Perfect for a picnic, or Easter or any time! This pea salad is made with yogurt instead of mayo which makes it lighter and fresher! A little ham and cheese never hurt anything either!

This super simple side dish is a lightened up version of the classic pea salad. It is savory and delicious. It also makes a great lunch of light dinner if you want to make a meal out of it! Make some for a picnic, a potluck or Easter and it is sure to be gobbled right up!
I wanted to bring a light and fresh side dish to K.C.'s crab feast. I kept changing my mind about what I was going to make.
I needed something I could make in advance. Something I could make before work and not require much before we headed across the street to K.C.'s house.
We are so lucky to have my brothers live so close! So, I decided to make a pea salad. Jamie from Love Bakes Good Cakes posted a recipe on Facebook recently that got the idea in my head.
Hers looked great, but I wanted something a bit lighter, so this is what I came up with. It was pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Sometimes simple sides like this really are the way to go. With spring upon us again, I couldn't wait to make another batch of this spring pea salad.
Oddly enough, I made it for another dinner where K.C. was cooking the meat. He smoked a ton of delicious baby back ribs and I thought a simple and fresh side like this would be a perfect accompaniment.
I only made one batch because I knew he was going to make a ton of ribs and he was doing a smoked macaroni and cheese too. In hindsight I should have made two as the pea salad disappeared rather quickly.
This pea salad is a perfect side dish with anything on the grill. Just think of how good it would be with K.C.'s turkey bacon explosion and a slice of honey chipotle skillet cornbread! Though you don't have to fire up the grill to enjoy a serving, I could also eat it by itself for lunch!
Yield: 6 Servings

Lightened Up Spring Pea Salad
This super simple side dish is a lightened up version of the classic pea salad. It is savory and delicious. It also makes a great lunch of light dinner if you want to make a meal out of it! Make some for a picnic, a potluck or Easter and it is sure to be gobbled right up!
Prep time: 10 MCook time: Total time: 10 M
Ingredients:
- 1 pound peas (fresh would be great, but these were defrosted frozen peas)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1-2 green onions
- 2 slices ham
- 2 oz cheese, cubed (I used half mozzarella and half colby jack)
- salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Make sure peas are drained
- Slice your green onions and dice your ham into relatively small pieces
- Mix all the ingredients together
- Adjust your salt and pepper to your liking and refrigerate until ready to serve
- That's it! So easy and so good!
Calories
108.12
108.12
Fat (grams)
1.62
1.62
Sat. Fat (grams)
0.43
0.43
Carbs (grams)
13.69
13.69
Fiber (grams)
4.27
4.27
Net carbs
9.42
9.42
Sugar (grams)
6.14
6.14
Protein (grams)
10.13
10.13
Sodium (milligrams)
285.99
285.99
Cholesterol (grams)
15.59
15.59
Copyright: Cooking With Carlee 2020

We used to eat pea salad a lot when I was young. I haven't made it in ages...this recipe makes me want it! Hopped over from Idea Box Link Party;)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't had it in a while either. It is really good and so easy, I don't know why I stopped making it. I am sure it will make an appearance on our dinner table quite a few times this spring!
DeleteThis looks good... I make a pea and cheese salad, but haven't done so for too long... we like it and need to make it again... thank you for the reminder. :)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't had a pea salad in a while myself. I ate the leftover for breakfast. I think I may make another one for Easter!
DeleteYum!! This does seem like a perfect side for a crab meal.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to have a light and cool side. The whole dinner came together really well!
DeleteI just love a Pea Salad, and nothing says Spring more that a Pea Salad. Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with Full Plate Thursday!
ReplyDeleteHappy Spring!
Miz Helen
It is nice to be able to start making some bright spring dishes!
DeleteYum! This sounds like the perfect salad for the occasion! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe at Talented Tuesdays!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! I love pea salad, I just don't think to make it very often. It was nice to have something fresh and cool to go with all the crab!
DeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteYour recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much! I am looking forward to seeing what everyone makes this week!
DeleteDouble yum! This looks great. Thanks for linking up with us at Funtastic Friday. I hope to see you again this week.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting!
DeleteThis looks delish, Carlee - perfect for a potluck and now you have me thinking Spring! Happy Throwback Thursday!
ReplyDeleteThanks, you too! I love pea salad and all it took was one nice day and now I am craving it!
DeleteI am so ready for springtime dishes, this pea salad sounds wonderful as does the crab feast! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend?!
ReplyDeleteBoth were great! I am ready for spring dishes too, light, bright and fresh sounds great right about now!
DeleteI do pea salad with bleu cheese dressing-- I am sure I could make the dressing a bit lighter with greek yogurt! I have also used bacon instead of ham. this looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteOooh, bleu cheese and bacon sounds wonderful!
DeleteI was just thinking the other day, a nice chilled pea salad sounded good. Going to try this recipe very very soon!!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! We really like this version and hope you do too!
DeleteMy grandmother made pea salad (with mayo of course). She used the tiny tiny peas and she cut her ham and cheese into "pea size" pieces. She could cut up tiny things for hours and she never used a food processor. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Oh my goodness! It is definitely worth it, but that is some dedication. I like to think I am keeping the pieces easily forkable ;-)
DeleteThis looks delish. Pinning to my salad board for when it warms up. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you!! It is definitely one of our favorites!
DeletePea salad is one of my favorites! I grew up eating this classic dish.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it delicious?
DeleteCarlee, we are a "pea salad family" -- at least one of my maternal cousins puts cheese in hers, but I never do. Not that I don't like that version, it's just that after a lifetime of a strictly vegetable version, it doesn't occur to me. (Besides, I'm a cheese addict, and I don't need one more excuse to eat more cheese!) I like how you've lightened it up with yogurt. My mother used mayonnaise, and I usually use a homemade vinegar and oil.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try it with vinegar and oil! Now I am curious what all you put in yours!
DeleteI love pea's so much! Definitely a great salad to kick off spring!
ReplyDeleteMe too! As a kid I hated them, but I think I only really knew canned peas (which I still wouldn't touch!) but then I tried a fresh pea and that changed my mind. Now I love frozen peas too!
DeleteThat looks delicious. I love the idea of adding ham.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
Thanks, Kimm! This is one of my spring time favorites!
DeleteHi Carlee, my first reaction was oOooO not keen on mayonnaise, and was pleasantly surprised to read you use yogurt and not mayonnaise. The cheese and ham would complement the sweetness of the peas nicely. I can see this going down well at a barbecue for sure!..... I love the sound of smoked grilled cheese! Now that wouldn't last two minutes around here.
ReplyDeletexx
Ha! Cheese of most any kind doesn't stand much of a chance around here ;-)
DeletePea Salad is an old family favorite and thanks for reminding me to make it again soon. My old recipe is slightly different in that it does use mayo and instead of chopped ham, it uses chopped hard-boiled eggs. They add some protein, make it pretty and tasty, too.
ReplyDeleteWe love hard boiled eggs. I need to try it that way too!
DeleteGreat spring salad - pinned and shared. Thanks for linking up at Welcome Spring Link Party.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI have never heard of a pea salad either but my husband LOVES peas. I bet he'd love this. Thanks for sharing. We'll have to try it soon. Pinned.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely try it! I hope you love it!
DeleteMy brother loves pea salad! I do not have fond memories of it from childhood! lol, but this would be fun to make for him at our summer reunion! THanks for sharing at our Spring Salad Link up for Celebrate 365
ReplyDeleteOh no! I love it and it would be perfect reunion food!
DeleteI love anything with peas! This sounds so good. Hope you've had a lovely weekend! :) Alex @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
ReplyDelete