It’s hard for me to think about planning a BBQ menu and not including this tasty lemony lima bean mash.

It’s fresh-tasting, due to its nice lemony zing. It’s creamy, thanks to the 30-second effort of a potato masher.

It’s versatile, because you can serve it with just about anything you throw on the grill this Labor Day weekend.

And best of all, it’s delicious.

I would call this a keeper.

And do.

Just a quick note. Once I couldn’t find frozen Lima beans and, out of desperation (what can I say? I really wanted to make the dish!), I bought canned Lima beans.

Mistake.

The dullness of the color alone was enough to inspire an acute case of the Lima bean blues. Their watery texture and insipid taste also didn’t help bring the dish to the heights it rightly deserves. Needless to say, I shan’t be repeating that mistake.

Finally, a shout out to chef Sophie Wright, who turned me on to this fabulous recipe in her terrific cookbook Home at 7, Dinner at 8.

making lemony lima bean mash

To prepare, rinse and pick over 3 cups frozen Lima beans and then place them in a medium-sized pot. Cover them by 2 inches with water. Bring the water to a boil, with a 2 tablespoons of salt and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for an additional 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cooled.

While the Lima beans cook, finely chop just the leaves of 2 rosemary sprigs and 8 very thinly sliced green onions. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and slice each clove in half to remove their internal sprout, and then mince.

Melt 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter on medium heat and add the prepped rosemary and garlic.

Cook until the garlic starts to slightly color, like the garlic in this image…

and then add the cooked beans, green onions, and the juice of 2 lemons. Mix well and continue cooking for a few minutes until heated through.

Then, with a potato masher, mash the beans until about half of them have lost their shape. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and add a good crack of pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 4-6 side servings.