A side dish so good you’ll make it again and again. When the main dish is creamy and rich, these beans provide lightness and balance.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 pound green beans

　　1 lemon

　　1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Step 1

In a covered saucepan, bring 3 or 4 inches of water and the salt to a boil. Rinse the green beans and trim the stem ends. When the water boils, add the green beans and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

　　

Step 2

While the beans are cooking, grate the lemon peel (see page 290) and juice the lemon and set aside. (You’ll need 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and about 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon zest.)

　　

Step 3

When the beans are tender, drain them and return them to the pan. Add the olive oil or butter and the lemon juice and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with the lemon zest.

　　

Serving & menu ideas

Step 4

In late August or early September, when the local farmers’ market reaches its peak, we like to make a vegetables-only meal: Lemony Green Beans, Potatoes with Lemon & Capers (page 195), Broccoli Tomato Salad (page 204), and Baked Acorn Squash Crescents (page 198).

　　From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.