Easter | Easter Dinner | Recipes | Salad
ByJo-Anna RooneyPostedUpdated
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This Classic Pea Salad Recipe is a perfect sidefor any meal! Sweet peas, crispy bacon, red onion and chunks of cheese all mixed in a creamy dressing. Pairs perfectly with ham at Easter, or with grilled meats. Creamy and flavourful!
If you’re looking for a delicious and easy pea salad this Classic Creamy Pea Salad is a great side dish. It’s perfect for dinner any day of the week, and it’s especially delicious with holiday meals (with ham or turkey), served at family gatherings, and it’s a perfect summer salad for potlucks and picnics!
About this Pea Salad
This is a cold pea salad that is light and creamy. The sweetness of the peas with the cheddar cheese, red onion, crispy salty bacon, and creamy dressing makes for the most delicious side dish. And it’s so perfectserved with ham.
Simple Ingredients:
- peas
- bacon
- cheese
- onion
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- milk
Add this Pea Salad to your Easter Menu!
This salad makes an appearance every year at our Easter dinner, it’s the perfect side dish with baked ham! This salad actually reminds me a lot of the7 layer saladthat we love so much, but it’s more simple and quick to make.
Make ahead or serve right away!
Really, you could make this pea salad in about 15 minutes and then serve it right away (assuming you have some cooked bacon ready to go). Or if you wish, you can prepare this simple side dish up to a day ahead and have it ready ahead of time.It’s so easy to make, and really, the longest part of making this salad is cooking the bacon.
Delicious and simple.
Pea Salad Recipe Tips:
- PEAS:Use FROZEN sweet green peas. If you use fresh peas, you will have to cook them. Do not use canned peas.For frozen peas, the big question is whetherto thaw or not to thaw?If you want to serve the salad right after you make it, you should thaw the peas in the fridge overnight. OR you can toss the salad with frozen peas if you are planning to serve the salad a few hours later, or even the next day. Sometimes I will let the peas thaw while I cook the bacon as well. Or you can float the sealed bag of peas in a large bowl of cool water to thaw.
- BACON: I like to cook bacon in the oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, making sure that the paper goes over the edges so the bacon grease will stay in the paper. Lay the bacon out on the paper, making sure not to layer it. Then put it in the oven, and set the temperature to 425 degrees F. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked enough to crumble.
- SOUR CREAM: You can also use Greek yogurt as an alternative. I’ve also used ranch dressing in a pinch.
- MAYONNAISE: I prefer to use real mayo, but you can use miracle whip.
- CHEESE: Use a sharp cheddar cheese for maximum flavour.
- ONION: This recipe calls for red onion, but green onion is delicious too.
- MAKE AHEAD: You can make this salad up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and mix well before serving.
- LEFTOVERS: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Mix well before serving.
- VARIATIONS: You can serve with sliced hard-boiled eggs, or substitute the bacon for turkey bacon. This is a very versatile pea salad.
What to serve with Pea Salad:
- Baked Ham
- Cheesy Stuffed Turkey Cutlets
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus
- Homemade Buns
The Best Creamy Pea Salad Recipe
This Pea Salad Recipe is a perfect side for any meal! Peas, crispy bacon bits, red onion and chunks of cheese all mixed in a creamy dressing. Pairs perfectly with ham at Easter, or with grilled meats. Creamy and flavourful!
- Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 – 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
UnitsScale
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 (750 g) bag frozen peas, thawed (see notes)
- 1 lb bacon (cooked and chopped)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup small cubed cheddar cheese
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp milk
Instructions
- In a salad bowl toss together the thawed peas, onion, cheddar cheese cubes and cooked and crumbled bacon.
- In a separate bowl, blend together the ingredients for the dressing: the mayonnaise, sour cream and milk. I like to use a hand blender for this step, you can also use a whisk.
- Add the dressing to the peas and mix well.
- You can serve this salad right away, or it can chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve it, for up to 1 or 2 days. This salad actually gets better after it has rested. Just make sure to give it a stir before serving.
- If you wish, you can season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Keywords: pea salad, creamy pea salad, old fashioned pea salad recipe, green pea salad recipe, sweet pea salad
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman
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I hope you enjoy this easy pea salad recipe as much as we do!Have a delicious day!
