Steamed cauliflower, carrots, red onion, and button mushrooms coated in lemon-dill butter in a cream serving bowl.

Steamed Veggies

Keep a Little Bite: Begin checking the vegetables 3 minutes after adding the mushrooms. Remove them when a fork enters the thickest carrot slice and cauliflower stem with slight resistance.
Drain Well: Let the vegetables drain briefly before transferring them to the serving bowl. Excess steaming water will dilute the lemon-dill butter sauce.
Flexible Vegetable Mix: Broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, or other seasonal vegetables may be substituted based on what you have on hand. Add faster-cooking vegetables later and judge doneness by texture rather than using one fixed time for every combination.
Fresh Lemon Matters: Fresh lemon juice provides the brightest flavor and helps balance the richness of the butter.
Best Served Fresh: These vegetables are best shortly after steaming, when their color and texture remain vibrant. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and use them within 3 days. Reheat gently until steaming hot, or 165°F; the vegetables will be softer after reheating.
Extra Herbs: Fresh parsley or a little additional dill may be sprinkled over the vegetables just before serving.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with Herbed Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil , Busy Day Halibut, or Herbed Lemon Meat Loaf .

Name: Steamed Veggies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups cauliflower; 1 cup carrots; 1 red onion; 1 cup button mushrooms; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon dill; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

The steamer keeps the vegetables tender and colorful without making a project of the side dish. Lemon-dill butter coats them lightly, letting their natural sweetness come through.

By Betty Lou Gardner30 minUpdated 2026-08-25

These Steamed Veggies are a simple, colorful side dish that highlights the natural sweetness and texture of fresh vegetables! Tender cauliflower, carrots, red onion, and mushrooms are finished with a light lemon-dill butter sauce that adds just enough richness while keeping the flavors bright and fresh. They pair beautifully with everything from weeknight dinners to holiday meals.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

I make vegetables this way when I want something simple that goes with almost anything on the table. The lemon and dill are what I look forward to most because they wake everything up without covering the flavor of the vegetables. If I have a little of this and a little of that left in the refrigerator, it usually all ends up in the steamer together.