frozen mixed vegetables
A bag of assorted vegetables (typically carrots, peas, corn, and green beans) individually frozen at peak ripeness, sold together as a one-bag shortcut for a vegetable soup, stew, or side dish. Unlike canned mixed vegetables, they're raw rather than pre-cooked, so they need their own cooking time.
Buying guidance
Sold in the freezer aisle in various blends -- a plain "mixed vegetables" bag (carrots, peas, corn, green beans) is what a recipe usually means unless it specifies a different blend.
Substitutions
- Canned mixed vegetables (like Veg-All), drained -- already cooked, so add later in a recipe just to heat through rather than simmering the full cook time.
- Fresh vegetables, chopped to a similar size -- more prep, fresher flavor and texture.
- Any combination of frozen vegetables on hand -- doesn't need to match a specific blend exactly.
Tips & common mistakes
Added frozen straight into a pot without accounting for the extra volume of ice clinging to the vegetables can water down a soup more than expected -- a quick rinse under cool water first removes some of that surface ice.
Storage
Keeps for many months in the freezer, sealed. Once thawed, use promptly rather than refreezing, since the texture suffers with each freeze-thaw cycle.