Easy Pea Salad
Packed with crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese, this Easy Pea Salad is a colorful and delicious side dish for summer meals and potlucks!
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Looking for a fun (and easy!) way to brighten up the summer table? This Pea Salad is an easy side dish that’s fantastic for anything from weeknight dinners to backyard barbecues to picnics with the neighbors. Not only is it colorful, but this Pea Salad is packed with flavor! It includes both cheese and bacon…need I say more?
I’ve never been a fan of gloopy potato and pasta salads. Don’t get me wrong – I love (and I mean love!) classics like potato and pasta salad. I just hate when they’re drenched in so much mayo that you can’t find any of the other ingredients. (Grocery store potato salad, I’m looking at you here.)
For this Easy Pea Salad, I went with the same simple dressing recipe that I use for potato salad. It’s basic – mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper – but I substitute some of the mayo for sour cream. I like this little trick as the sour cream still brings the creamy texture but it keeps the dressing from becoming too thick.
Easy Pea Salad
One of the things I love most about this recipe is how unique it is. I love potato salad and pasta salad as much as the next guy, but pea salad? That doesn’t show up too often. This Pea Salad recipe is very similar to potato salad, but it just uses peas instead of potatoes.
My wife hates peas. It’s one of the only vegetables that she hates. Hate. Hate. Hate. Double Hate. Loathe entirely. That’s her relationship with peas. So I had to chuckle a little bit when she walked into the kitchen and saw this bowl of Pea Salad on the table.
To my surprise, she was willing to try a spoonful. And to my double surprise, she actually liked it. She liked it so much that she went back for seconds. And I just used frozen peas from the grocery store. This recipe tastes that good! If you have access to fresh peas, I would recommend using those – but the frozen ones from the store work in a pinch. (I can’t speak to canned peas, though. I might still lean towards frozen peas vs. canned ones.)
Toppings and Variations
I went with cubed cheddar cheese (I used Cabot’s Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese) and crumbled bacon for this recipe. With both of those ingredients on the list, you can’t go wrong! However, if you wanted to mix it up even more, try some of the other ideas below:
- Instead of red onions, try using thinly sliced radishes instead. Or use both!
- Halved cherry tomatoes (especially the sweet ones that you find in the middle of the summer) would be a great addition to this salad.
- Feel free to mix up the cheese options. The cheddar is fantastic, but feta or crumbled goat cheese would both be tasty here.
- For an extra crunch, toss a handful of sliced almonds on top of this salad before serving. (Save the almonds and add them right before serving so they don’t get too soft in the fridge.)
- For more color, consider adding a diced red or yellow bell pepper.
Leftovers
Store leftovers of this classic pea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I would not recommend freezing this salad as it could affect the texture of the various ingredients.
If you’re looking for a fantastic and unique summer side dish recipe, then put this Easy Pea Salad on the list. It’s definitely on my list of favorite summer salads, and it’s great for potlucks! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do here in our house.
Did you make this Easy Pea Salad recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Easy Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. thick-cut bacon
- 4 cups green peas fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onions
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
- 3 hard-boiled eggs chopped
- 2 Tbsp minced Italian parsley plus more for garnishing
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Using a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Pat bacon dry and crumble into pieces. (Note: This would be a good time to hard boil the eggs, too.)
- Using a large bowl, add bacon, peas, onions, cheese cubes, chopped hard-boiled eggs and parsley; stir until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper; stir until well combined.
- Pour dressing into the bowl with the peas; stir until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
- Before serving, stir salad again and top with additional chopped parsley.
Looking for more summer salad recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i never had easy pea salad before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yes! Feel free to use tofu in place of the bacon on this salad, Ramya. It should work just fine! Or you can omit it entirely. Either way, I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Love this! The bacon and eggs are a must!
I totally agree, Mimi – they add so much texture and flavor!!
oh yes I agree re too much mayo in salads – not nice 🙂 Your salad looks delicious David and yes to frozen peas rather than in a tin. My mum used to give us tinned peas. Oh dear!…
Haha, yeah – I tend to avoid canned peas. Frozen are about the same price (if not cheaper) and taste SO much better!
I enjoy peas, but don’t think I’ve ever had them in salad form. What a brilliant idea and perfect for the summer months to pair with a barbecue. I love that you can use frozen peas too because that’s what I usually have on hand. 🙂
This is a really fun recipe for summer picnics, Dawn! It’s a bit different than the traditional potato salad, but it channels the same yummy vibes. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this at our next barbecue; I bet it’ll be a hit even with the pea skeptics in my family. Thanks for sharing such a fun and unique summer side dish!
Laura is still a pea skeptic, and she loved this recipe. I hope you get a chance to try it, Raymund!