Italian peas are a simple and flavorful side dish for any meal! They are ready in just a few minutes but will be a hit with your whole family.
If you’re looking for how to make frozen peas taste better, this is it. These Italian peas are a delicious, savory, cheesy, and a little sweet (everything you didn’t know you needed in a vegetable side dish).
Getting kids to eat green peas can no doubt be a chore sometimes. It’s one of the harder vegetables to get them to eat and enjoy, but they’re so good for you, so you continue to try new recipes until you settle on something they’ll enjoy. These Italian green peas are the easy green pea recipe you need for winning at dinner with the pickiest of eaters.
With vibrant green peas, diced purple onion, and shredded Parmesan cheese all tossed together in this simple vegetable side dish you can watch curious eyes light up and smile emerge after that first bite.
Serve these peas alongside some of their favorite meals like pasta dishes or more homestyle meals such as chicken and macaroni and cheese, they’ll be gobbled up either way!
These Italian peas are so incredible you may wish to serve them as a main dish instead of a side dish, that can be a great idea for when you’re looking for a meatless dinner idea that hasn’t been done to death.
How many times can you eat meatless spaghetti and not get sick of it, am I right? Switching up the meal plan with this meatless dish is a great way to add some variety to your diets.
How To Make Italian Peas
- In a medium skillet on your stove, melt the butter.
- Add in your diced onions and then cook them until they are translucent.
- Add in the peas, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer the dish until the peas are tender and the water is almost all evaporated, this should be about 5 minutes.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and then stir briefly until it’s combined.
How do I store my leftover Italian Peas?
This is assuming you have any leftovers to begin with! You can store your leftover peas inside of an airtight container or a zipper topped bag.
Keep the closed container inside of your fridge for 3-5 days and reheat to eat. You may wish to reheat your peas in a pot on the stove with a little bit of water or butter to help them rehydrate.
Do I have to use red onion?
Red onion has such a great sweet flavor when cooked and really adds to the color in this dish but if you want to use a different onion based on what you prefer or already have on hand then go for it!
How can I add even more flavor to this dish?
If you really want to pack in the flavors, you can try adding in some minced garlic or chopped mushroom to the pan while you’re cooking the onions. Even just switching out the water for chicken stock can make a big difference.
All of these things can really make the dish more savory and rich, but if you’re looking to add flavor and color try adding some carrots (like the bags of frozen peas and carrots) instead of plain peas. Feel free to adjust this recipe depending on what you have on hand and what you feel like eating.
Italian Peas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup purple onion diced
- 12 ounces frozen peas one small bag, this can vary by a few ounces
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, melt butter.
- Add onions and cook until translucent.
- Add peas, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer until peas are tender and water is almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Add parmesan cheese and stir briefly until combined.
Alli says
Quick and delicious recipe!