Here are the greatest ideas for using this nutritious green vegetable, peas! Everything from green peas to pea shoots is used in the following list of pasta dishes, soups, and salads. Peas have a bad image because well-intentioned but overbearing parents often tell their kids to “eat their peas.” Why the poor press? Peas may have a new lease on life these days, but we’re not sure. They have a stunningly vivid green color and a pleasant, fresh flavor.
Better still, they include a lot of plant-based protein (and one of the best vegetables you can eat). Here are the best dishes for this vibrant green vegetable, peas! There is no shortage of ideas for dishes to make with these brilliant green orbs, from chowder of green vegetables to pasta with peas, feta, and dill. While the majority call for green peas, we have also included recipes for cooking using split peas and pea shoots. All set to start cooking
What are Peas?
The pea plant’s green seed pod or tiny spheres inside the pod are known as peas (Pisum sativum). Although the pod is frequently used as a vegetable, it is a fruit because it grows from a flower and has seeds. The entire pods and the seeds inside are consumed for other types, including snow and snap peas. Garden peas, commonly known as sweet peas, have their seeds separated from their pods, then thrown away.
One of the most widely grown foods in the world is peas. Peas are said to have initially sprouted in the wild in the Mediterranean region before the Neolithic (or Agricultural) Revolution, which occurred around 10,000 BC. Peas were frequently kept on the vine until they became field peas at that time (similar to the peas used in dishes like split pea soup). During the 17th century, fresh garden peas gained popularity in England. When compared to field peas, these were more sensitive, younger, and regarded as high class.
Here are Some Best Peas Recipes
Peas with Lemon
In just five minutes, frozen peas can taste wonderful. Yes, you can make a simple side dish to please everyone at the table with a bag of these frozen green spheres. (Promise!) The trick? is a little butter, lemon, garlic, and olive oil—veggie ice cubes. I’m done now! To test our ability to transform a bag of frozen peas into a delectable side dish, Alex and I created this recipe. It turns out it’s not as hard as you would imagine. Peas were a vegetable we wanted to perfect because we’ve been preparing many side dish ideas lately.
Although it can be difficult to locate fresh green peas, frozen peas are always available. Peas used to be associated with those ominous vegetables. When I was a child, my parents frequently yelled, “Eat your peas!” However, this is how we turned a bag of frozen peas into a lovely, mouthwatering side dish (or go right to the recipe)
Spring Pea Soup
We’re starting with some spring foods to welcome the season because Alex and I can’t wait for it to start getting warm outside. And with its beautiful color and flavorful freshness, this colorful spring soup is the ideal way to do it. The dish comes from Anya and Masha of the website Golubka Kitchen’s new cookbook, Simply Vibrant. Continue reading for a recipe for green spring soup and more information in the book!
Cumin, coriander, and garlic give the soup a warm, substantial, almost meaty flavor complemented by the fresh herbs. Additionally, we added a squeeze of lemon and a generous mint to our bowls to increase their brightness. Our child couldn’t stop eating it because the whole family found it delicious.
Green Pea Dip
This pea dip has been a hit with everyone we’ve served it to! It’s a simple party appetizer to add to your collection of party dip recipes because it only requires three ingredients. Although green and nutritious, no one we’ve served it to hasn’t raved over it. Can you prepare that pea dip again? Becomes a recurring refrain. Due to its simplicity, nutritional value, and deliciousness, it is one of our favorite party dip recipes. Even people who despise peas outright adore it!
Green peas, cilantro, and a little salsa verde blended are pure magic as a party snack. Your visitors will gather around the bowl if you serve it with tortilla or pita chips. It’s my sister-in-mother—or laws, is it my brother-in-mother?—who laws deserve credit for this delicious pea dip? In either case, Laury is a wonderful person who lives in Alaska. She fed us this green pea dip on a trip to Alaska (where I caught my first fish). The whole family was hooked, too!
Pasta with Peas, Feta, and Dill
Alex and I have had a busy season, getting even busier as we prepare to put our property on the market. We have thoroughly cleaned, organized, and worked on all the projects on the To-Do list that were never finished. It’s remarkable how relaxing cleaning a closet or organizing a cupboard can be. We decided to stop for lunch in the middle of the cleaning marathon. Something quick, simple, and delicious was required.
This farfalle spaghetti was created just then. In a fit of hunger, we somehow concocted this farfalle pasta salad using just ingredients we already had on hand. We had green peas in the freezer, fresh dill in the yard, and feta crumbles in the refrigerator. We decided to go ahead and quickly prepare a farfalle pasta salad. We knew we had to share this recipe because it was so fantastic when it was finished.
Pea Salad with Lettuce
Green peas are combined with radishes, feta cheese, and a tangy lemon oregano dressing in this delectable pea salad with lettuce. Alex and I are still adjusting to the Midwestern American spring produce season at A Couple Cooks. We’re delighted about the new growth in our garden and what we’re starting to see at farmers’ markets! We made this pea salad with lettuce to commemorate spring and served it to friends for a nice outside dinner. It has tangy lemon oregano dressing and salty feta, which are out of this world. Fresh lavender blooms and twinkling lights made the ideal combination (thanks to Kelley and friends for a wonderful evening).
Check out this recipe for fresh pea salad! A springtime lunch with family or friends, such as an Easter brunch, would be a fantastic occasion for serving this pea salad with lettuce. The lemon and fresh oregano notably bring out the flavors’ brightness and freshness. If you can get fresh peas, they’d be excellent in this dish. We purchased the greens and radishes from our local farmer’s market. And the delight of perennials, we already have fresh oregano in our garden! (If you’d want to cultivate herbs, too, here’s how to do it!)
Vegetarian Carbonara
We have spring fever now that it has finally sprung (hallelujah!). Our front yard is bursting with tulips, and we’re feeling spring pea, baby spinach, and Earth Day-like. Are you feeling it? (Perhaps not if you’re reading this in Minnesota, the Southern Hemisphere, or a month other than April.) We have this vegetarian carbonara and seven earth-saving kitchen suggestions to start April in honor of the nicer weather and the general mood of honoring Mother Earth this month.
We decided to develop a vegetarian carbonara recipe because Alex and I consume mostly vegetarian food. Long pasta noodles, an egg, Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, and either bacon or guanciale are used to make the highly savory pasta dish known as pasta carbonara, invented in Italy (more specifically, Rome). The warm spaghetti is combined with the raw egg to create a creamy, delectable yellow sauce. With the addition of spring veggies, this rendition has a fresh feel.
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
Nothing is nearly as soothing as a bowl of soup. Consider split pea soup as well. It’s the cozier version of mac & cheese or blueberry pancakes. One of our favorite healthy meal dishes is this soup! In addition to being filling and tasty, it’s also super simple to cook. Here, we’ve employed a cunning way to replace the usual ham hock, giving our vegetarian split pea soup a smokey undertone. Since Alex’s mother frequently prepares this supper for the family, it helps us all feel at home.
Everyone will enjoy this satisfying, simple whole food plant-based (WFPB) lunch! Of course, the simplest method is to purchase a package of split peas with a flavoring packet and add water to make vegetarian split pea soup. However, after testing our recipe, we discovered that adding some sautéed onions and garlic to a veggie broth base produces fantastic flavor. We added some liquid smoke to replicate the ham that often gives the soup its taste.
Arugula Salad with Pea Shoots Recipe
Alex and I adore raising peas, and for a while now, we’ve heard how tasty pea shoots, particularly when added to salads, can taste. We chose to give it a go with a portion of our most recent crop in this recipe for arugula salad with pea shoots. The small sprouts in our garden have grown into healthy-looking plants in just a few short weeks. And we discovered that they lived up to the hype – the flavor is a rush of powerful pea flavor! You toss pea shoots into the salad and some delicate spring greens for this recipe.
Then, roast some walnuts in a skillet while tossing frequently and keeping an eye on them until they are toasted and golden brown. Add some Parmesan cheese shavings and fresh mint to the salad. Prepare our renowned wonderful balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing to use as the dressing. We added edamame for a little extra nutrition and sweetness to the salad since we didn’t have fresh peas (yet). Fresh peas or edamame may be added, or you may omit it entirely.
Where to Buy Peas?
The most popular types of peas are frozen and canned; both can be easily found in any grocery shop. During the spring and summer, fresh peas are easily available and sold by the pound in supermarkets and farmers’ markets. The vines are well-liked additions to backyard gardens and are simple to grow. Pea greens may also be picked in early spring and sold in markets.
When purchasing fresh peas, search for pods with a bulge in the middle, which signifies that the green orbs within are mature and suitable for consumption. Avoid peas with mushy or discolored pods.
Avoid canned peas if you can, and opt for packs of frozen peas. Both are practical, albeit the canned option occasionally becomes soggy. Dehydrated peas can be found within an old bag of frozen peas, and they are bland and tasteless. Petite peas may be marketed as such, but don’t let that deceive you; regular peas are just as wonderful as any other. It’s a good idea to look at the package’s date.
What does it Taste Like?
Peas come in a crisp tiny ball with a delightful taste. The intensity of this delicacy will vary depending on the kind, with fresh sweet peas tasting the most like candy. Peas with shells are drier and taste best when cooked. Snap and snow peas can be eaten fresh or lightly heated and are sweet with a hint of bitterness. Eating fresh or frozen peas is the greatest way to experience their authentic flavor. Field peas that have been dried are warmer, more flavorful, and less green. This is why stews and soups are the finest ways to prepare this kind of pea.
Storage Advice
Keep frozen peas you purchase in the freezer. To avoid freezer burn, close the bag after removing a part and place it back on ice. There are no specific storage requirements for canned peas, but like with most canned items, it’s best to keep them in a cool area of the house.
Cans that have been opened can be filled with food and preserved in the refrigerator for a week if sealed. Fresh peas can be stored in their pods for about a week or two. It would help if you shelled them after that. They can survive outside the pods for weeks as long as they stay cool.
Depending on the variety, fresh peas can be stored for up to a year in the pod or the seeds. They must be blanched for about two minutes, dried, and then frozen. Pack them into freezer bags or other containers after placing them on a tray to freeze for a few hours.
Varieties
Although numerous varieties of this meal, all peas look the same. Primarily, you want to distinguish between garden peas, snow peas, and snap peas. The former is the green ball pea you often find in most foods, frozen bags, and the cafeteria’s vegetable section.
As opposed to garden peas, which have a tough shell, snow peas feature the entire pod, which is delicate and easy to chew. Snow peas are frequently used in Asian cuisine. The microscopic seeds tucked inside these entire peas are visible as a hump on the flat surface of the pea. Snap peas can also be consumed whole. However, they frequently include tiny seeds that you would not even notice. Enjoy the crunch as you eat them as a nutritious snack.
How to Cook with Peas?
Peas are quite adaptable and can be utilized in a variety of ways. Dried peas must be soaked before cooking, just like beans. Peas should be rinsed before cooking if they are still fresh. Peas for gardening or shelling must be shelled, and the pod should be thrown away. In many Asian cuisines, snow peas are sautéed whole, served raw, and then added to salads and pasta. Snap peas in their complete form make a delicious raw snack.
Peas can be prepared easily by heating the green beans until they are warm or incorporating them into casseroles, soups, and other recipes. Peas cooked can be puréed into soups or mashed for infant food. Whole peas taste fantastic all by themselves, with butter on top, Parmesan added, and a little pepper sprinkled on top.
It is frequently unnecessary to defrost frozen peas before cooking them because they cook rapidly over low heat. Similar to nature’s miniature ice pops, they are also adored by kids during the summer and provide a healthful method to cool off.
Conclusion
For tasty meals, try these recipes with peas! Peas are a great complement to any meal, whether they are consumed fresh, frozen, or from a can. Along with fava beans and ramps, sweet green peas signal the start of abundant spring crops. Although they go well in practically any spring vegetarian cuisine, they also add a burst of freshness to carnivorous main meals and carb-heavy sides. Do you purchase full pods? The seeds can be easily separated from the pods by cracking.
Peas are a delectable side dish that perfectly captures spring’s juiciness when mixed with morels, mint, and shallots. Peas can be added to spaghetti in various ways for a quick dinner. The classic pasta primavera is fantastic, but you can also add peas, prawns, and cranberries to create a pasta meal that bursts with flavor. For a unique springtime twist on the Asian staple, add peas to Pad Thai. Here are a few of our go-to recipes for utilizing the abundance of peas springtime has to give.
