Minty Creamed Peas

This recipe for Minty Creamed Peas takes the fresh green flavors of peas and mint and combines them with a creamy, buttery white sauce. It’s perfect as a side dish for roast beef, ham, fish, or even a weeknight meatloaf dinner. It’s also a family favorite for holiday dinners. (And if you enjoy recipes with peas, check out my recipe for Creamy Turkey Pasta with Peas.)

Are you a pea lover? I have to confess, when I was a kid, I was not a fan. I hated peas with a passion and couldn’t stand even the sight of them. But to be fair, all I knew of peas as a kid was the gray, mushy kind that they served in the school cafeteria. I don’t know what they did to those poor peas, but they had absolutely no flavor or texture. Thankfully, my palette has grown to love peas these days, and I think part of that is in the preparation. I like peas best when they are lightly cooked and still fresh and sweet. And like in this recipe, a bit of butter and cream never hurts either. 

What Ingredients are in Minty Creamed Peas?

The ingredients for this Creamed Peas recipe are simple:

Peas – You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peas (I prefer frozen.) You’ll need a 10-ounce bag of frozen peas, 1 (15-ounce) can of peas drained, OR 1 3/4 cups of fresh peas (shelled and cooked).

All-purpose Flour – Use regular wheat flour, or substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour. 

Half and Half – For the creamiest peas, use half and half. If you don’t have access to store-bought half and half, this is just a mixture of 50% whole milk, and 50% heavy cream. In a pinch, you can use whole milk but the recipe won’t turn out quite as creamy. For extra creaminess, use all heavy cream.

Onion – I like to use red onion, but any onion or even shallot will do. 

Fresh Mint – Fresh mint really compliments the flavor of the sweet peas, but you could also substitute dill or other fresh herbs. You can also just leave the herbs out. 

Butter – I use whatever butter I have on hand, which is usually regular salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine, too, because you’ll adjust the seasonings before serving. 

Sugar – Sugar is an optional ingredient, but I like to add a teaspoon to the sauce to enhance the sweet flavor of the peas.

Tips for making Minty Creamed Peas: 

Double or triple the recipe.  If you need more than the four servings the recipe makes, feel free to scale up the recipe as needed. 

Fresh, frozen, or canned peas. I prefer frozen or fresh peas for this recipe, but I’ll use canned peas in a pinch. To use frozen peas, precook them according to the instructions on the bag before adding them to the recipe. But cook them for a few minutes less than called for because they’ll finish cooking in the cream sauce. If using shelled fresh peas, cook them in boiling, salted water for 6 minutes, or until tender, and then drain thoroughly. If using canned peas, there is no need to warm or cook them first, but you will need to drain them.

Optional Add-Ins: I will sometimes add a squeeze of lemon juice and/or grate some lemon zest onto the finished dish. A sprinkle of nutmeg enhances the flavor of the cream sauce.  A few grates of fresh parmesan and lots of freshly-cracked black pepper are delicious, too (kids really seem to love peas with Parmesan, if you have a pea-hater in your family).

Store the leftovers. Store your leftovers in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for 3-5 days. 

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I hope you try this recipe for Minty Creamed Peas, and if you do, I hope you enjoy! Let me know in the comments below!

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