in Cooking Guides, Vegetarian Recipes

Roasting Frozen Vegetables in Oven

by Pauline 20th January 2021, 7:29 am

Frozen vegetables will thaw and cook nicely in the oven, becoming tender and then crispy and cooking all the way through. If you have a busy Thanksgiving dinner to prepare, for instance, then seasoning the veggies and tossing them into the oven is a great way to get that dish done fast. Then, you can concentrate on everything else and not have to worry about the veggies until they are done.

Probably my favourite reason for roasting frozen vegetables in the oven is that this helps to trap in a lot of their nutrients. The vitamins and minerals that they are used for can really benefit you if you roast them rather than fry or boil them.

Roasting heats them up in a safe way that doesn’t get rid of those essential nutrients, giving you the full benefits in a tasty way.

On top of all that, you can get some great flavour out of your veggies by roasting them in the oven. Anyone who says that you have to sacrifice flavour or your enjoyment of food for a healthy diet probably hasn’t given roasted veggies a try.

They can be so amazing when you cook them properly, and if you take time to season them well, they are every bit as flavourful and savoury as any unhealthy food.

Plus, if your kids hate raw veggies, roasting them keeps them very healthy and makes them more palatable. Your broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and other vegetables are more likely to taste good to your kids when the veggies are roasted compared to when you serve them raw.

They are easier to eat and have a more satisfying and pleasing texture to them. I find roasting vegetable works very well for getting kids to gobble them up.

The two reasons most kids don’t like vegetables is because they can be tough to eat (due to their hardness) and the flavour is either too bland or not pleasant. You can address all of that by seasoning them and then roasting the vegetables, making something that kids are more likely to enjoy.

How to Roast Frozen Vegetables in the Oven

Most frozen vegetable scan be cooked in a similar way in your oven. There isn’t a lot of prep work that needs to be done. You can take them straight from the freezer and place them on the baking sheet, if you want. They may be easier to season if you let them thaw first, but that’s not necessary.

It’s a good idea to knock off as much of the ice from the vegetables as you can before putting them in the oven. You can do some thawing while the oven is preheating. For our purposes, let’s preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the oven is warming, you can take those frozen vegetables and wash them under running water. This will help get rid of the excess ice. You should try to avoid putting wet vegetables in the oven, so dab them dry with a towel.

Next, prepare a baking sheet for them. It’s not a bad idea to grease or spray the pan with cooking oil, and you could use a parchment paper or other oven-safe liner instead. This will keep the veggies from sticking to the pan in the oven.

You don’t need to do anything to the baking sheet, if you don’t want to. You can just cook the vegetables straight on the tray in the oven with no grease or paper. Once they brown, the veggies will not stick to the tray anymore.

After your pan is ready, lay your veggies on it and season the vegetables. You can brush them lightly with oil and then season them. I like to season mine with garlic, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, rosemary, parsley, and more. One or two seasonings should be enough to make them flavourful.

Any kind of vegetable seasoning mix will work well, or you can make your own with some experimentation. I take fresh herbs from my garden and grind them up, then store them in an airtight container. I season my pizza, veggies, meat, and pasta with it to wonderful results.

Most veggies cook for about 12 minutes, turning brown and tender by that point. Zucchini, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, and many more cook fairly fast. Others- like butternut squash, carrots, and Brussel sprouts- are hardier and will take longer to cook. They may take as long as 30 minutes to roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Seasoning Options for Roasted Vegetables

Roasting frozen vegetables in the oven is a good way to make them tender without any fuss, but you need to remember to season yours to make them appealing.

You could go for an Asian flavouring, using soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, peanut sauce, curry, or brown sugar.

For a cheesy vegetable, try Parmesan cheese or any kind of shredded cheese. Pay attention to how long you are cooking your veggies and cheese for and ensure that you don’t burn the cheese.

Try an Italian style veggies dish by dripping some balsamic vinegar over them and adding Italian herbs and olive oil.

Make your veggie savoury and delicious by roasting them with minced garlic and sliced onions.

Roasting Frozen Vegetables in Air Fryer

You can cook your veggies in the air fryer as well for a similar taste and texture as the oven. Tender vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus, and broccoli can be cooked by heating the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and chopping the veggies into small pieces.

Add some oil to them to give them a roasted texture. Lay them flat in the air fryer and then cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Firmer vegetables like carrots, squash, pumpkin and beets will take longer to cook, so expect them to cook for 20-25 minutes in the air fryer.