Classic Pea Salad (Perfect for Spring and Summer Potlucks + Meal Prep!)

If you have a bag of frozen peas and you're wondering, hmm, what should I make? I say make this classic pea salad. It's perfect for spring. It is super simple to make, and it's great for potlucks and holidays like Easter when you want something green and salad-y, but also really durable. I'm sharing the classic version today, but there are many ways that you can customize it, which I will share in the video. So let's dive right in. To get started, add a one-pound bag of frozen peas to a colander. You wanna thaw these, so depending on how much time you have, you can let them thaw on their own at room temperature or run them under some cold water to expedite the process. I'll usually rinse them in cold water to get the thawing started, then continue on with the rest of the recipe, and by the time I'm done, they're perfectly thawed and ready to go. So while those peas are thawing, add six slices of bacon that you cut into half-inch or so pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon for six to eight minutes until it's crispy and golden. Once the bacon is nice and crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove it to a paper towel-lined plate and if you don't have a slotted spoon, you can just drain some of that grease by tilting a spoonful along the edge of your pan. The ingredients in this salad are really quite basic, but if you've been following me for any amount of time, you know that basic is sorta my specialty and it's certainly not boring. So dice up about 1 1 3rd cup of red onion for this salad. I'll usually just dice up a half of an onion and then save any leftovers to add to my scrambled eggs the next morning or another recipe later in the week. Next, slice up four ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. The goal here is to cut it into cubes about the same size as the peas as you want everything bite-sized to fit on a spoon. So I'll slice up that block of cheese in one direction, then stack a few pieces on top of each other to slice down and then again across for the perfect small dice. If you've made my charcuterie board recipe, you're probably a pro at dicing cheese, though those pieces are a bit larger and these are really meant to be small and nibbly here. And then the last ingredient for this salad before we get to the dressing is to finely chop up about two to three tablespoons of fresh parsley, which adds a little flecks of green throughout the salad. All right, for the dressing, add a quarter cup of mayonnaise to a mixing bowl along with a quarter cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt. I'm using sour cream today, but either works. Then add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for a punch of acidity, one teaspoon of honey for a smidge of sweetness, and some sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste preference. Give that a stir until it's nice and creamy and pourable like a dressing. To assemble the salad, add your thawed and patted dry peas to a mixing bowl, then top those with the cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, red onion, and parsley. It's hard to believe there's just five main salad ingredients for this one, but really that's all there is. Then add the creamy dressing and stir everything together until all the little bits and pieces are well coated. I will say that I reduced the quantity of my dressing a bit from some classic versions as I found those to be swimming in the dressing a bit too much, and I think this salad is best when the peas and other ingredients can still shine through, but of course, get that creamy touch. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl if you're serving this up for a party, and that's pretty much it. You have just made a surprisingly delicious pea salad that I guarantee will have your guests going back for seconds, and it's one that I am more than happy to eat throughout the week for meal prep. I was craving vegetables today, so this is a perfect recipe to get some greens. Now, I still remember the first time I had pea salad, and I didn't think much of it because I was like, eh, it just looks like peas in a bowl, but it had bacon, so of course I went for it because it had bacon, and I just remember being so pleasantly surprised at all of the different flavor combinations and the simplicity and just how delicious it was, and as I mentioned on the intro, this is great for meal prep because it is durable. There's no leafy greens. It will last for about four to five days in the fridge, so you can make it ahead of time or just enjoy it for yourself in single portions throughout the week, and because this is a cold salad or a cool salad, it is perfect for spring and summer and the holidays that are in spring and summer like Easter. If you would like another option of a salad to make with peas, many of you guys know my Thanksgiving peas recipe on my website. I just call it my Thanksgiving peas because I make it so often for the holidays, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it is a warm pea salad with peas and pancetta and pear, and it is so good as well, so you've got kind of a warm pea salad, and this one, which is a cold or chilled pea salad. I hope you guys enjoyed today's video for this simple and easy pea salad, and if you did, make sure to give it a thumbs up as that always helps to support my channel, and after you make it and give it a try, I would love to hear what you think with a review on the YouTube channel or on my website, and with that, I will see you guys in the next video.