Know Your Winter Greens: A Delicious Guide to Seasonal Veggies

Discover a guide to delicious and nutritious winter greens like cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and sprouts. Learn how to select the best produce and find simple recipe suggestions to incorporate these seasonal vegetables into your meals, making healthy eating easy and enjoyable.

These winter vegetables are not only packed with goodness and reasonably priced, but they also taste delicious. Knorr brings you a guide to some of the best seasonal greens, including cabbages, spinach, broccoli, and sprouts, with simple recipe suggestions to help you enjoy them at home.

Why are Winter Greens So Good?

• Nutrient-Rich: They are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
• Affordable: Often more budget-friendly during the colder months.
• Versatile: Can be used in a wide variety of dishes, from hearty soups to fresh salads.

Let's explore the wonderful world of winter greens!

Broccoli: From Deep Green to Purple Sprouting

When choosing broccoli, opt for heads with a deep green colour, steering clear of any that have started to turn yellow. As winter turns to spring, keep an eye out for the vibrant purple sprouting broccoli – it's as delicious as it is beautiful!

Quick Broccoli Tips:

• Preparation: Chop into florets for easy cooking.
• Simple Serving: Steam and toss with olive oil, fried garlic, or ginger for a quick side.
• Family Favourite: Swap cauliflower for broccoli in a cheesy bake for a delightful family meal.
• Perfect Pairing: Tenderstem broccoli is a fantastic side dish for steak.

Knorr Recipe Idea: Try adding steamed broccoli florets to your favourite Knorr pasta sauce for an extra boost of green goodness!

Brussel Sprouts: More Than Just a Christmas Classic

Don't let these small, flavour-packed bundles be confined to Christmas Day! Brussel sprouts are a versatile winter green that deserve a spot on your plate more often.

Serving Suggestions:

• Simple & Savoury: Steam until just tender, then fry with crispy bacon and sweet shallots for a delicious side dish.
• Classic Comfort: They are a star ingredient in traditional bubble and squeak.

Knorr Tip: For an extra flavour kick, try roasting your sprouts with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of toasted nuts.

Cabbage: A Versatile Winter Staple

With so many varieties available, cabbage is a true winter staple. When selecting your cabbage, always look for fresh, firm leaves without any signs of wilting. It's a fantastic and hearty addition to warming winter soups.

Pointed Cabbage: Mild, Sweet, and Quick to Cook

Easily identified by its distinctive pointed shape, pointed cabbage offers a mild and subtly sweet flavour. It's incredibly simple to prepare: just shred it and cook in a covered pan with a splash of water and a touch of olive oil until tender, which usually takes only a few minutes.

White Cabbage: The Classic Choice for Coleslaw

With its firm texture and mild flavour, white cabbage is the quintessential choice for making delicious coleslaw. Its crispness holds up well, making it perfect for salads and slaws.

Savoy Cabbage: Deep Green Flavour for Colcannon

This deep green, full-flavoured cabbage is a wonderful addition to any meal as a vegetable side dish. Shredded and steamed Savoy cabbage is particularly delicious when mixed with mashed potato and fried onion to create the traditional Irish dish, Colcannon.

Curly Kale: Rich Flavour for Soups and Braises

Curly kale, known for its rich flavour and firm texture, is incredibly versatile. It can be finely shredded and stirred into hearty winter soups for an extra nutritional boost, or braised with robust flavourings like garlic, bacon, chilli, or rosemary to create a deeply satisfying dish.

Spinach: An Elegant, Iron-Rich Green

Spinach is an elegant and nutrient-dense green vegetable, particularly celebrated for its high iron content. A simple yet delicious way to enjoy it, as favoured by the Italians, is sautéed spinach. This involves quickly frying the leaves in olive oil infused with garlic until just wilted. It's a wonderfully simple preparation that brings out the best in this versatile green.