Pea and Mint Salad
Be GONE the mayo-laden, sickly sweet, mushy pea salads of potlucks past. I’ve got a fresh new take for you guys!
This recipe is inspired by my mother-in-law. She made this as a dinner side dish one evening and I have been obsessed ever since. I was convinced that I did not like pea salad, the thoughts of creamy mayo bacon peas from the deli haunting me. But after tasting my MIL’s version I was fully convinced. This is the one and only way I want to make and eat pea salad.
Light, fresh, flavorful and bright, this pea salad is nothing short of the perfect side dish for any picnic or potluck. It pairs beautifully with nearly any cuisine, is portable and versatile and only requires a few simple ingredients you might already have on hand!
While I used fresh peas for this recipe (it’s spring time and they are in season and so sweet and delicious!) you could certainly use frozen peas. Be sure to use a thick, creamy good quality caesar dressing, my favorite brands are Litehouse or Tessemae’s. Even better would be to make it yourself! Alright, this is a sign…go plan your next picnic!
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My Favorite Pea Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Fresh and flavorful this clever new take on pea salad will add a pop of nutrition and color to any picnic spread!
Ingredients
- 16oz fresh English peas (can also use frozen)
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- big pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 2 oz feta, crumbled
- 1/4 cup good quality Caesar dressing
Instructions
If using fresh peas, blanch by adding them to a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water. If you are using frozen peas simply allow to thaw and use.
Gently stir together the peas, celery, fresh herbs, green onions, cashews, squeeze of lemon and season with kosher salt and several big cracks of pepper. Fold in the feta and caesar dressing.
Serve cold or at room temperature!
Notes
As noted, you can use fresh or frozen peas here. I’ve never tried it with canned peas but if you do you can report back in the comments how it is.
Make it vegan: use a vegan Caesar dressing and omit the feta
This salad is wonderful paired with salmon and roasted red potatoes but it goes lovely with nearly any other protein or picnic spread.
Nutrition facts are an estimate and will vary depending on brands of products you use!
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Nutrition
- Calories: 142
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 121mg
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 5g
Make this a couple times a month!
YAS! So glad to hear you love it as much as I do!
Omg I LOVE this pea salad! So fresh and herbaceous! I’ve made this multiple times and it’s always a hit with family. Cannot wait to make it with fresh garden peas (although it’s great with defrosted peas too).
omg def make this with garden peas to spare Lee putting them in his smoothie😂
This is really good! My nutritionist recommended it. I subbed mayo for the Caesar and added 1/4 c parmesan and some cracked black pepper to get some Caesar flavor. Also, instead of feta, I used fresh goat cheese which I prefer and seems less salty. Also had to use dry dull, 1 Tbsp. Great!
Yum! Those sound like great substitutions Mary! Thanks for trying and commenting 🙂
So excited to try this!! Can this be made ahead and served at room temperature?
Absolutely! Enjoy!