HomeFeatures5 of our favourite frozen foods and what to make with them
5 of our favourite frozen foods and what to make with them
Food inflation is showing no signs of slowing down, and it’s far cheaper to shop for many items in the frozen food section than the fresh. Frozen food has nutrients, texture and flavour locked in at the point of freezing, so it’s a good option, especially if money is tight. We’ve brought together our favourite frozen foods: spinach, peas, sweetcorn, pastry and fish, along with 4 of the best recipes to try with each of them.
Batch-cooking saves money on fuel too, which a freezer comes in really handy for, as few people like to eat the same dinner every night for a week… If forward planning is your jam and you’re on the hunt for freezable recipes, we can help there too.
Food inflation is showing no signs of slowing down, and it’s far cheaper to shop for many items in the frozen food section than the fresh. Frozen food has nutrients, texture and flavour locked in at the point of freezing, so it’s a good option, especially if money is tight. We’ve brought together our favourite frozen foods: spinach, peas, sweetcorn, pastry and fish, along with 4 of the best recipes to try with each of them.
Batch-cooking saves money on fuel too, which a freezer comes in really handy for, as few people like to eat the same dinner every night for a week… If forward planning is your jam and you’re on the hunt for freezable recipes, we can help there too.
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The best frozen foods to buy
Many foods see their texture deteriorate over time and are often best purchased frozen rather than fresh: peas, broad beans, fresh greens like spinach and protein such as fish. They’re all brilliant ingredients that actually benefit from being frozen because the ice acts as a lock to keep in all that goodness.
Similarly, freezing pastry does it no harm at all, and puff and filo pastries are brilliant standbys. We’ve brought together a few of our favourite recipes to make with the best frozen products to help you save money on your food shopping.
Is frozen food less nutritious?
Food often has a long journey from when it’s picked to when it ends up on your plate, and sometimes some of the nutrients degrade during that time. But freezing and modern transport methods mean food can be frozen just minutes or hours after harvest, and the more quickly this happens, the more the nutrients, flavours and textures can be preserved inside vegetables.
If freezing fish or meat is done quickly too, the results can be good. A lot of fish are frozen at sea or soon after being caught, and this locks in nutrients – look out for ‘frozen at sea’ messaging on packaging when you buy.
This spinach, pine nut and dill tart is a beauty. You wouldn’t know it was made with the frozen stuff plus ready-rolled shortcrust which might have been in your freezer, too? Thank goodness for ice.
This spinach rotolo looks mightily impressive and is a hearty, Italian comfort food dish. The potato gnocchi dough means it’s really filling, and the sage brings loads of flavour. Serve with cheese at the table.
This genius recipe feeds four, and not only uses frozen spinach but frozen ginger and onion too. Less chopping, more chilling. Using lots of freezer staples means this is a brilliant dish to whip together last minute.
Frozen peas and broad beans are used in this excellent gnocchi recipe, which is all made in one oven dish. It’s a mere two-step recipe and once you’ve tried it you’ll add it to your weekly rotation, we know it.
A fish stew is a lovely thing, and this one is made with frozen fish pie mix and a can of chickpeas to make it filling. It’s lifted with lemon and herbs and we want to eat it right now!
Frozen fish works wonderfully in curries like this turmeric and yogurt dish, which is effortless and doesn’t require many ingredients beyond what you’ll have in your storecupboard, actually.
Passive cooking is the term used to describe dishes that are made using the residual heat after food spends a short time on the hob, meaning it’s helpful for those wishing to eat more sustainably or more affordably. Try this dish which sees the pollock fillets gently poached in coconut milk packed with aromatics until they’re cooked to perfection.
This update on the classic fish pie can be made with frozen fish pie mix, with gochujang adding a fiery, salty and sweet tang to this colourful dish. Topped with velvety sweet potato mash and crispy black sesame seeds, it’s a little bit good for you too!
We enjoy the word ‘kernels’, and the golden nuggets of corn are put to great use in these corn fritters. It doesn’t have to be sweetcorn season to enjoy corn fritters when you have a bag of frozen corn in the freezer! Serve with rocket, soured cream and red pepper jam with lime wedges to squeeze over.
This triple whammy of a dish uses frozen spinach, peas and sweetcorn along with feta and eggs for a filling, flavour-packed and nutritious meal that’s prepped in just 15 minutes.
This easy and inexpensive vegan chowder uses smoked paprika and coconut milk for plenty of flavour. Serve hot, scattered with the spring onions, coriander and a wedge of lime to garnish.
This comforting vegetarian brunch dish uses few ingredients and is hearty enough to see you through the day. Of course, the recipe would work well for lunch or dinner, too.
This fab mushroom and leek filo pie can be made with sheets of filo from your freezer, just defrost well before using. It’s an impressive vegetarian main that’s also good for you.
Frozen puff pastry can be used for any pie you like, and we love it in these individual burnished cauliflower cheese pies. They’re irresistible after a brisk walk, or anytime.
The other great thing about the freezer is its capacity to preserve homecooked meals to be enjoyed at a future date, of course. Find all our freezable recipes here.
