Consumer Reports: Best tasting frozen veggies

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you are not eating the recommended two to three cups of veggies a day, you might want to take a stroll through the frozen food aisle.

There are lots of new choices: riced, mashed, roasted, and even spiralized that make getting your veggies more convenient and interesting than ever. 7 On Your Side's Michael Finney says Consumer Reports' experts tested 31 varieties of frozen vegetables, to see which are not only best for you, but the best-tasting.

Take a walk down the freezer aisle in your grocery store, and you will see dozens of time-saving frozen veggies to pick from. Consumer Reports' experts dug into 31 new frozen veggie options and evaluated them for nutrition, flavor, and texture.

Here are three that topped the list, and are Consumer Reports' Best Buys.

Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Risotto Medley features small bits of cauliflower, that are slightly chewy, like rice, along with asparagus and mushrooms. It's just 88 cents a serving.

Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals have a little sea salt, and not much else to get in the way of the flavor. They cost just 75 cents a serving.

Another very good pick? Birds Eye Steamfresh Protein Blends California Style. A mix of veggies, lentils, and grains make this an excellent source of fiber. And one cup packs 12 grams of protein.

Although Green Giant had several combos at the top of the list, their roasted vegetables landed with a thud.

"Roasting can deepen the flavor and increase the complexity of a vegetable, and even add some crisp texture," said Amy Keating, Consumer Reports Nutrition & Taste Expert. "Unfortunately, we didn't taste any of that in these vegetables."

Three Green Giant roasted vegetables: the broccoli, carrots, and Brussels sprouts are not impressive. Tasters noted an unappealing ashy flavor for all three. The broccoli was called "waterlogged" and the Brussels sprouts were very soft, with no roasted flavors landing these veggies at the bottom of the list.

Not only can these prepared frozen vegetables save you lots of prep time, but a recent study at the University of California, Davis, showed that compared to fresh, flash frozen vegetables were just as nutritious.

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