Sautéed Snap Peas

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s quick side dish. Snap peas sauté in 5 minutes or less. That’s it. When you’re focused on the entree and other parts of a meal, you need sides that don’t require a ton of work.

There are only 6 ingredients, and that includes olive oil, salt and pepper. A recipe with a short ingredient list is always a huge plus. By using both the juice and zest of a lemon, you can get the most out its bright citrus taste.

Everything seasoning is an instant boost. With a mix of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, minced garlic, minced onions and salt, everything bagel seasoning should be in everyone’s spice drawer. One sprinkle, and you can add that blend of wonderful flavors, and they are really good on vegetables.

What are Sugar Snap Peas?

Also known as snap peas, these legumes are fully edible from the pod to the peas inside. Peak season is during spring, but you can find them at the grocery year round. You can sauté them, steam them or even eat them raw. They are often found in stir-fries, salads and side dishes.

Considered cousins, the difference between sugar snap peas and snow peas is that snap peas have a thicker outer wall. Snow pea pods have a thinner wall, so they look more flat and have smaller peas inside.

How to Trim Snap Peas

At the grocery it is pretty easy to find bags of stringless snap peas in the produce department. This will save you time trimming. Even if I do buy them this way, I still quickly go through to see if there are any random strings or messy ends and give them a quick trim.

The snap peas you find at the farmers market will need to be cut. To do this, put the snap pea flat on a cutting board with the curve of the pod toward you.  Then use a paring knife to slice off the top end and pull out the tough string that runs down the length of the pod. It is up to you if you also want to trim the other end.

Variations

Instead of everything seasoning, you can try one of these other options. But still keep the lemon, salt and pepper as your starting point.

• Red pepper flakes: They will add heat if you want the peas to turn out a little spicy.
• Butter: When the snap peas have finished cooking throw in a pat or 2 of butter. It will melt right away and add richness.
• Garlic: Add one minced garlic clove in the final 30 seconds of sautéing.
• Parmesan cheese: Garnish the snap peas with finely grated Parmesan.

How To Make Sautéed Snap Peas

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.

2. Add the snap peas and lemon juice. I start on high heat because the lemon juice will bring down the temperature of the pan a bit as you sauté the snap peas. Cook them for 3-5 minutes until they are tender but still crisp. Some will be lightly browned.

3. Stir in the lemon zest, salt and pepper.

4. Stir in the everything seasoning before serving.

How To Serve Sugar Snap Peas

Sautéed, they are the perfect quick and easy stovetop side dish that you can wait until the last minute to cook. I like to pair them with main dishes that roast in the oven such as Dry-Rubbed Turkey, Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables & Halloumi or Sheet Pan Mushroom Asparagus Gnocchi.

You can also eat them as an appetizer and dip them into Red Pepper Hummus or Roasted Garlic Hummus or Homemade Labneh.

Leftovers & Storage

You can keep sautéed snap peas in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. They will lose some of their crispness. I recommend chopping them and adding them to a salad or cooked grains like quinoa or farro. You can eat them cold or warm them in a skillet on the stove.