There is nothing as satisfying as making food from produce from your own garden or picked up from your local farmer’s market. Some of our other garden-fresh favorites are Fried Yellow Squash, Easy Southern Tomato Pie, and Fresh Green Bean Casserole. If you have never had creamed peas and potatoes, you are in for a treat! I’m celebrating my mid-west roots with this recipe that was one of my childhood favorites and I still love today. It’s total comfort food and super simple, but so very good! Growing up, my grandma and mom made this with probably 2 or 3 times as much of the gravy or sauce so I always called it “pea and potato soup”. My family always just called it “peas and potatoes”. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I saw this referred to as “creamed peas and potatoes”. This dish is just like creamed corn, creamed spinach, and creamed onions where a vegetable is cooked in a simple white sauce. It’s homey and humble but makes for an interesting and tasty addition to a meal. We especially love it with barbecue chicken or grilled steak.
Recipe Ingredients
New potatoes: New potatoes are the first potatoes of the season, freshly dug out of the ground, and they can have red or yellow skins. They are smaller, have thin skin, and lower starch content. And they are SO good. Look for them early in the season at farmer’s markets, or you can use red potatoes, baby potatoes, fingerlings, or creamers any other time of the year since they also work with this recipe. This is a great article if you want to know more about new potatoes!Peas: The best peas for this recipe are fresh English peas straight from the garden, but you could use frozen peas if fresh peas aren’t in season.Milk: This is the basis for the gravy the coats every bite of peas and potatoes. I prefer to use whole milk for the richest results, but lower fat content will also work.Flour: This is the thickening agent that helps give a silky gravy texture.Butter: For flavor and richness. Buttery peas and potatoes are fantastic.Salt & pepper: For seasoning the potatoes. Be sure to taste and adjust as needed!
How to Make Creamed Peas and Potatoes
Cook the peas and potatoes
Start by boiling your potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may want to slice them in half, quarter them, or even cook them whole. I like them best when they are bite-size. Once they are fork tender, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. Add the peas to the water and cook them until they turn bright green. You could really cook them simultaneously with the potatoes by adding them toward the end of cooking the potatoes for 2-5 minutes, just be sure not to overcook them or they will turn to mush and not have the al dente bite that’s so good about fresh, properly cooked peas. If using frozen peas, skip boiling and just add them to the sauce later. Drain the water from the peas and potatoes and set aside.
Make the sauce
In the same pot, melt the butter then sprinkle with the flour. Whisk and cook until the flour has absorbed the butter and made a simple roux. Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper and cook until thickened. If it gets too thick, you can always add a little more milk. If it’s not thick enough, whisk some additional flour and milk together then add it to your sauce and continue to cook.
Combine to finish
Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked peas (or frozen peas, if using) and potatoes back into the pot and toss to coat them in the gravy. Be sure to taste them at this point and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Simmer until warmed all the way through, then serve hot.
What to serve with peas and potatoes
Grilled Ribeye SteakSouthern Fried ChickenGrilled Whole FishPerfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork RubSriracha Mayo Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops
Recipe Tips
If you like your creamed peas and potatoes extra sauce, feel free to double or even triple the sauce in the recipe. You can use frozen peas, which are picked and frozen at the peak of freshness and work great when fresh peas aren’t in season so you can enjoy this dish all year long!Don’t overcook the potatoes or the peas. The potatoes should just be fork tender where a fork slides into them but the potatoes don’t fall apart. If you want to make this ahead, keep in mind that the sauce will thicken in the fridge as it cools. To reheat leftovers, you will need to add a splash of milk and simmer on low on the stovetop until warmed through. Leftovers are good for 4-5 days stored in the fridge.
More Summer Side Dish Recipes
Italian Peas RecipeCorn FrittersZucchini BreadFried Green TomatoesHeirloom Tomato Salad with BurrataGrilled Corn Salad
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