When it comes to weekly meal planning, I always prefer to serve fresh vegetables for my side dishes. That doesn’t mean it always happens! I always have bags of peas, corn, broccoli florets and skinny green beans in my freezer.
Here are three reasons I love having frozen vegetables on hand:
#1 Frozen vegetables are more economical – when purchased at Aldi or on sale, veggies like corn, green beans and peas are always cheaper than fresh.
#2 Frozen vegetables are easier to keep on hand! I can stock my freezer with them and never have to worry about them spoiling or getting gross. Right?
#3 Frozen vegetables can be prepared to suit a picky eater.
It’s possible that you may not like frozen vegetables because of the way they were prepared/the way you cook them! Paul and I grew up in the Midwest and love the taste of fresh corn that’s been cooked and cut right off the cob. My mom’s recipe for Corn Saute’ is as close to the real thing as I can get! It’s so simple, but it’s delicious!
Corn Saute’
- Frozen Corn (I prefer Birds Eye Baby Gold and White Corn. Big kernels of yellow corn aren’t quite as good)
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
The definition of saute’ is “to fry quickly in hot fat.” That’s basically what you do with this corn!
Add a teaspoon of oil to a hot skillet and swirl it around in the pan. Once the oil is heated, keep the pan on medium high heat and add the frozen corn. Stir the kernels around in the oil. Season really well with salt and pepper and stir again. Let the corn sit in the pan in an even layer for about 30 seconds. Stir and let it sit in an even layer for another 30 seconds.
I take one kernel out and taste to see if it’s ready. Keep stirring and smoothing out the layer until it’s done. Take the pan off the heat once the corn is just heated through – you don’t want to overcook it!
Taste and season again with salt and pepper, if needed. I prefer to use freshly ground black pepper for this dish – the bite from the pepper is perfect with the sweetness of the corn.
I don’t use exact measurements for this recipe – just cook as much corn as you need to feed your family, and make sure you have enough oil in the pan to flavor the corn. It doesn’t make the corn greasy, but it gives it good flavor and gives the texture of the corn a nice bite.
Other Frozen Vegetable Recipes:
I would love to know if you try this recipe – and if it changes your opinion of frozen corn! 🙂
Come Home For Comfort 
I always try to keep my freezer stocked with frozen vegetables, especially in winter. It’s so much easier to just grab them and go! Your recipe sounds delicious! I’ll have to try this! I’m always looking for new side dishes to try.
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I like that I can make as much or as little from the bag as I want, unlike opening a whole can of something from the pantry!
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The corn side dish sounds absolutely wonderful, but over time I’ve learned that I can’t digest frozen corn, so I never buy it. Other than corn, though, I love frozen veggies and buy all kinds — chopped spinach, broccoli (chopped, florets, and sometimes spears), cauliflower, chopped onions and diced green peppers, green beans, red and green pepper strips, petite green peas, and many different blends. (My local supermarket has a steamable blend of green and yellow beans plus baby carrots in a store brand, oftne on sale for 99¢!) The frozen pureed squash is something I also like to keep on hand for making soups, but it’s getting harder to find.
Another plus about frozen vegetables is that since they’ve been processed at the peak of their freshness, they are often fresher than “fresh vegetables” that have been trucked in from across the country.
Great post!
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That’s a great point about the freshness of frozen veggies! I keep those pepper & onion blends in my freezer too – they’re great to throw in recipes without having to prep anything!
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Yum! We love frozen veggies, too! I always keep broccoli, corn, green beans and some mixed varieties in my freezer. They’re the easiest side to heat up, roast or steam for dinner. I love stocking up when they go on sale.
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They really are such easy sides!
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Hi, Whitney! I’m the same as you—I prefer fresh, but always keep a good stock of frozen on hand. And I purchase the very same Birdseye frozen corn you do. I love that white and yellow corn blend.
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I hope they never stop making that corn blend!
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