This Pea Salad recipe is easy to make, extremely refreshing, and not hard to transport. Making it the perfect dish for summer get-togethers. Plus, it'll have the whole crowd asking for the recipe...pssst...send them my way.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
All I know is it's cold, damn good, and super easy to make. The creamy sauce with the snap of the peas, crispy onions, and cheesy afternotes work so perfectly together that it's almost indescribable how fantastic this Pea Salad is. This recipe is possibly one of the easiest side items that could be made. However, it's always one of the most talked about at any gathering, and it pairs well with almost every grilled or smoked meat and the more commonly seen cookout side dish.
Ingredients
Vegetables: Frozen peas and red onion will be the only two vegetables you'll need for this recipe. (See expert tips)
Meat: You'll want to fry some bacon and get it all crumbled up. (See expert tips)
Dressing: For the dressing, you'll need mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
Cheese: A block of mild cheddar cheese is perfect in pea salad. (See expert tips)
Herbs and Spices: Fresh parsley, white sugar, kosher salt, and ground black pepper is all it's going to take.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: This is pretty darn simple. Start cooking up some bacon, letting it cool, and draining on paper towels. Once the bacon has cooled, dice, crumble, or cut it into bits.
Next, dice up the red onion and slice the mild cheddar cheese block into small cubes.
Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, fresh parsley, kosher salt, black pepper, and sugar in a separate bowl.
Step 2: Now, pour the frozen peas into a bowl and gently stir the onion, bacon, and cheese into the peas.
Pour the dressing mix over the pea mixture and gently stir to combine. One of the best parts about using frozen peas is that you don't have to worry about mushing them up at this stage. They'll be just fine.
Lastly, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. This allows time for the flavors to combine and the peas to fully thaw.
Expert Tips
- Frozen peas save you time during the preparation of this salad, but it's essentially to preserve the textural integrity of the peas themselves. If they are cooked or thawed ahead of time, they will become mushy in your salad. Make the salad with the frozen peas ahead of time and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. Just be sure to stir them a couple of times throughout the day.
- If you're looking for a quick and easy way to cook the bacon, I recommend using a Blackstone griddle if you want to make a lot of bacon. If you want to make it as fast as possible, place the bacon strips in an air fryer for about 5 minutes at 400°f, flipping halfway through.
- I prefer using mild cheddar. The flavor still stands out but doesn't overpower the other ingredients. However, you can experiment with sharp cheddar or maybe even a smoked gouda. I do recommend cubing a block as opposed to using shredded cheese.
Recipe FAQs
There is no need to thaw frozen peas before making a pea salad. In fact, I recommend not thawing them. Make the pea salad with the frozen peas ahead of time and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. This will keep them from getting mushy and keep the textural integrity of the peas.
No, frozen peas don't need to be cooked before eating them. In fact, they are great in a cold pea salad or mixed into a side salad.
While recipes vary, there are approximately 190 calories in half a cup of pea salad.
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📖 Recipe
Recipe for Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Frozen Peas
- 8 Slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 8 Oz Mild Cheddar, cubed
- ½ Red Onion-diced
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl stir together the peas, bacon, onion, and cheese.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the pea mixture, stirring to fully cover the peas.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the peas have completely thawed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Frozen peas save you time during the preparation of this salad, but it's essentially to preserve the textural integrity of the peas themselves. If they are cooked or thawed ahead of time, they will become mushy in your salad. Make the salad with the frozen peas ahead of time and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. Just be sure to stir them a couple of times throughout the day.
- If you're looking for a quick and easy way to cook the bacon, I recommend using a Blackstone griddle if you want to make a lot of bacon. If you want to make it as fast as possible, place the bacon strips in an air fryer for about 5 minutes at 400°f, flipping halfway through.
- I prefer using mild cheddar. The flavor still stands out but doesn't overpower the other ingredients. However, you can experiment with sharp cheddar or maybe even a smoked gouda. I do recommend cubing a block as opposed to using shredded cheese.
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