It’s been all about the carbs for weeks now. Needing a little break, I made this very simple green pea dip with mint, lemon and tahini. It’s delicious and very easy to make with one of my all time favorite freezer staples: frozen peas! Frozen peas are my kitchen workhorse. I add them to so many recipes and my kiddo loves them too, with just a little butter, of course.
Also, they are one of the few vegetables that usually tastes better frozen versus fresh when purchased at the store. Unless you can get peas from a farmer’s market or grow your own, of course. With peas in the freezer and a few simple ingredients, you can easily whip this up and get dipping with some crunchy, raw vegetables. For a nice, light meal, I sometimes have this with just a bowl of soup.
Making this green pea dip with mint is a snap!
This recipe is so simple and quick. To begin, quickly blanch frozen peas in some salted boiling water. I usually go for 3 minutes. Then, drain and quickly rinse under some cool water to stop the cooking. Into a food processor they go with some fresh mint and lots of lemon, along with some creamy tahini and blitz! In about 2 minutes, you’ll have a verdant green dip with pops of vibrant flavors. Paired alongside with some crunchy vegetables, it’s highly addictive and you won’t feel guilty eating almost the entire bowl by yourself.
Suggestions for vegetables to use as crudités.
My favorite vegetables to use as the dipping vehicle for this green pea dip are endive leaves, cucumbers, snap peas and carrots. Feel free to use your favorites! You could also use:
- sliced radishes
- bell peppers
- celery sticks
- broccoli or cauliflower
- cherry tomatoes
- shisito peppers
- asparagus
- toasted bread slices (crostini)
- crackers (wheat or rice crackers)
- pita bread or chips
If you are using green vegetables such as broccoli, snap peas or asparagus, I highly recommend giving them a quick blanch in salted water to take away their raw edge, set their color and make them more pleasing to eat. Snap peas and asparagus only take about 30 seconds. Broccoli florets could use a little more time, say 1-2 minutes, depending on how tender or crunchy you want them to be. After draining, either put them in an ice bath or just rinse well under cold water. Finally, make sure to dry thoroughly before serving.
Other ways to use this green pea dip.
Besides being just a dip, I would use this as a soft, green bed for some proteins like sliced steak, roasted lamb, a filet of fish or grilled chicken. How about adding it as a component to a vegetarian bowl? I could also imagine whipping in some ricotta to the pea dip. With this mixture, it could go under some lemon spring pasta that’s loaded with asparagus, snap peas and cherry tomatoes and showered with shaved parmesan. Or, how about spreading this on a slice of toasted sourdough bread and topping with sprouts, avocado slices and bacon? Delicious!
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Green Pea Dip with Mint and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 pound (475 g) peas, frozen
- ½ cup (9 g) mint, lightly packed (plus extra for garnish)
- 2 tbsp tahini, well-stirred
- 3 tbsp (40 ml) lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional), plus extra for garnish
- raw vegetables for dipping such as endive leaves, cucumbers, snap peas, carrots, radishes, etc.
Method
- Place a medium pot of water to boil over high heat, adding a large pinch of salt. Once it is boiling, add the frozen peas. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Add drained peas to a food processor. Add the mint, tahini, lemon juice and zest, salt and olive oil (if using). Pulse to make a course dip or fully mix to make it smoother, depending on your preference. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice if needed. If the dip seems too thick, a little water or more olive oil can be added to thin it out.
- Place dip in bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and extra mint leaves. Serve with your favorite vegetable crudités, crackers or sliced bread.
Notes
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Love the pea and mint combo. What a great recipe!!
Thanks so much! I hope you like it!
This is BEAUTIFUL! And it’s such a lovely way to use up a bunch of peas and mint in the garden! Looks sooo yummy!
Please do let me know if you try it! I love using this as a vehicle for getting more veggies in my diet. 🙂
That looks really yummy and versatile! I’ll bookmark this recipe and will make it very soon!
Great to hear! Thanks!