Side dishes are often overlooked when it comes to freezer cooking. But having them in the freezer as well will make dinner even easier. These honey maple glazed carrots can be made ahead and frozen. 
Doing the work ahead of time, especially if you make several bags of these at one time, makes suppertime so much easier. They make a perfect side dish to go along with most mains. This also makes an excellent side dish for holiday meals.
Having this side made ahead makes Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas dinner that much easier.
Carrots are a vegetable that most kids will eat, especially when sweetened with both honey and maple. Trust me, these are not a hard sell!
Since the carrots are frozen before they are cooked, they don’t take on that mushy texture that some frozen vegetables can. Mushy is not something I strive for in any of my cooking!
Honey Maple Glazed Carrots Recipe:
- 3 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. honey, melted
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch pepper
To note: 3 1/2 cups of carrots will be approximately 5 carrots, depending of course on their size.
- Peel and slice the carrots.
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil, maple syrup, melted honey, and all the seasonings. Make sure the carrots are well covered. Alternately, you can put the carrots in the bag and mix everything in there by giving it a squish.
- Place it all in a medium resealable freezer bag. Take out the excess air and seal before freezing.
On the day of cooking:
- Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil.
- Dump the contents of the bag onto the greased sheet.
- Put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes, stir. Return to the oven for another 12-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carrots are done when they are tender and some of the edges are browning.
- Scoop the carrots into a serving bowl. Serve while still warm.
Ideas for main courses to serve with the honey maple glazed carrots:
pictured below with Honey Sesame Chicken, rice, and salad
Other make ahead side dishes that may interest you:
- 3 1/2 cups carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. honey melted
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch pepper
-
Peel and slice the carrots.
-
In a medium sized bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil, maple syrup, melted honey, and all the seasonings. Make sure the carrots are well covered. Alternately, you can put the carrots in the bag and mix everything in there by giving it a squish.
-
Place it all in a medium resealable freezer bag. Take out the excess air and seal before freezing.
-
Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
-
Preheat the oven to 425°.
-
Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil.
-
Dump the contents of the bag onto the greased sheet.
-
Put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes, stir. Return to the oven for another 12-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carrots are done when they are tender and some of the edges are browning.
-
Scoop the carrots into a serving bowl. Serve while still warm.
3 1/2 cups of carrots will be approximately 5 carrots, depending of course on their size.
My family really enjoys my chicken freezer meals, but when I make them, I’m often scrambling to try to come up with a side dish. You see, one of the few drawbacks about making freezer meals is that I don’t grocery shop very often (which is also a huge perk!). Not grocery shopping often means that I don’t always have the right food on hand to whip up a side.
What to serve alongside rice pilaf:
This freezer garlic bread is a fraction of the cost of store-bought garlic bread. Making some loaves ahead means saving on time and on money.
If you want, you can sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese in between the slices on top of the butter mixture.
