And Using them Through the Winter

Nothing beats veggies fresh from the farm or from your own garden! They are just so sweet and delicious and make for the most amazing dishes all summer-long. But you can still get the incredible flavors of summer veggies and herbs year-round!

These are some ways that I freeze veggies in the fall (our last Farmers Market was last weekend-boo!), and then use them in creative and yummy ways through the fall and winter. Give them a try!

Fresh Herbs

I love growing my own herbs (see my post on this), and most of them can be frozen as they are. Just wash and dry them well, and freeze them in portioned zip-lock bags so you can pull a bag out with the right amount for your dish.

Fresh herbs really complement tasty fall dishes like pork chops with apples, or fish with capers. See my post on fall meals soon!

I particularly love the taste of fresh basil all summer, and it’s something I miss a lot when the weather gets cold. This is the gorgeous Caprese salad I enjoy all summer-long!

If you love this dish like me, try this method of freezing pesto. It’s perfect for that wonderful basil flavor.

Basil Pesto Recipe:

• Get these ingredients well mixed in a food processor or blender:

• 1 bunch of fresh basil (@ 20 leaves)
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

• Add a dash more oil until the consistency of a thick paste.
• Then spray an ice cube tray with cooking oil, and scoop in the pesto mix like so.

• Cover with plastic wrap, and this can seriously keep in your freezer for months.
• When you want a bit of pesto flavor added to a dish, scoop out one (or more) of the frozen pieces.
• Microwave it for about 10 seconds until soft.

Here are some incredible dishes, using this pesto.

Burrata, with pesto, and cherry tomatoes. This is an easy way to get the caprese flavor profile! And it looks so colorful.

I sprinkle some salt flakes over this and it’s good to go. I eat this for breakfast with a piece of homemade cheddar toast. YUM.

Pasta. A super easy and flavorful way to use the pesto is to mix a few of your frozen and defrosted cubes into fresh, hot pasta. With a bit of olive oil and salt, the pesto tossed into pasta is incredibly delicious. You can also add some steamed veggies or a protein, like turkey sausage, for a heartier meal. 

Tomatoes

It works so well to freeze tomatoes for winter dishes. Just fill a gallon freezer bag with roughly chopped tomatoes and freeze.

I’d honestly keep at least 2-3 bags handy, if your freezer has the capacity.

Just take out and defrost how much you’ll need for your dish. Frozen tomatoes are a bit mushy, but the flavor is still there, and we all know that a fresh tomato beats one from the grocery store any day.

Your frozen tomatoes will work perfectly in replacing canned tomatoes in these recipes.

Chili. This is a staple for our football watching parties (see my post on making them fun!). Making it with ground turkey instead of beef lightens it up considerably while still being delicious.

Chili Recipe

• Throw these ingredients into a crockpot (in the morning if you want it for your football game!)
• A bag of your fresh frozen tomatoes, defrosted
• One chopped red onion
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 pound of ground turkey
• Chili mix

• Let this cook on low for about 6 hours.

I love serving it with a fixings bar of shredded cheddar, sour cream (or non-fat Greek yogurt) and green onions. And some homemade bread or cornbread for dunking!

Homemade Pasta Sauce. This is a particularly great idea if you have lots of tomatoes; and any leftover sauce can also be frozen! This recipe makes about 5 cups, so feel free to adjust it depending on the amount of tomatoes you’re using.

Pasta Sauce Recipe:

• In a large pot, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and add 1 large chopped onion. Cook about 5 minutes until translucent.
• Stir in 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for about a minute.
• Add 1 tsp fresh herbs like oregano and parsley (I hope you froze some!) and red pepper flakes.
• Add 4 pounds of chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper (and sugar) to taste.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour until thickened to your desired consistency.
• For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender or transfer in batches to a standard blender. For a chunkier sauce, use a potato masher while simmering.

Serve over pasta with parmesan cheese, fresh bread and a salad!

Root Vegetables

I think a really awesome idea is to freeze bags of root vegetables that you want to use in a tasty fall soup. Vegetables like carrots, onions, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and hearty squash (acorn) all freeze well.

If you freeze them all together cut in chunks, you just need to pull out the bag, defrost it, and it’s ready to use. I would always add onion and garlic for flavor, and potatoes for thickness. Then, whatever other vegetables you love (beets are amazing in my opinion).

Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipe:

• Spread your chopped vegetables out on a big baking sheet, like this.

• Drizzle on some olive oil and salt.
• Roast at 400 degrees for an hour, or until the toughest of the veggies (ie carrots) are soft.
• While these are roasting, set a big pot of chicken broth (2 quarts) + 1 cup of water to boil on the stove.
• When the veggies are cooked through, add them to the boiling broth. Leave that on a rolling boil for about 10-15 minutes.
• Ladle 2-3 scoop-fulls of the soup into your blender, picking up as many vegetable chunks as possible.
• Blend until smooth (leave some chunks for sure), then return to the pot. Repeat this process, until the consistency of your soup is the way you want it.
• Season to taste with fresh herbs (above), salt and pepper.

Feel free to add proteins like chicken for a heartier version, but this is great on it’s own with a fresh piece of homemade bread.

Corn

Corn is another great veggie that freezes well. I actually freeze the whole shucked cob. This is something that’s best done in like August-September, because corn loses its flavor later in the fall. You want to freeze it when it’s at its peak sweetness!

Unlike tomatoes, frozen corn does not lose its crunchiness after being frozen, so you can feel free to use it in dishes that would ordinarily use fresh corn.

Here are two great recipes that brighten up your meals in colder months. Just defrost your frozen corn at room temperature and cook it as usual. My standard method is adding it to boiling, salted water for about 5-7 minutes.

Corn and Black Bean Salad.

I love this dish in the summer, but it works for colder months too. It is perfect for your Mexican Dinner Party (see my post on hosting one), since it complements spicy and warming foods like tacos, enchiladas and fajitas beautifully. I prefer to use raw corn in this recipe for the added crunch, but cooked works too!

Corn and Bean Salad Recipe:

• Mix the following ingredients into a large bowl.

• 2 cups raw or cooked corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup chopped grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

• Add to the veggies, 3 tsps lime juice, 2 tsps olive oil, and 1/2 tsp each: cumin, salt and pepper.

Mix well, cover, and keep in the fridge for at least half an hour. Serve with some more cilantro. Other optional additions are bell pepper and avocado.

Chicken Pot Pie. My daughter loves this dish in colder months. It is so comforting and nourishing, and super easy to make!

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe:

• Line a baking sheet with one pack of puffed pastry (squares) broken apart at the perforations, and bake according to package instructions.
• While those are baking, sauté 1/2 of a chopped red onion in olive oil in a large sauce pan.
• Add 1 lb cubed chicken breast. Cook until no longer pink.
• Add one package of frozen and defrosted carrots and peas and your fresh corn.
• Add one can of cream of chicken soup and one can of water.
• Bring this to boil, stirring frequently for about 5-7 minutes.
• Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Portion each plate with two puffed pastry squares, and cover each with a generous amount of the cooked filling. Enjoy!

Do you have any ideas about summer foods you can freeze, or recipes that work well using them? I’d love to hear!