by Texas Homesteader ~
Sauteed vegetables are a feast for the senses, bursting with flavor & nutrients. I use fresh garden veggies to quickly make a delicious colorful & healthy accompaniment to our supper plates.
Easy Way To Incorporate Fresh Produce Into Your Diet
It’s easy to discover the joy of cooking with fresh vegetables! This recipe is simple and doesn’t involve long cooking times or complicated ingredients.
It’s a low calorie, high fiber way to enjoy adding more vegetable goodness to your family’s diet.
We all know that the fresher a vegetable is, the more nutrients it contains. So I like to use whatever’s growing in my garden first as a base for this recipe.
Choosing The Healthiest Garden Vegetables
Harvesting vegetables from your own garden will yield the freshest, healthiest & best results. But farmer’s markets or your local grocery store are good options as well.
I typically blend the two methods, relying first heavily on my garden’s freshest offerings and then rounding out with colorful vegetables that might not be growing in my garden at the same time. It’s important to me to mix colors and textures.
Although my choices vary based on what’s growing in the garden and what vegetables I have in my fridge, typically it consists of:
Yellow summer squash
Bright green zucchini
Plump onion
Orange carrots
Red and/or Green Bell Peppers
NOTE: The more dense fresh veggies like carrots, green beans or potatoes will take longer to cook than squash or peppers. So I chop & microwave them with a splash of water for about 2 – 3 minutes and allow them to remain covered to steam & soften while I’m chopping the other veggies.
How To Properly Sauté Garden Vegetables
Preparing & cutting vegetables properly – I like to cut the vegetables in chunky bite-sized pieces. To me it’s more pleasing to the eye, and mama always says presentation is half the meal. If you want them to cook faster you can cut your vegetables a little smaller. But whichever size you like, try to cut them all uniformly in size.
Choosing the right oil and seasoning – I stick with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt & pepper. But sometimes I use flavored olive oils or Italian seasonings to add different flavor profiles.
Cooking at the right time & temperature – Don’t cook your fresh veggies to too long now, you don’t want mushy vegetables. I prefer the texture to be crisp-tender. So I typically cook my chopped vegetables only for about 3-5 minutes on my pre-heated cast-iron griddle. Test the texture by piercing the veggie chunks with a fork and remove them from the heat as soon as they’re as soft as you like.
Tips For Best Results
Here are some tips for making sure your family loves your sauteed vegetable dish as much as we do:
Avoid over-cooking to retain nutrients – I prefer tender-crisp textures over limp vegetables. Avoiding over-cooking vegetables also helps retain the most nutrients.
Balance flavors & textures – I pack as many different colors into my sauteed vegetables as I can. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the palate!
Customize To Your Family’s Tastes – I’m sharing the favorite veggies we like to use, but it’s easy to customize this dish to your family’s tastes! Select the vegetables growing in your garden or the ones your family loves the most.
What Meals Go Best With Sauteed Vegetables?
Sauteed veggies are a healthy side for almost any meal. Try them tonight with:
Stacked Chile Relleno Casserole
Low-Fat Air Frier Fried Chicken
Poor Man’s Steak (ie: Stuffed Hamburger)
See all our favorite main entrees by clicking the button below:
Fresh, Simple, Healthy Sauteed Vegetable Recipe
So put your garden vegetables to good use by serving sauteed vegetables to your family tonight!
NOTE: Help us show up in searches by rating the Sauteed Vegetable recipe in your comment below!
Healthy Sauteed Vegetables
These healthy sauteed vegetables are a quick and oh-so-healthy and delicious way to add vegetables to your family's diet. They cook in only about 5 minutes! #TexasHomesteader
Ingredients
- 1 medium Yellow Squash, diced
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1 medium Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 medium Red Bell Pepper, diced
- ½ cup Diced Carrots, steamed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Instructions
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NOTE: These vegetable choices listed are our faves for color and taste, but just suggestions, Use your family's favorite vegetable mix.
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If using dense vegetables such as carrots or potatoes, they will take longer to cook. So chop and steam them first with a splash of water in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and allow them to steam while preparing other vegetables.
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Chop remaining vegetables in uniform chunks. (NOTE: Larger chunks are more visually appealing, smaller chunks cook faster)
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On medium heat In 10" skillet or on a griddle, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.
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Add chopped vegetables to skillet or griddle. Use spatula to turn and coat all sides of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt & pepper if desired.
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Allow to cook 3-5 minutes or until tender-crisp in texture, stirring frequently. Pierce veggies with a fork to determine texture.
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Remove from heat and serve hot.
~TxH~
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Nothing better than having home grown veggies.
I do like using Old Bay and / or a small pinch of “Slap Ya Mama” Seasonings.
Sauteed veggies go well with pork loin, baked chicken breasts, chuck roast, etc.
Those sound like delicious seasoning options Colleen. I always love zingy spicy flavors too. So many options! Making sauteed veggies is a simple way to get some healthy goodness on our plate in a fast yet delicious way. It’s a staple around the Homestead, especially during garden season when the bounty is fresh and plentiful.