Green Pea Salad with Feta and Mint! This fresh and crunchy salad features three kinds of peas, pea shoots, mint, and feta, an easy to make dressing, and some whole grains to add a bit of heft. Serve with boiled eggs if you please!
I don't know about you guys, but I am in the mood for something crunchy, fresh, and bright tasting!
Spring hasn't exactly sprung yet in my neck of the woods, but that isn't stopping me from making this incredible Green Pea Salad with Feta because of my secret weapon: FROZEN PEAS!
If your farmer's market has fresh shelling peas going already, then by all means, shell those peas. Support local farmers!
But there's no shame in using frozen peas in this recipe either, whether your pea access is limited (the struggle is real) or whether you're just too lazy to shell all those peas. Lazy non-shellers, I salute you. I am you. You keep doing you.
Love the simplicity of peas? Me too! Try this Creamy One Pot Pasta with Peas. If you're looking for more fresh, seasonal recipes, check out these Six Spring Vegetarian Recipes to welcome the season.
What's in this green pea salad?
Picture it: THREE kinds of peas PLUS pea shoots to make this dish into a veritable pea extravaganza.
- Peas! --> Snow peas, please.
- Peas! --> Sugar snap peas.
- More peas! --> Good old reliable green peas.
- Pea shoots --> Because: balance.
- Feta --> Because not everything can be a pea.
- Kamut --> Or another chewy whole grain, like farro or barley.
- Mint --> A match made in heaven.
We're also going to make a tangy dressing with honey, dijon, olive oil, and some support crew like garlic and more mint. Yum!
How do you make this salad?
Here's the deal:
Step 1: Put everything in a bowl.
Step 2: Top with dressing.
Step 3: Mix it up!
When it comes to salads I often ask myself whether I'm looking for a starter / side salad or a meal salad. If the answer is meal salad I like it to stick to my ribs quite a bit, and so I've thrown in some cooked kamut to add some chew and heft.
I'm also all about eggs these days, so topping my green pea salad with a hardboiled egg seems only natural, but that's totally negotiable so don't be put off by it if you're not an egg person.
It's excellent for make-ahead meals, packed lunches, or picnic food, and is great eaten cold straight from the fridge, but is also perfectly willing to stand at room temperature for a couple of hours. Tasty enough for a fancy weekend meal but simple enough for a weeknight dinner, I hope you'll give this simple seasonal green pea salad a try.
Tips for rocking your green pea salad:
- Since this salad is super pea-centric, start with the brightest, freshest, crispest peas you can find. This is no place for sad, soft, imported peas.
- The one exception to the above being that you can totally use frozen green peas in place fresh if you can't find them, or if you're too lazy to shell them all. I am too lazy, so frozen peas are my jam.
- Want to make this green pea salad vegan? You totally can! Either leave out the feta, or replace with tofu feta or almond feta, or try a store-bought plant-based feta. Options!
- Can't find kamut? No worries! You can leave it out for a lighter salad, or replace with another grain of your choice. I like chewy grains like farro, barley, wild rice, or wheat berries here.
- Want to make this salad in advance? You're a meal-prepping hero! It'll last for a few days in the fridge and still be just dandy.
- Want to make more or less of this recipe? No problemo. Simply adjust the number of servings in the recipe card below, and it'll automatically adjust the portions for ya. Magic!
Hey Nutrition Lady, are peas healthy?
You bet your booty, they are! Peas are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and are a good source of protein, manganese, folate, vitamin B1, potassium, and phosphorous. The high fiber content in peas is thought to be helpful in lowering cholesterol and stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Plus all that protein (1 cup of peas contains 8 grams of protein) and a good selection of vitamins and minerals? Pass the peas, please!
Other tasty salads you might enjoy:
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Greek Cucumber Salad
Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Kale
Vegetarian Nicoise Salad
Green Pea Salad With Feta and Mint
Ingredients
- 1 cup kamut use farro, or wheat berries if you can't find kamut
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen green peas 200g
- 1 ½ cups sugar snap peas, chopped into bite-sized pieces 150g
- 1 ½ cups snow peas, chopped into bite-sized pieces 150g
- 1 cup pea shoots, rinsed and roughly chopped 50g
- 2 cups mint leaves loosely packed
- 5 oz package of feta crumbled
Dressing
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or other liquid sweetener
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To cook the grain
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, and then add the kamut. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered until the grain is cooked but still toothsome. Drain any excess liquid, and rinse well under cold water.
To make the dressing
- Whisk together crushed garlic, lemon juice, honey, mustard, dried mint, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the cooked kamut and toss with a fork. Set aside so the grain can marinate while you prepare the rest of the salad.
To make the salad
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the green peas and boil for 2-3 minutes, until the peas are bright green but still very firm.
- In the last minute of cooking add the sugar snap peas and snow peas to blanch just slightly.
- Quickly drain the peas into a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
- Add the drained blanched peas into a large bowl. Toss with the mint leaves, crumbled feta, and marinated grain. Add the pea shoots and toss well.
- Spoon into bowls to serve.
Nutrition
Originally published June 12, 2017. Updated, edited, and most recently published April 17, 2020.
Larni
Mouth watering! Can’t wait to try!
Christelle
On the menu for tonight! Easy to customize to suit the fussy one of the family. Thanks!
Katie Trant
Yay!
Tasha
Made this tonight for a picnic at the beach. Huge hit! 🙂
Katie Trant
Yay! Glad you like it!
kellie@foodtoglow
Whatever you decide, and however it pans out is the way it was meant to be. I have just one and do feel a wee bit sad that she doesn't have a sister (not by choice) but we've made our peace with it all and couldnt be happier now. Niko is precious, but another will be just as precious. Nature is great that way. And speaking of great that way, I LOVE your salad. MInt and peas in salad is a fave of mine but I've not had SO many pea options before. That egg makes it all sing.Yum! Pinned on several boards and Yummed too.
Katie Trant
Yes, I'm sure everything will work out the way it's supposed to. For instance, I desperately wanted a baby girl, but now I just love my boy so much I couldn't see it any other way. I'll work it out and figure things out (or the universe will take care of that for me). This is definitely a pea extravaganza, and by the way shot on one of the boards you recommended to me!
Heather
It's an interesting conundrum. A second child never gets one on one time in the same way the first does, but being a second child I don't think I suffered. But therw''s nothing wrong with having just one. As for having lots of time, I beg to differ...... ????. Mormor is happy with whatever you do!
Katie Trant
Not unlimited time, but nor do I think it's a rush. We'll find out!
Sue
As I have just been diagnosed with high cholesterol I am definitely trying this one. Don't stress on the second child. You still have lots of time.. My 42 year old sister just had her second. Make the most of this one on one time together
Katie Trant
Wise words from a woman with a lot of kids! I am certainly enjoying the one on one time. And plant-based diets have been consistently proven to be great for lowering blood cholesterol levels, so be sure to give it a try!