Homemade Frozen Seasoning Blend with Onions and Peppers

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Frozen seasoning blend is the chopped onion-and-pepper mixture I keep ready for cooking. I freeze it in regular muffin pans so I can pull out a portion and put it straight into a pot instead of chopping vegetables every time.

My usual batch has two green peppers, one each of red, yellow and orange, a red onion, a large Vidalia onion and two or three small yellow onions. I change things depending on what’s available, but that is the combination I typically use.

If you’ve seen “a muffin of seasoning blend” in one of my recipes, this is what I mean: a frozen portion of vegetables with enough water to hold it together. Here’s how I make them.

What is frozen seasoning blend?

This homemade blend is chopped vegetables for cooked dishes. The onions and peppers add flavor to soups, sauces, stews and other family meals. There are no dried spices or salt in this base mixture; season the finished dish according to its recipe.

The vegetables I use

For my usual batch, gather:

• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 red or purple onion
• 1 large Vidalia onion
• 2–3 small yellow onions
• Water, just enough to hold each portion together when frozen

The pepper colors and onion varieties are my usual combination, not a requirement to buy every color before you can make a batch. Vegetable sizes vary, so the number of portions will vary too.

How I freeze seasoning blend in a muffin pan

1. Wash the peppers, remove their stems and seeds, and peel the onions.
2. Chop the vegetables and mix them together in a large bowl.
3. Divide the mixture among regular-sized muffin wells. Add just enough water to help the vegetables freeze together into portions.
4. Freeze until the portions are solid.
5. Pop the frozen portions out of the pan. A silicone muffin pan makes this especially easy. If they stick, let the pan sit out briefly, just until the portions release, then turn them out onto a tray.
6. If the portions have softened, spread them apart on the tray and return them to the freezer until firm. Then put them in a freezer bag, press out excess air, seal, and label with the contents and date.

The water holds the portions together. It also goes into the dish when the portion melts, so keep that in mind when following a recipe with a small amount of liquid. Keep the portions frozen while storing them; the brief time out of the freezer is only to loosen them from the pan.

How I use the frozen portions

I put them into the pan or pot straight from frozen and cook them as part of the recipe. They work especially well in dishes where the onions and peppers have time to soften.

For my family, there is no such thing as too much of this blend. If I’m unsure, I put more! Start with the amount listed in the recipe you’re making, then adjust to suit your family and the amount of liquid in the dish.

A “muffin” means one frozen portion from a regular muffin well. It does not mean a whole muffin pan, and it isn’t a precise cup measurement.

Storing the portions

Keep them sealed in the freezer at 0°F and label each batch so you can use older portions first. Freezing changes the texture of vegetables, so use this blend for cooking rather than as a fresh salad mixture.

Homemade Frozen Seasoning Blend

Kelli Miller

My usual onion-and-pepper blend, frozen in regular muffin pans for cooked soups, sauces and family meals. The number of portions varies with vegetable size and how full you make each well.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Spices and Condiments

Cuisine American

Equipment

• Regular-sized muffin pan Silicone makes the frozen portions easier to release.
• Knife and cutting board
• Large mixing bowl
• Tray If portions soften while releasing them.
• Freezer bag

Ingredients

  

• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 red onion or purple onion
• 1 Vidalia onion large
• 2–3 yellow onions small
• water just enough to hold each portion together when frozen

Instructions

 

• Wash the peppers, remove their stems and seeds, and peel the onions.
• Chop the vegetables and mix them together in a large bowl.
• Divide the mixture among regular-sized muffin wells. Add just enough water to help the vegetables freeze together into portions.
• Freeze until the portions are solid.
• Pop the frozen portions out of the pan. A silicone muffin pan makes this especially easy. If they stick, let the pan sit out briefly, just until the portions release, then turn them out onto a tray.
• If the portions have softened, spread them apart on the tray and return them to the freezer until firm. Then put them in a freezer bag, press out excess air, seal, and label with the contents and date.

Notes

Yield varies; one muffin means one portion from a regular muffin well, not a measured cup. I use these portions straight from frozen. Added water becomes liquid in the finished dish. Keep sealed and labeled in the freezer at 0°F. Use for cooking.

Keyword Frozen Seasoning Blend, seasoning blend frozen

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Questions about seasoning-blend muffins

A few details matter when you use this method in another recipe.

Recipes that use my frozen seasoning blend

These are existing recipes that specifically call for the portions:

• Saucy Beef Chili
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Crockpot Pizza Soup
• Kelli’s Spaghetti

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