I thought I was scarred for life.
All those childhood memories of being forced to finish my peas left me with a tiny pea phobia.
Even though I LOVE all the other vegetables from my childhood (yes even Brussels sprouts and cauliflower WITHOUT cheese) I struggled to get excited about peas.
Until I made this Pesto Pea Salad Bowl.
I love it so much that it won my internal prize for best dish of the day when I did my recent photo shoot.
With 10 other recipes competing – that’s saying something.
So even if you’re not the worlds biggest pea fan I urge you to give this a go.
It may just change your life. AND open up endless peas-abilities (sorry. Dad joke).
You’ll want to make sure you always have a bag of peas in your freezer. Trust me.
You can serve the 3 ingredient version as a side or turn it into a meal in a bowl by adding some cooked protein. I like boiled or poached eggs, cooked chicken or canned tuna.
Ingredients
- 250 g / 7 oz frozen peas
- 1-2 tablespoons pesto
- handful grated parmesan cheese
PLUS ingredient
- cooked protein optional
Instructions
- Place a medium saucepan over a high heat. Add frozen peas and cook, covered for a minute or so.
- Stir and cook for another minute or until peas are defrosted and hot.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto and parmesan.
- Serve in a deep bowl with the protein on top (if using) and extra parmesan grated over if it takes your fancy.
Variations & Substitutions
plan-B (pantry) – this is totally a pantry meal! Especially if you use canned tuna as your protein.
Keto / ultra low carb – use broccoli or cauliflower ‘rice’ instead of the peas.
vegetarian – serve as a side or use veggie based protein like crispy roast tofu, or the egg option.
different protein – boiled or poached eggs, cooked chicken, canned tuna, ham, cooked sausage, salami.
dairy-free – replace the parmesan with roast almonds, pine nuts or walnuts and use a dairy-free pesto or this tomato almond pesto.
more substantial (carb lovers) – cooked pasta or crusty bread or pile the pesto peas onto hot buttered toast.
more substantial (low carb) – extra protein, chunks of avocado, roast nuts.
different vegetables – frozen broccoli, steamed broccoli, frozen green beans, frozen kale, frozen spinach. Also amazing with roast cauliflower or shredded cabbage which cooks down into the most delicious cabbagey ‘noodles’.
more fancy / for entertaining – fresh herbs like parsley or basil or roast pine nuts or sliced almonds. Serve with fancy protein like pan fried salmon or a whole roast chicken.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
frozen peas – keep them frozen and they will last for months.
pesto – commercial jars of pesto will keep for months in the pantry. Fresh pesto will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Cover with olive oil to prevent exposure to air and browning reactions. Can be frozen.
parmesan – wrap in baking paper and store in the fridge in a sealed paper bag or airtight container. Will keep for months. Can be frozen if you’re going away.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt or a squeeze of lemon! Or add in a flavour bomb.
too dry – more pesto or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or can be frozen.
