Bright, fresh, tangy, and herbaceous, Lemon Butter Green Beans and Peas Salad is as beautiful as it’s delicious. With its vibrant colors and balance of flavors, this dish will be the star of your Easter table.

If you’re looking for the perfect side to serve alongside your Rosemary Garlic Roast Lamb, this is it. Perfectly blanched vegetables, the crunch of almonds, and a delicate and bright butter sauce make this dish delicious.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Meal Prep – This green bean recipe comes together quickly, but you can make a portion of it ahead of time and then heat up then warm the green beans and peas in the lemon butter sauce. The vegetables can be blanched a couple of days in advance, dried, and then refrigerated until you’re ready to finish off this salad.
Accessible Ingredients – Using frozen peas makes this a recipe you can easily make year round. While the bright and fresh flavors are perfect for spring this would also be a great side to any Sunday roast or holiday meal.
Fresh Flavors – Aside from the crispness of fresh green beans, fresh dill and parsley make this salad refreshing and an ideal accompaniment to any heavy dish such as ham.

Ingredients

Spring is all about the bounty of beautiful and vibrant produce. Lemon Butter Green Beans and Peas Salad celebrates those fresh flavors while also being easy to shop for. Whether you’re hitting up your local farmers market or reaching for that bag of frozen sweet peas, there is nothing complicated about the components that make up this colorful dish.

Green Beans – Fresh, grassy, and slightly sweet when blanched, these are the star of this dish. You can use regular green beans or the thinner haricot verts.
Peas – If you can find them, use fresh green peas, but frozen work just as well. They bring natural sweetness to this dish.
Butter – Butter makes everything better. Adds richness to the bright lemon sauce.
Lemon – The fresh lemon juice brings brightness to the sauce while the zest adds another pop of sunny citrus.
Garlic – Savory, bright, and a little sharp, this makes the entre dish pop.
Salt and Pepper – Accents all of the natural flavors of the ingredients without overpowering anything.
Dill – Fresh, a little citrusy, and bright, dill wakes up all of the flavors.
Parsley – The grassy flavor of the parsley echos the grassiness of the green beans while bringing a fresh note.
Almonds – Adds both crunch and buttery flavor.

How to Make Lemon Butter Green Beans and Peas Salad

Sides will be the star of your table when you add a gorgeous dish such as this green beans and peas salad to your menu. It brings balance to heavier dishes while its tangy and bright pop of lemon will have you going back for seconds.

Time needed: 30 minutes

Fresh green beans and sweet peas are tossed in a bright lemon and garlic butter for a delicious and elegant side.

Blanch
Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add you salt, allowing it to dissolve. Add the green beans and peas to the boiling water. Let them boil for 3-5 minutes. They will turn a vibrant green and slightly soften.
Shock
Transfer the blanched vegetables to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. This will also lock in that beautiful verdant color. Drain them in a colander.
Melt
Add the butter to a skillet over low heat and allow it to melt. Add the garlic and stir it, letting it cook for a couple of minutes. You want it to become fragrant but not turn brown or burn.
Lemon
Add the lemon juice and drained vegetables into the pan. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh herbs and lemon zest.
Plate
Transfer the butter coated vegetables to a serving platter. Top them with the sliced almonds.

Why Slice Garlic?

How you cut garlic directly affects how assertive the flavor is. For the mildest garlic flavor adding a clove of garlic that’s whole or simply smashed will add just a hint of this aromatic. Minced or grated garlic easily melts into the entire dish and gives the most predominate and bold garlic flavor.

When you channel your inner Goodfellas and thinly slice garlic into gossamer rounds, it gives the best of both worlds. You get that bold garlic flavor but with the balance of the natural sweetness of garlic.

Variations

Like things a little spicy? Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the melting butter. This will give a note of heat without overpowering anything. You can also add shaved or freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the finished dish for a kiss of that salty, cheesy umami.

Substitutions

If you or anyone in your family has a nut allergy, you can either leave off the almonds or swap them out for seeds. Both sunflower seeds and pepitas would work well in this dish.

Storage

The blanched green beans and peas can be made up to three days in advance. Once you have drained them from the cold-water bath, spread them out on a paper towel lined baking sheet to ensure they are fully dry. Once dry transfer them to a plastic bag or airtight container and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to toss them into the lemon garlic butter.

Top Tip For Lemon Butter Green Beans and Peas Salad

When it comes to blanching vegetables, make sure that you generously salt your boiling water. This will properly season your vegetables all the way through. If you like, you can also add salt to your ice bath to ensure they remain seasoned. Just make sure to stir the salt into the water to dissolve before adding your ice.

Lemon Butter Green Beans and Peas Salad