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This easy peasy delicious Spring Pea Salad is perfect for your next lunch, brunch, or dinner! It’s made with tender peas, crisp radishes, and salty feta cheese all tossed together in a minty lemon vinaigrette bursting with refreshing citrus flavor. You can whip this simple 7-ingredient recipe together in just 10 minutes!
Easy Spring Pea Salad Recipe
Tender tasty green peas are one of the most overlooked ingredients! This colorful spring pea salad recipe is going to show you how easy it is to dress them up and turn them into a healthy dish layered with flavor! And like my Cucumber Avocado Salad you can throw this yummy salad together in just 10 minutes and it doesn’t require any fancy ingredients.
In fact, for this recipe, some frozen peas do the trick along with some fresh radishes, mint, and parsley with a bit of feta cheese. And the refreshing vinaigrette is just fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. It’s a super tasty combination that leads to a salad that is crunchy, colorful, and nutritious! Because not only are peas high in nutrients and fiber, they are one of the highest sources of plant protein.
You can serve this salad as an appetizer or side dish. It’s a fantastic colorful companion to just about any protein. I’ve served it with my Baked Chicken Breast and my Air Fryer Salmon. It was absolutely delicious with both. You could even serve the salad on a bed of mixed green lettuce and then top it with some poached eggs and crumbled bacon for brunch!
Why You’ll Love This Spring Pea Salad
- Quick And Easy! This 10-minute simple pea salad recipe is perfect for those who want flavorful fresh and healthy homemade food with almost no time required or work involved.
- Minty Pea Salad! Full of vibrant green peas with some crisp sliced radishes and salty feta tossed in an herby mint and lemon dressing this dish is bursting with flavor.
- Versatile Dish! Whether you need a side for brunch, lunch, or dinner, this salad is a great choice. It can be served cold or at room temperature, which makes it ideal for potlucks too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen Peas – Frozen peas work best for this recipe. If you choose to use fresh English peas you will need to boil them first and then chill them.
- Feta Cheese – Adds a lovely touch of mild cheese flavor to the salad. You could also use goat cheese or queso fresco if you prefer.
- Herbs – Aromatic chopped fresh mint leaves and fresh parsley liven this refreshing salad up. You could also add a bit of fresh basil, dill, or cilantro too.
- Radishes – They add a nice contrasting crunch to the texture of the peas. You can use any type of radish.
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Yet, if you don’t like olive oil any vegetable oil can be used.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best. Concentrated lemon juice can have an overly acidic taste. To make the dressing even more lemony use the zest of the lemon too. You can also use lime juice if you don’t have any lemons.
- Seasonings – You’ll need a little salt and black pepper to season the salad.
This easy recipe requires very little chopping or time in the kitchen! You can throw this healthy salad together in just 10 minutes!
Blanch The Peas
To begin, you need to prep your peas! To do this, just put the peas in a pot of salted boiling water for about 2 minutes. Then immediately drain them and add them to a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking more. Now, drain the peas again and pat them dry.
Make The Salad
Next, add the blanched peas, crumbled feta cheese, mint, parsley, and sliced radishes to a large bowl. Then gently toss everything together. Now, set the bowl aside for now.
Make The Dressing
After the base of the salad has been combined, you need to make the simple vinaigrette. All you have to do is whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl with some salt and black pepper to taste. You can also just put all the dressing ingredients into a small jar with a lid and then shake everything together until it is fully combined.
Assemble The Pea Salad
Finally, pour the dressing over the pea mixture and then gently toss the salad to combine making sure that all the veggies are fully coated. Now, taste the salad and season it with more salt and pepper if desired. Then serve the spring pea salad chilled or at room temperature garnished with some more fresh herbs and pea shoots if you like.
Are Frozen Peas Cooked?
Yes! Frozen peas are what they call flash steamed right before they are frozen. This is why you only have to warm them up. But for them to maintain their vibrant green color and sweet flavor you should only heat them for 2 minutes or less.
What Can I Add To This Pea Salad?
You can easily customize this recipe to your liking. Just try to keep the ratios of the ingredients about the same. Tomatoes or cucumbers can easily replace the radishes or be added in addition to them. Other herbs can be used as well as different cheeses like parmesan or buffalo mozzarella. If lemon is too tart for you try using half rice vinegar. The salad can even be topped with bacon. The variations are endless!
Expert Tips
- Use quality ingredients. Recipes with fewer ingredients rely on the quality of those ingredients for the best outcome. So you should use extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and fresh herbs.
- Don’t Over Toss. Carefully toss the salad together with the lemon dressing. You don’t want to smush the peas. You also shouldn’t toss the salad until right before serving.
- Add some spice. If you want to add a little heat you can add some crushed red chili flakes to the dressing. You can also just sprinkle some on top before serving the salad.
Storage
It’s best to eat this spring pea salad right after it’s made or within the first day. However, leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Make Ahead
It is possible to make this salad ahead of time. Yet, don’t toss it together with the dressing until right before serving. What you want to do is put the salad ingredients in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Then make the vinaigrette and cover it with plastic wrap too. Now, put the prepped salad and dressing in the fridge until you are ready to toss the salad.
Other Delicious Salad Recipes To Try
- Kale And Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Chicken Orzo Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Avocado Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- BLT Salad
- Fattoush Salad
Spring Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen peas thawed
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh mint chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ⅓ cup radishes thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the peas, feta cheese, mint, parsley and radishes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the pea mixture and toss to combine.
- Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- Use quality ingredients. Recipes with fewer ingredients rely on the quality of those ingredients for the best outcome. So you should use extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and fresh herbs.
- Don’t Over Toss. Carefully toss the salad together with the lemon dressing. You don’t want to smush the peas. You also shouldn’t toss the salad until right before serving.
- Add some spice. If you want to add a little heat you can add some crushed red chili flakes to the dressing. You can also just sprinkle some on top before serving the salad.
