One of my go-to freezer items is Morning Star Farm’s meatless crumbles. It is so quick and easy to heat up and adds well to almost any meal. Besides the taste, I love that I can have the family eating a nutritious meal in under 15 minutes. The crumbles are of course high in sodium, but soak up any spice I give it, which allows it to pair well with rice, pasta, veggies, salad, and is especially delicious in a quesadilla!

These meatless crumbles contain 75% less fat than regular ground beef, and have 9 grams of protein, making them a welcome veggie addition to almost any dish. This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Iron, and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12.

Tonight when my son told me he was hungry for a pasta dish, and asked if we’d be eating soon, without missing a beat, I grabbed a pan and started boiling water. While the pasta was cooking, I put a bag of crumbles in another pan, added only extra virgin olive oil, ground pepper, oregano, and a little garlic powder (no salt), and while that sautéed over low-to-medium heat, I cut up a bunch of fresh broccoli and a few mushrooms, and added them to the crumbles with a little bit of water and covered. In those next couple minutes, I cleaned up my little mess on the counter, and stirred the fusilli until it was al dente. After draining the pasta, I added it to the pan with the crumbles and veggies, added a little more oil, stirred just enough to coat all the pasta with the flavorful topping and served our vegan meal.

I feel fortunate that my family enjoys a vegetarian diet, and that they prefer homemade meals filled with fresh and nutritious ingredients over dining out. If your family is the same, I hope you will try Morning Star Farms’ crumbles for your next recipe.