The Frozen Side That Is Your Thanksgiving Lifesaver

Whether you're the primary Thanksgiving chef trying to make half a dozen dishes all at once, or just looking to bring something to Friendsgiving (and bread rolls are already called for), its okay to work smarter, not harder. We know asking for help can be difficult, so we spoke to an expert on meal planning about time-saving tips at Thanksgiving. Jessie-Sierra Ross, former ballerina turned cooking and home entertaining author of "Seasons Around the Table; Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes," has advice for home cooks when it comes to side dishes.

Jessie-Sierra says "frozen veggies can be a lifesaver for meal planning! Flash frozen at their peak freshness, frozen vegetables are an affordable and tasty alternative to fresh produce." In fact, frozen vegetables can even contain more nutrients than fresh. However, Jessie-Sierra does give one caveat: "These veggies are most similar to their fresh counterparts when used in wilted or cooked recipes." Keeping that in mind, there are certain recipes that work the best with frozen veggies.

Jessie-Sierra Ross kicks off her recipe suggestions with creamed spinach, saying "you could wilt down bags and bags of fresh leaves in boiling water and shock them in ice, but you will never notice the difference if you used a few boxes of frozen spinach, other than saving a lot of time."

She also offers some broad guidance for frozen green beans and pearl onions. On the green beans, Jessie-Sierra suggests you "quickly steam and toss in a garlic butter sauce or make into a classic green bean casserole." For pearl onions she suggests creaming them or combining them with frozen green peas, saying "they're terrific as the base of several Thanksgiving vegetable sides."

Finally, she offers a creamy, cheesy baked dish made from frozen broccoli or cauliflower, saying, "lightly steam the florets and add to a baking dish with a cream sauce thickened by a roux, add plenty of shredded gruyere cheese, and a sprinkling of panko bread crumbs. Bake until golden and bubbly for a wonderful frozen vegetable side dish." Make sure use panko, not traditional breadcrumbs, for maximum crunch. Whichever frozen vegetable recipe you decide to use for a Thanksgiving shortcut, your guests will never know the difference.