Herb-Buttered Vegetable Blend

Want a super-simple veggie side dish? Once you've got a batch of mixed vegetables frozen, you can take them out and reheat them 10 minutes or less. To change up the flavors, just use different herbed butters.

Herb-Buttered Vegetable Blend
Photo: Jason Donnelly
Prep Time:
45 mins
Freeze Time:
1 hrs
Total Time:
1 hrs 45 mins
Servings:
12
Yield:
4 (3-serving) portions

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, softened

  • Desired Seasoning Mix

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 2 ears of corn, husks and silks removed

  • 2 cup broccoli and/or cauliflower florets

  • 3 medium carrots, bias-sliced 1/4 inch thick

  • 1 ½ cup yellow summer squash and/or zucchini bias-sliced 1/2 inch thick

  • 1 large red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips

  • 1 small sweet onion, cut into thin wedges

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl stir together butter, Seasoning Mix, and salt. Shape butter mixture into a 5-inch log. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Freeze about 1 hour or until firm. Cut butter into eight slices. Place in a freezer container and freeze until needed.

  2. Meanwhile, in a 6-qt. pot cook corn, covered, in enough boiling water to cover 1 minute. Add broccoli, carrots, and squash. Cook, covered, 2 minutes; drain. Plunge vegetables into a very large bowl filled with ice water. Let stand until chilled. Remove corn cobs. Cut kernels from cobs; do not scrape. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the remaining vegetables to a paper towel-lined tray and pat dry.

  3. Line a 15x10-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Spread corn kernels, drained vegetables, sweet pepper, and onion in an even layer in the prepared pan. Freeze, loosely covered, about 1 hour or until nearly firm.

  4. Divide vegetables evenly among four 1-qt. freezer bags. Add two slices frozen butter mixture to each bag. Squeeze air from bag. Seal and label. Freeze up to 6 months.

Seasoning Mixes:

Asian: Stir together 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger; 2 cloves garlic, minced; and 3 drops toasted sesame oil.Southwestern: Stir together 1 tsp. ground ancho chile pepper; 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed; and 1/2 tsp. lime zest.Italian: Stir together 2 cloves garlic, minced, and 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed.Herb and Citrus: Stir together 1 Tbsp. lemon zest; 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed; 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed; and 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper.

Cooking Directions

Transfer one portion frozen vegetables to a medium saucepan or skillet. Cook, covered, over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes or until butter is melted and vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

For Saucy Vegetables

Stir 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour into a reheated portion of vegetable mixture. Stir in 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. If desired, stir in 2 cups bite-size strips of cooked chicken breast, beef sirloin steak, or pork loin chops, or 2 cups peeled, cooked shrimp. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

106 Calories
8g Fat
8g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 106
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 136mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 35.8mg 179%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 0.4mg 2%
Potassium 230mg 5%
Folate, total 33.5mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.2mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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