take the extra step to sauté or roast it for a little something more. Do keep in mind, though, that frozen broccoli isn't quite as firm as fresh, so plan to cut cook times almost in half.

Shull recommends roasting your veggies for 30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and tossing every 10 minutes or so to help them cook evenly. One more trick: Try roasting vegetables of a similar size and density, such as broccoli and cauliflower florets or peas and carrot kernels.

Healthiest Way to Cook Broccoli

Lightly sauteed with garlic and a splash of water. It's that simple. Cooking broccoli in this way retains most of its colour, nutritional value along with that crunch that results in a delicious side dish that even my youngest and pickiest eater enjoys.

The freezing process obliterates the compound sulforaphane, which is one of broccoli's active ingredients in fighting inflammation and cancer. But don't go on a freezer-strike quite yet.

Frozen veggies

When shopping for the best frozen veggies for diabetes, go for options that are plain and aren't in cheesy or high-sodium sauces. Try frozen sliced peppers, broccoli, green beans, spinach, cauliflower, edamame, cauliflower rice and Brussels sprouts. And don't shy away from the starchy veggies.

Broccoli Freezing Tips

Wash stalks thoroughly and cut lengthwise into uniform pieces, leaving florets about 1-1/2 inches across. If you can help it, it's best to freeze your broccoli before it's fully cooked. Freezing cooked broccoli can result in a limp, flavorless side dish next time you pull it out of the freezer.

Don't thaw frozen broccoli in the fridge or on the countertop. The pieces will get too soggy. Even though there is no need, if you really want to thaw the broccoli, add to a large bowl, cover with hot water and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain and pat dry with a kitchen or paper towel.

The FSIS recommends cutting off freezer-burned areas either before or after cooking the food. If a food is heavily freezer-burned, however, you'll probably want to toss it, as it won't taste as good since the quality was compromised.

Broccoli — florets and stems — must be blanched for effective freezing. If you freeze it raw, you'll wind up with bitter, drab green, shriveled stems. Blanching preserves the bright green color and tasty flavor. You can either blanch in boiling water for three minutes or steam for five minutes.