I'll let you in on a little secret, I'm not a big fan of peas--but I do love this bacon pea salad. It's the homemade dressing and bacon that made me a convert!
Looking for more cold dishes perfect for a summer day or potluck? I think you'll love this easy broccoli or southern potato salad. Try our Caesar salad dressing or kale Christmas wreath salad, too!
Ingredients
The real beauty of our bacon pea salad recipe is the ease with which you can customize it to your personal tastes.
- The basic version has green peas, homemade dressing, onion, and cheese.
- Popular add-ins are bacon, pimentos, hard-boiled egg, garlic, and my personal favorite: mild banana peppers.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
First, gather all the ingredients for the dressing: mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
- Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Whisk together until well combined, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Put the frozen peas in a large mixing bowl and pour the homemade dressing over top.
4. Thoroughly stir the dressing with a large spoon, so each green pea is well coated.
5. Add the rest of the prepped ingredients: crumbled bacon, cubed cheese, and the minced red onion and banana pepper. Be sure to leave a little of the bacon to use as a garnish. Mix the ingredients until they are coated in the dressing.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings. Now, it's chilling time. Just cover it and let it sit in the fridge overnight, or an hour if you're in a hurry.
Just before serving, stir and adjust seasonings to taste if necessary, then transfer it to a pretty bowl. Sprinkle on the reserved bacon and you're all set.
There you have it! Super simple. You'll want to make a big bowl of our bacon pea salad to bring to your next covered dish event, or maybe your kids will just devour it all on their own. Either way, you'll make someone happy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. They are usually blanched or partially cooked prior to being frozen which slightly tenderizes them and helps them maintain their color. To eat them, simply thaw them out and then use them in recipes without cooking. They will be slightly crisper in texture since they aren't cooked more which works perfectly for salads.
Our recipe doesn't include hard-boiled eggs but they are a popular mix-in so you can definitely add them if you want. It's a healthy and tasty way to boost the protein in the dish.
Green peas, also called English peas, garden peas, or sweet peas, are the most common variety of peas used in cold preparations.
We think frozen peas work perfectly for it. Let them thaw out while you mix the dressing and prep all the other ingredients. Then when you mix the other ingredients together with the peas and let it chill, they finish thawing out and the dish is ready to eat.
Store
- Make ahead: This bacon pea salad recipe is easy to make the night before as it needs some chilling time.
- Leftovers: Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container
- Freezer: It's not a good idea to freeze this recipe because it has mayo and sour cream in it.
Expert Tips
- Use slightly frozen peas instead of canned.
- Don't leave out the bacon.
- Have some crunchy ingredients, like banana peppers.
- Stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings before serving.
- Serve this cold.
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Recipe
Bacon Pea Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup bacon, crumbled (roughly 9 slices)
- 1 cup marble cheese, Colby-Jack, cut in bite-sized cubes
- 1 cup red onion, minced
- ½ cup mild banana peppers, minced
- 2 pounds frozen peas
For the Dressing
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
Making the Dressing
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined. Cover and refrigerate.
Making the Salad
- Pour the frozen peas into a large mixing bowl so they can mostly thaw while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large cast iron skillet, cook the 9 slices of bacon in two batches over medium heat. Flip each piece over with a fork. When done, drain on paper towel-lined plate. Cool, then cut into ¼ inch pieces.
- Cut the cheese into cubes by cutting it into ¼ slices with a sharp chef's knife. Stack three slices, then cut into sticks. Line up the sticks and cut into cubes. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut the red onion in half with a sharp knife, then remove the outer skin. Thinly slice the onion, then mince it. Set aside.
- Mince the banana peppers.
- Pour the dressing over the slightly thawed peas, and mix until all the peas are coated.
- Add the red onion, banana pepper, cheese, and most of the bacon (reserve some for garnish) to the peas. Stir until well combined. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
- Stir it just before serving, so all the peas are coated in the dressing. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Transfer to a pretty serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon.
Notes
- Instead of using canned, use slightly frozen.
- Keep the bacon. Its flavor is important here.
- Before serving, stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
- Have some crunchy ingredients, like banana peppers.
- Serve this cold.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
This is the only pea salad that I know of, and it is extremely good. I am a fan of peas and the bacon brings it to another level. This is a definite must try recipe.
Emma
Pea salad is really wonderful--especially when it has bacon in it. Glad you enjoyed it, too, Beth!