Summer is just around the corner, and easy side dishes are always a great addition to any protein from the grill. This Easy Pea Salad is a completely underrated side dish. Filled with peas, cheese, and a quick Greek yogurt dressing, this recipe just what your summer picnic menu needs to be complete!
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If you are looking for a new way to incorporate green veggies into your menu, this Easy Pea Salad is just the side dish for you. You only need 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make this fan favorite.
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Why you will love this recipe
✘ It's easy to make! You only need 6 easy-to-find ingredients to make this tasty salad.
✘ It tastes better the next day! Not only is this recipe a make ahead favorite, it actually tastes better the next day!
✘ It travels well! Need to take a dish to share? This Pea Salad has picnic written all over it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredient notes:
Peas: Use frozen peas that have been thawed for the best results. Canned peas will give you a mushy salad.
Onion: Red onion is what I typically use in the recipe, you can also sub a sweet onion or green onion if that is what you have on hand.
Hard Boiled Eggs: Totally optional but add great flavor (and protein) to the salad.
Cheddar Cheese: Use a sharp cheddar for the most flavor. If you prefer mild or medium cheddar, those work well, too.
Greek yogurt: Full fat Greek yogurt will give you the best flavor and consistency for the dressing. You can also use 2% or nonfat but the taste will be less rich.
Instructions
Make the dressing: Add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
Make the salad: In a medium bowl, place cubed cheese, chopped egg, diced onion and peas. Add the dressing on top and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
FAQs
Absolutely you can. And to be honest, I like it even better when it has been sitting in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. It really allows the flavors to meld together. Just be sure to give it a good stir to get the dressing evenly distributed before serving.
No! Simply thaw a bag of frozen peas and you are ready to go. Cooking the peas will give you a mushy salad.
Absolutely! Crumbled bacon is a great addition to this salad. If you do toss in some bacon, you may need to reduce the amount of salt needed to season the dressing. Taste and adjust as needed.
Expert Tips for the Best Pea Salad
✔️ Cut the onion in a small dice so you can get little bits of onion in every bite.
✔️ Cut your cheese in similar size small cubes to make the salad easy to eat.
✔️ Use frozen peas for the best texture and color.
✔️ Make it a day (or several hours) ahead of time to let the flavors really meld together.
✔️ Stir before serving to distribute the dressing. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
More summer salads
Need more ideas? Try this BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado or check out all of our side dish recipes!
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Recipe
Easy Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 12 ounce bag of frozen peas, slightly thawed
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese cubed
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 1 hard-boiled egg diced (optional)
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Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the mayo, yogurt salt and pepper and stir until thoroughly combine.3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- In a medium bowl place the peas, cheese, onions, and egg.12 ounce bag of frozen peas, slightly thawed, 6 ounces cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup chopped red onion, 1 hard-boiled egg
- Spoon dressing over pea mixture and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate until serving.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
JunaB says
I grew up on cheese and peas! My mom always said the best recipe is peas, sharp cheddar, mayo, salt and pepper. It's a lot more savory than this recipe here. It's the best thing ever! I wish more people would try it
Carol at Wild Goose Mama says
This is toooooooooo simple. Something a little different for a quick salad. For some bizarre reason I am feeling a bit of a craving for this salad now. Not often I get the nibbles for pea salad. Weird.
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
What a simple and complete side dish. Or maybe it's even the main dish and I can just pair it with a salad for a light dinner. Love the use of yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
Nicole - Coking for Keeps says
I love the way crisp green beans just pop in your mouth...What a perfect spring/summer side!