Delicious, buttered vegetables, a simple and adaptable side dish of mixed vegetables. Perfectly suitable for any kind of main dish.
Vegetable side dishes are always quick and simple. They are more of an afterthought most of the time, you think a lot about the main dish and choose the veggies to go with it according to season or what you happen to have in the fridge or freezer.
But these buttered vegetables are more than just an afterthought. They are probably some of the tastiest veggie side dishes you could possibly make. I mean, vegetables are fine, but add some butter and you will bring them to a whole new level.
And I am not exaggerating. You should have seen my kids, who always have something to nag about when it comes to vegetables in such large amounts… they even ate the green beans without complaining. Everything! So, I suppose it is true that butter makes everything better!
And if you are more into buttered veggies, have a look at these Buttered Green Peas or these Buttered Leeks, they are amazing as well. Or have some Garlic Butter Noodles with Parmesan.
What do you need?
The best news is that you don’t have to stick to my ingredient list. Keep the onions, but substitute some of the other veggies according to taste, season or what you happen to have in the house.
What I had:
- Green beans: frozen or fresh. I use frozen most of the time because I always have them in the freezer. They should be at least partially defrosted.
- Carrots: the one veggie always present in this dish.
- Cauliflower: fresh most of the time, because the frozen one comes in huge and unappetizing looking chunks. So, I prefer to get a fresh one and divide it into nice florets. Use the stem as well, clean it well, cut away the woody parts and chop it into cubes.
- Frozen peas: they don’t need defrosting.
- Parsley: fresh or frozen, please don’t use dried, it just doesn’t fit here. You can use other fresh herbs instead, for instance, chives, basil, thyme, etc.
- Butter: salted or unsalted, it only matters when you season the veggies with extra salt. Add according to the kind of butter you had.
Alternative veggies:
- Broccoli
- Snow peas
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Brussels sprouts
- Peppers
- Corn
How to cook buttered vegetables?
- Start by preparing all the vegetables.
- Cut the onions into half rings and keep them separated from the rest of the veggies, as they will need to be cooked first.
- Defrost the green beans partially if they are frozen. If they are too long snap or cut them into two or three parts. If using frozen beans, it is easier to snap them while they are still fully frozen.
- Peel and cut the carrots into sticks, divide the cauliflower into florets, and cut its stem into cubes.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Don’t let it brown. (1)
- Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until softer and slightly golden. Stir several times in between. (2)
- Add the rest of the veggies, some salt, and pepper. Stir to coat. Add the stock, stir again. (3)
- Cook the buttered veggies on medium-low heat until tender yet still firm to the bite. Personal taste matters, if you like your veggies softer, do add a few extra minutes. But don’t let them become mushy.
What to serve with buttered veggies?
I’ve cooked the vegetables with butter extra to serve with this Lamb Shoulder in the Slow Cooker, they were the perfect fit. But you can serve with any kind of meat main dish you can think of. Try them with Whole Roasted Chicken, Balsamic Beef, or Spicy Pork Loin Roast, for instance.
More easy vegetable side dishes:
Buttered Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 200 g/ 7 oz/ about 1 ½ cups chopped green beans Note 1
- 200 g/ 7 oz carrots about 3 medium
- 350 g/ 12.5 oz/ about 4 cups cauliflower about ½ a medium cauliflower
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ¾ cup frozen peas Note 2
- 60 g/ 2.1 oz/ ¼ cup butter Note 3
- 125 ml/ 4.2 fl. oz/ ½ cup vegetable stock
- small bunch parsley Note 4
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Halve and cut the onion halves into
half rings. Set aside, separated from the rest of the veggies. - If the green beans are frozen, let them defrost at least partially. Peel and cut the carrots into sticks. Divide the cauliflower into florets and cut the stem into cubes.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook
for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until they start to soften and are slightly golden. - Add all the other vegetables, salt, pepper, and stir well to coat. Add the stock as well.
- Cook on medium-low heat for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are done to your liking. They should not be too soft, but tender yet still crisp.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper, stir in the chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Fresh or frozen. If frozen, defrost them at least partially.
- No need to defrost them.
- Salted or unsalted. Take that into consideration when you season the veggies with salt.
- Frozen parsley is fine as well, but don’t use dried parsley. You can use other fresh herbs instead, for instance, chives, basil, thyme, etc.
Merry Eby says
Crispy crunchy and super tasty. Great as a starter.
Adina says
So happy to hear it!