20 Recipes That Start With Frozen Vegetables

By Danielle Susi

Is your freezer a frozen vegetable graveyard? Many cooks stash frozen vegetables — whether you froze them yourself or bought them at the grocery store to stockpile for a home quarantine — for future use, but coming up with creative recipes that help you transform frozen vegetables into a delicious meal can be tough. After all, frozen vegetables retain many of the nutrients from their fresh state since many brands flash-freeze their vegetables just after harvesting, but some of their texture and cooking capabilities are sacrificed in the cold storage. But we're here to help. These recipes are filled with frozen veggies and can be used as snacks, appetizers, main dishes, and more. Many of these recipes with frozen vegetables also have the added benefit of including other ingredients that are easy to store or freeze long-term.

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Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

LazyFoodieGirl

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This hot dip is ideal for parties and get-togethers, but also works well for a family night watching a movie on the couch. It contains frozen spinach and other ingredients that last in storage, like dried herbs and canned artichoke hearts.

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Dad’s Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

larkspur

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There’s nothing like a warm pot pie to take advantage of the ingredients you already have in the house. Frozen green beans, peas, and carrots are the stars here, but unbaked pie crusts and dried seasonings you likely already have on hand make this a simple fix for dinner.

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Crustless Spinach Quiche

waxing witch

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Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this crustless quiche only requires a few ingredients, including versatile frozen spinach. One reviewer even noted that instead of making one large quiche you could pour the mixture into a muffin tin for bite sized portions on the go.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Hannah Culbertson

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Frozen corn is at the heart of the textural experience of this warm and comforting soup. You can bulk out this recipe by adding rice to the soup or serving on the side to allow diners to add their own.

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Baked Vegetable Rice Pilaf

Bianca Nohrenberg

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This rice pilaf calls for frozen peas and corn, and you could just as easily use frozen carrots instead of fresh. You could make this recipe your own with more veggies and the spice combination of your choosing.

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Home-Style Vegetable Beef Soup

Elena Jaramillo Espy

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This hearty soup calls for frozen green beans, but the carrots and corn could also be pulled from your freezer. If you typically keep ground beef in your freezer then this simple and flavorful soup will be a snap to pull together.

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7 of 20

Chicken and Pasta Casserole with Mixed Vegetables

Marisa R.

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Frozen mixed vegetables play a major role in this casserole, rounded out by dried spices to create a full-flavored meal for many. Some reviewers have noted that this recipe is adaptable to your and your family’s tastes by adding extra cream soup or changing up the vegetables.

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Sally’s Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Cristi

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Root vegetables like potatoes last for a long time in a cool, dark place. They can be easily transformed into creamy mashed potatoes with the addition of butter, sour cream, and frozen spinach.

9 of 20

Tuna and Vegetable Casserole

Rock_lobster

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In addition to frozen peas, you could easily swap fresh carrots, green beans, and squash for frozen varieties. Canned albacore tuna and condensed cream of mushroom soup are both shelf-stable, making this a great meal to put together from pantry and freezer staples.

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10 of 20

Vegetable Fried Rice

naples34102

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Vegetable fried rice is one of the quickest and most delicious meals to make using leftover and frozen ingredients. For best results, cook your rice the day before and refrigerate to eliminate any starchy gumminess that would cause your rice to clump up in the pan.

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Quick Cajun Vegetables

Mandy Tatom

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Sometimes vegetables play a lesser part and are not a main component of dishes. In this recipe, you'll be transitioning frozen broccoli (and green beans that could be frozen instead of fresh) into a thoroughly spiced side dish perfect with the protein of your choice or over rice.

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Easy Baked Cheese and Vegetable Twist

Tracey Moore

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A newer take on broccoli casserole, this crescent roll-wrapped bundle of deliciousness is perfect to put in the center of the table and allow guests to pull from. Thawed and drained frozen broccoli is the hero of it all, while incorporating shredded cheese and cream cheese; both freeze well until use.

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Healthy Garden Salad

bschadwick

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Frozen shelled edamame and frozen corn are invigorated by hearty canned black beans. Lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro add a fresh punch to this simple salad.

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Sweet Corn Cake

sopenia

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Frozen corn teams up with masa harina (Mexican corn flour) to provide the delicious base for this savory cake. Reviewers who have made it have added sliced jalapeño for a kick, and crumbled it over chili, a soup you could easily make ahead and freeze.

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Hot Tamale Pie

Dave Thompson

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Boxes of dry corn muffin mix and a jar of salsa make this tamale pie another option that uses easy-to-store ingredients. Frozen corn provides nutrition in an otherwise cheesy meal.

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Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

Molly

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"I have to give credit where credit is due," wrote reviewer addictedtorecipes. "I have tried many recipes from this [site] and I will have to say that this one is probably my favorite so far. My whole family loves this." This frozen vegetable side is ready in about four hours, so start it at lunch if you want this with your dinner.

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Broccoli Soup

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If you have chopped frozen broccoli languishing in the deep freeze, rescue it and turn it into this silky soup. "My friend's wife introduced me to this recipe. I HATE broccoli, but loved this soup. I ate every drop. It's simple and good!" wrote reviewer LONBINDER

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Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes

CC<3's2bake

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"This is an excellent side dish that goes with any dinner or even by itself!" writes recipe creator Hallie Guilfoyle of the potatoes that use frozen broccoli. "If you like potatoes you will love these."

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Southwestern Egg Rolls

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This fantastic recipe for egg rolls can be used as an appetizer or main course, and though it calls for frozen spinach, you can use a variety of frozen vegetables here. Corn and bell peppers are easy swaps if you have those on hand. "Sweet fancy Moses these are yummy!" writes reviewer Jemni, which sounds like an outstanding review to us.

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Okra and Tomatoes

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That frozen okra you bought for homemade gumbo? It gets new life in this simple vegetable side dish. For the ultimate in convenience, you'll combined the frozen okra pieces with canned stewed tomatoes, bacon, onion, and bell pepper, all things you can keep on hand for fast meals. It's ready in a flash and tremendously filling.

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