Food and Recipes Recipes Sweet Pea-Parmesan Dip Green never looked so good. By Jasmine Smith Jasmine Smith Instagram Jasmine Smith is a recipe developer and tester for Dotdash Meredith. She pursued her culinary passion and graduated with a B.A. in Culinary Nutrition at Johnson & Wales University. Following college, Jasmine worked on the line at multiple farm-to-table restaurants and was selected for the James Beard Foundation: Women in Culinary Leadership Program. In addition to her working in test kitchens, Jasmine is a freelance culinary producer for a variety of food festivals and non-profits. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 9, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Meet the newest way to make use of that bag of peas hiding in the back of your freezer. Our Sweet Pea-Parmesan Dip transforms frozen peas into a bright, vibrant dip that can be served as an elegant party appetizer or a simple snack. This dip, spiked with cheese and garlic, is a lovely way to convince the kids to eat their vegetables. Light and fresh, this dip is super easy to whip together—in fact, it only takes 15 minutes, start to finish. Simply pulse all the ingredients in a food processor, spoon it into a bowl, and bam: You've whipped up a healthy, tasty snack. The cheese and garlic compliment the peas nicely, while the mint and lemon lighten the whole thing up. Frozen peas make this dip super quick, but you could certainly use fresh shelled peas, which are available at farmer's markets and grocery stores in the springtime. (If you use fresh peas, be sure to cook and cool them thoroughly before making the dip.) This dip is easy to riff on—frozen fava beans would be an easy substitute for the peas, and pecorino Romano cheese is a great substitute for Parmesan. Serve with crudité, crackers, or smeared on thinly-sliced, toasted baguette (don't forget to top with shaved cheese). This dip would be great on toast in the morning with slices of boiled eggs; talk about fuel that'll power you throughout the day. Ingredients 3 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed ⅓ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish 1 garlic clove ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper water Directions Process thawed frozen sweet peas, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, chopped fresh mint, garlic clove, kosher salt, and black pepper in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, adding water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and processing until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with chopped mint and lemon zest. Print