Sometimes I get stuck in a rut on what to serve as a side dish with a simple meat, chicken or fish entree. It’s fun to come up with tasty sides that fit into the Seriously Simple philosophy.

I love sugar snap peas and often add them to other greens like peas or asparagus. Here, I’ve highlighted the sweet crisp sugar snap flavor and texture with pesto and vinegar. Topped with rich toasted pine nuts and crumbled fresh goat cheese, this is as good as a side dish as it is as a starter.

Sugar snap peas need to be cooked quickly to maintain their crispiness while still being cooked through. Sugar snap peas are a cross between a snow pea and a garden pea. Snow peas are flat and have tiny peas inside, while the sugar snap pea is plump with a crunchy texture and sweet flavor. There may be tough strings in the peas that need to be removed before eating or cooking. You can now find stringless varieties at some supermarkets so removing the strings is not necessary.

Choose your favorite basil pesto recipe, whether it’s homemade or storebought, and look for Mediterranean pine nuts that have a rich, buttery flavor and creamy texture. Make sure your goat cheese is fresh and can be easily crumbled over the snap peas.

Raw sugar snap peas are delicious tossed into salads or as an added component to a vegetable platter. They can also be steamed, roasted or stir-fried. Sometimes I’ll add fresh peas and thinly sliced carrots to the sugar snaps and saute it along with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic for another dish underscoring the sugar snap’s flavor. It’s difficult to decide my favorite preparation of sugar snap peas — raw, stir-fried or blistered. They are all so satisfying.

Blistered Sugar Snap Peas, Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts with Pesto

Serves 2 to 3

1 tablespoon pine nuts

3/4 pound sugar snap peas

2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon basil pesto (homemade or storebought)

2 tablespoons sherry or white balsamic vinegar

Salt and black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons crumbled fresh goat cheese

1. Toast the pine nuts in a medium skillet on medium heat. Move the pine nuts around with a spoon as they begin to lightly brown until all of them are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them, as they can go from golden brown to burnt quickly. It should take 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately remove from the skillet and place in a small bowl. Reserve.

2. Remove the stem end and string from each sugar snap pea, if not stringless.

3. In the same skillet, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the sugar snaps and saute until they become blistered (spots of brown) but are still crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and add the pesto, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the peas into a serving bowl. Garnish with the reserved pine nuts and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including “Seriously Simple Parties,” and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)

©2025 Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.