Creamed Peas and Potatoes
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Creamed Peas and Potatoes is a classic side dish made with baby red potatoes and peas in a creamy sauce, with minimal prep time and ready in under 30 minutes!
Adding a cream sauce is the perfect way to dress up veggies for Thanksgiving or Christmas! For more great holiday side dish ideas, check out these Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Cauliflower Au Gratin, and Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole.
This is the perfect comfort food to serve on the holidays, and might just be your new favorite side dish! It’s cooked peas, potatoes, and onion in a creamy white sauce.
You can use this basic cream sauce to make creamy potatoes, asparagus, green beans, or any other vegetable you’d like. You can also use this sauce as a base to add other flavors, like a few cloves of roasted garlic or fresh herbs and seasoning.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Butter. Butter is used to make a roux, which is the key to thickening the cream sauce.
I use unsalted butter for this recipe, so I can add salt to taste later.
Gluten Free Flour. A few tablespoons of all-purpose gluten free flour mixed with the butter will thicken the cream sauce.
If you’re not gluten free, you can use regular flour.
Milk. I used whole milk for this recipe because it’s what I had in the refrigerator, and it adds enough fat while still being creamy. If you want to cut the calories, use 2% or skim milk instead of regular milk.
You can also use half and half or heavy cream. Or a mix of cream and milk, depending on how rich you want the sauce to be. Basically, more fat equals a creamier sauce.
Potatoes. We are using baby red potatoes for this recipe. They’re already small, so it’s easier to cut them to the right size.
You can also use full sized red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or fingerling potatoes. Just quarter them or cut them into 1-inch pieces.
Peas. I use regular frozen peas. When you see a recipe that calls for English peas, the frozen peas in the grocery store are usually the same thing. They’re green and sweet tasting, and if you grew them in the garden, they would require removing them from the shell before eating.
Onion. Onion is not traditionally in this recipe, but I really like the flavor so I added it. This is an optional ingredient. You can also use pearl onions.
I try to dice the onions small, you can also dice an onion quickly in a food processor. Caramelizing the onions before making the sauce is why my sauce doesn’t turn out as white as some recipes. If you want a white sauce, skip the onions or boil pearl onions ahead of time.
Spices. Usually this recipe would have some salt and black pepper, but I wanted to add some additional flavor so I’m also using a small amount of garlic powder.
How to Make Creamed Peas and Potatoes
- Cut the potatoes in half and add them to a medium pot. Add cold water to the potatoes until they are completely covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender, drain potatoes and set aside.Â
- While the potatoes are boiling, add the peas to a medium saucepan of water. Cook over medium-high heat in boiling water, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes. Then drain the water and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, add two tablespoons of butter and the onion. Cook until the onion in butter until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Then add the spices and remaining butter. When the butter has melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk everything together.
- When the flour begins to brown and smell slightly nutty, slowly add the milk while mixing. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, whisking often.
- Once it begins to thicken, add the potatoes and peas, stirring everything together, and serve.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
If you refrigerate or freeze this dish, you can reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of milk as-needed until it reaches the desired consistency.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- Crispy Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges
Frequently Asked Questions
You can add more flavor to this dish a few different ways.Â
First, add more fat to the dish. You can do this by switching from milk to a heavy cream. This will also make it more creamy.Â
Second, this recipe is typically a pretty basic dish, but there’s no reason you can’t add spices and herbs to suite your own taste. Try some paprika, cayenne or red pepper flakes for spice, or sautéing some leeks with the onion.Â
This happens when the sauce is overcooked, or the cold milk was added too quickly.Â
To prevent this, add the milk very slowly while whisking. It’s even better if you warm the milk slightly before adding it to the hot pan. You also want to watch the sauce closely while it’s cooking, so it doesn’t boil and break apart.Â
Cooking Tips
- If you don’t have baby potatoes, you can use a larger variety and just cut it into quarters (or 1-inch big). For red, gold, or fingerling potatoes you can leave the potato skins on. For russet potatoes, peel the skin first.
- For more flavor, top with some parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, or white cheddar cheese, and a bit of bacon. Use 3-4 slices bacon, cooked crispy and broken into pieces.
- If you want a thicker sauce, add an additional tablespoon of gluten free flour to the onion before adding the milk.Â
- How long it takes the potatoes to cook depends on the size of the potato pieces. Larger potatoes will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook than mini potatoes.Â
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Creamed Peas and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, washed and cut in half
- 3 cups frozen peas
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 3 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour, 1:1
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 pot to boil potatoes
- 1 small saucepan to cook peas
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.
- While the potatoes are boiling, add peas to a medium saucepan of water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes. Drain water and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spices and remaining two tablespoons of butter. When butter has melted, add flour and whisk together.
- When the flour begins to brown, slowly add the milk while whisking. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes, whisking often. Add potatoes and peas to the sauce and stir to mix everything together.
Notes
- If you want a thicker sauce, add an additional tablespoon of gluten free flour before adding the milk.Â
- If you don’t have baby potatoes, you can use a larger variety and just cut it into quarters (or 1-inch big). For red, gold, or fingerling potatoes you can leave the potato skins on. For russet potatoes, peel the skin first.Â
Nutrition
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