Why You Should Consider Making Peas The Base Of Your Next Salad

Peas don't often play a starring role. The best they can usually hope for is sitting in a small bowl in a bit of buttery water next to a succulent roast. They're lucky if they even make an appearance on your salad next to crisp red radishes or snappy orange peppers. People just don't gravitate toward salad toss-ins that are the same color as the lettuce. It ain't easy bein' green.

But it might be time to call the humble English pea up to the main stage and serve a standout salad with peas as the base. The reason peas work so well with almost any main dish or tossed onto a veggie-heavy salad is the sweet, lightly verdant flavor that pairs so well with heaps of ingredients you can also use when it's the star of the show. And unlike lettuce, peas serve up a substantial amount of plant-based protein when they're the main attraction.

Peas look like any other vegetable, but underneath its coat lies the body of a legume. And that's not a metaphor. The outer part is really called a seed coat, and a pea is a type of legume, and that means it has plenty of plant-based protein just like beans and peanuts, around 4 grams per half cup.

And while it's not nearly as much protein as chicken or peanut butter, every bit counts when you're trying to sneak it (in the case of kids) in or pack it on (in the case of micronutrients and lean muscle). And unlike deli meat and hot dogs, which are sources of protein you should avoid, peas are packed with non-protein nutrition as well.

When talking about peas and protein, it's important to note that you'll hear a lot of talk about "complete proteins," which include the nine health-essential amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. While it is true that peas are technically a complete protein in that they have all nine, they're low on one of them (methionine), meaning they shouldn't be your sole source of protein. But they're still a very healthy addition to your diet.

A pea-based salad might sound strange unless you hail from the Southern United States or shop at Woolworth's in Australia (which if you search their website seems committed to getting Aussies and Kiwis to eat this protein-rich side).

To get started, try the popular Southern English pea salad or a take on one of Woolworth's Australian English pea salads. Double the recipe for the dressing, though. You can use that later to whip up your own takes on a pea-based salad. For example, toss peas with a few thinly sliced radishes and some goat cheese and your dressing of choice. Or riff on your own to use up leftovers. Slice yesterday's chicken cordon bleu into a mound of peas and toss it with ranch dressing. Or go vegan with peas, broad beans, asparagus, and herbs tossed in a bright, lemony vinaigrette.

The best part of one of these salads is that thanks to the freezer, you don't have to do much preplanning. A bag of frozen peas quickly defrosts into the sweetest, freshest-tasting little legumes you could get unless you grow them yourself or can get them at a farmers market. And if you could get the fresh ones, you'd have to add a blanching step. Doesn't seem worth it when frozen peas are so handy.