Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime is one of my favorite summer recipes when it's too warm to grill. It's an all-vegetable side dish made mainly from frozen vegetables, perfect to make when you don't want to deal with fresh. Rather than being a cold salad with vinaigrette, it's served warm and drizzled with lime and soy sauce, which really makes the flavor pop. And it's ready in just 30 minutes.
Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime At a Glance
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🧑🤝👩 Serves: 4
- 🍽️ Calories: 233
- 🥭 Main Ingredients: Frozen corn, frozen green beans, onion, cherry tomatoes, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar
- 👌 Why You'll Love It: Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime turns freezer vegetables and pantry staples into a bright, tart-lime side dish in just 30 minutes - no chilling, no vinaigrette.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
This was inspired a recipe in Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Every Day, which I received for Christmas 2017; every recipe I've tried from it was good. I saw a beautiful charred corn dish, but I can't char corn on an electric stove, and I don't like cutting corn from the cob - it's just not worth the effort. So I adapted it, changing it to be an indoor-friendly dish that tastes like summer but is great in all seasons.
I usually don't dress up vegetables - they're fine with just salt and pepper - but this dish is really worth making to give plain ol' corn and green beans a boost.
If you love tart lime on vegetables, try out my Steak Salad with Lime and Cashews.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You'll love Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime because:
- 🔥 Browning the onion and the corn with a cast iron skillet creates flavor and texture.
- 🍽️ With lots of corn and green beans, it's a filling vegan side dish and goes well with plenty of different types of protein.
- 🍋🟩 Adding lime juice and soy sauce to the vegetables gives them a flavor boost that makes them more than an afterthought.
Key Ingredients
Frozen corn: More convenient than cobs. No need to thaw; they thaw as they cook, just like when I make Corn and Black Beans with Mango. I use 12 or 16 ounce bags; use two 10-ounce bags if that's all you can find.
Frozen green beans: Super convenient; they'll also thaw as they cook.
Cherry tomatoes: Use chopped regular tomatoes if desired. Or, skip tomatoes entirely if you don't have fresh - canned tomatoes won't add much flavor.
Onion: Raw onion is too pungent; sauteing mellows it. Deb's salad has crispy shallots, which I loved, but I cut them since the calories and additional work weren't friendly for an everyday meal. Browning the onions in cast iron adds back some of that flavor.
Soy sauce: Adds an umami flavor. Use lower sodium soy sauce here, like I do in my Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Soy-Cola Braised Pork recipes, to avoid the dish being too salty.
Lime juice: Adds acidity and brightness, without the pungency of vinegar. Fresh juice is best, just like in my Steak Salad with Lime and Cashews, but bottled juice will be okay as well - just pour it a little short.
Brown sugar: Balances out the savory and the tart.
How to Make Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime
One: In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes without stirring, until it starts to brown. Then stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Two: Stir in the frozen corn. It will thaw as it cooks. Let cook 4 minutes. Don't stir it so it can brown; however, stir it if it starts to burn.
Three: Stir in green beans. Cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally if necessary.
Four: Meanwhile, combine lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Pour over vegetables in the pan and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes and herbs (if using).
Serving and Storage
Serve warm. We get 4 servings as a side dish. I usually serve it with a salt-and-peppered thin steak or pork chop, but seared shrimp would be great too. You could also add an egg or your favorite vegan protein, like tofu. I've never tried it, but I think it would be fantastic with thin rice noodles or over rice to make it a fuller meal without adding a protein.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator; eat them warm or cold. However, the lime juice may lightly pickle the green beans over time, dulling their green color. I don't mind eating it this way, but wanted you to be aware of this aesthetic issue.
Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime FAQs
I use frozen vegetables to make Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime because I don't have to clean and prepare them, which makes this meal weeknight-friendly.
Yes, you can use corn on the cob and fresh green beans. Prep will take longer since you have to prepare fresh vegetables. You can char the corn outdoors on a gas grill before cutting it from the cob, if desired.
Yes, if your soy sauce is gluten-free. Some, but not all, soy sauces include wheat. All the other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten-free.
More Quick, Freezer-Friendly Dishes
My favorite meals tend to be freezer-friendly things I can toss together from what I have around. These all go from freezer to table in less than an hour. And if you leave the meat out of the jambalaya, they're all vegetarian, too.
I hope this becomes a recipe you'll return to. If you try it, a star rating below helps others find it - and I'd love to hear how yours turns out in the comments! 💕 Questions or trouble? Drop a note, and I'll do my best to help.
📖 Recipe
Warm Corn and Green Beans with Lime
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (28 grams)
- 1 small onion (3-4 ounces; very finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 16 ounces corn (455 grams) (frozen, unthawed)
- 12 ounces green beans (320 grams) (frozen, unthawed)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved or diced; about half of a carton)
- basil or cilantro (optional, to garnish)
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (60 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (22 grams)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar (8 grams)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large (cast iron) skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced onion and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.
- Add corn. Cook for about 4 minutes; don't stir if you want them to brown. Stir only if the corn begins to burn.
- Stir in green beans. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Pour over cooked vegetables and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes and herbs if using. Serve warm.
Leona Konkel says
It's my recipe, and I love how this warm corn and green bean salad truly comes together in 30 minutes! Plus, I love how it uses freezer vegetables. I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do!