Creamed Peas and Onions

Move over, peas and carrots. Creamed peas and onions are poised to take their place as your go-to comfort food side dish. The green-and-orange duo can’t compete with the textures that come from soft peas, firm-tender pearl onions and fresh celery smothered in a lightly creamy sauce and topped with a crunchy crumbled bacon and cashews.

Approaches for making creamed vegetables vary. Some start with a roux-based white sauce (like this creamed spinach), while others use the slow cooker to simmer corn with cream cheese and butter (like this creamed corn). Here, we reduce the broth and finish the dish with sour cream for a flavorful yet lighter creamed effect. Frozen vegetables make for speedy prep. And when you swap in vegetable broth and drop or replace the bacon, the dish becomes a quick and easy vegetarian recipe that goes with everything.

Ingredients for Creamed Peas and Onions

• Frozen peas: Shelled peas are among the foods you should buy frozen because they rapidly lose their delicate spring flavor once picked. If you grow your own peas and want to freeze them raw, remove the peas from their pods and blanch them first.
• Frozen pearl onions: These small bulb onions have a mild sweetness that becomes more pronounced as they caramelize. However, if you buy them fresh, peeling off the papery skins can be a tedious chore. Frozen pearl onions have already been peeled, making them your best option for cooked dishes.
• Celery: Fresh celery is an aromatic used in many recipes. Here, they stay crunchier than the frozen vegetables, providing a pleasing contrast.
• Chicken broth: Chicken broth becomes almost a glaze on the vegetables. For the most flavor, use homemade chicken broth.
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper and dried thyme season the vegetables without masking their flavors. Store-bought chicken broth can be quite salty, so you may want to salt to taste—and keep in mind that you’ll be topping it with salty bacon and cashews as well.
• Sour cream: The tang of sour cream plays off the sweetly caramelized vegetables and savory broth. When stirred into the warm vegetables, it instantly becomes thinner but retains its flavor.
• Bacon: Smoky bacon adds flavor and texture to the finished dish. Cook it separately and crumble it on top for the best result.
• Cashews: Salted roasted cashews are an instant garnish, straight from the bag. For a lower-sodium version of this recipe, use unsalted roasted nuts. You could alternatively buy raw cashews and toast the nuts yourself.

Directions

Step 1: Fill the skillet

In a large skillet, combine the peas, onions, celery, broth, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Step 2: Cook the vegetables

Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the vegetables, uncovered, until the onions are tender and most of the liquid is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Editor’s Tip: Simmering a sauce or other liquid, uncovered, until it evaporates is called reduction. It intensifies all the flavors in the pan without overcooking the vegetables, an effect you won’t achieve if you put the lid on.

Step 3: Add the cream and topping

Remove the vegetable mixture from the heat, and then stir in the sour cream. Top the creamed peas and onions with the bacon and cashews.

Editor’s Tip: The low fat content of sour cream makes it prone to separating when overheated. By removing the skillet from the hot burner before stirring in the sour cream, it’s less likely to separate.

Creamed Peas and Onions Variations

• Make it vegetarian: Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian side dish. Choose a low-sodium carton, or make vegetable broth at home. Cook some chopped mushrooms in the broth with the other vegetables to replace some of the bacon’s meaty flavor, and use only the cashews for the topping. Use carrot bacon if you still want a smoky garnish.
• Use fresh ingredients: In spring, use fresh shelled garden peas or fresh snow or snap peas in their pods. Take the time to blanch, trim and peel pearl onions, or slice or chop a full-sized onion. Sprinkle in fresh thyme leaves or another fresh herb, such as mint, rosemary, or tarragon.
• Adjust the tanginess: For a less sour flavor, replace some of the sour cream with heavy cream. For more tang, replace some of the broth with white wine or add a splash of white wine vinegar.

How to Store Creamed Peas and Onions

Scoop creamed peas and onions into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Let the vegetables cool completely before storing them, and leave off the bacon and nuts, which will soften in the fridge. Instead, add these after you reheat the dish for the crispiest garnish.

How long do creamed peas and onions last?

Creamed peas and onions last for three to four days in the refrigerator. The sour cream might solidify a bit around the vegetables in the cold, but reheating them slowly over low heat while stirring will smooth it out again.

What’s the best way to reheat creamed peas and onions?

Reheat creamed peas and onions on the stovetop in a skillet over low heat, stirring often, until they’re warmed through and restored to full creaminess. If the vegetables start to stick, add a splash of water or broth to loosen them from the pan. Alternatively, spoon them into a baking dish, add a splash of water and reheat them in a 350°F oven until they’re warmed through. In a pinch, reheat leftovers in the microwave, using a lowered power setting and 30-second bursts to warm the vegetables evenly and to avoid overheating the sour cream.

Creamed Peas and Onions Tips

What’s the best way to make bacon?

For easy, ultra-crispy strips with minimal mess, make bacon in the oven. This creamed peas and onion recipe calls for most of a package of bacon, which you’d likely need to cook in batches on the stovetop, especially if you’re already using your largest skillet for the vegetables. Instead, set a metal cooling rack on an aluminum foil-lined baking pan, spread the strips across the rack, and slide the pan into a preheated 350º oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The bacon will cook evenly on all sides, making it ideal for crumbling.

What can you serve with creamed peas and onions?

Serve creamed peas and onions at your next holiday gathering or as a side dish for a weeknight meal. The flavors contrast nicely with herb-crusted roast beef or a roasted leg of lamb for a special night in. Add another side dish to create a larger spread, such as broccoli Parmesan casserole, German red cabbage or fennel and orange salad. Prepare skillet pork chops or buttermilk fried chicken as more casual entrees to serve with creamed onions and peas. If you make a vegetarian version of the side dish, serve it alongside lentil loaf. To stretch leftovers, pile them in a grain bowl with cooked and shredded pork or chicken, and serve it all with just-steamed rice.