Quick & Easy Bacon Pea Salad

This Quick & Easy Bacon Pea Salad is the perfect side dish! This simple recipe is welcome at any meal and is always a crowd-pleaser at potlucks, barbeques, picnics, and Church lunches.

Last Friday was one of those cool fall evenings, perfect for a backyard fire. We roasted hot dogs, opened a bag of potato chips, and I whipped up a batch of this quick and easy Bacon Pea Salad. It was the perfect meal for a cozy family night, topped off with smores for dessert.

I’ve made Bacon Pea Salad countless times for picnics, potlucks, and simple family meals. It’s one of my go-to’s when I need to make something fast that I know MOST people will love and eat.

Why You’ll Love This Quick and Easy Bacon Pea Salad

• The actual prep time takes about 10 minutes – just mix everything but the bacon together, chill and stir in the bacon when you’re ready to serve it.
• There is something really awesome about the flavor/texture of the peas, bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese mixed together. Frozen veggies never tasted so good!
• You can easily swap out half a cup of real bacon bits for the bacon strips, making this side dish even easier.
• Swap the bacon out for turkey bacon or even leftover Easter ham for another tasty combination.

What You’ll Need to Make Quick and Easy Bacon Pea Salad

• 4 cups of frozen peas (thawed)
• 3/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup of prepared ranch dressing
• 1/3 cup of diced red onion
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of pepper
• 8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

To make this recipe even easier, you can substitute 1/2 cup of real bacon bits (the kind that look and feel like REAL bacon, not the dried kind) for the bacon strips.

When I made the recipe for these photographs, I used turkey bacon and reduced-fat ranch dressing to make it a little healthier.

How to Make Easy Bacon Salad Side Dish

Step One

Combine all of the ingredients except for the bacon in a large serving bowl, making sure that everything is coated with ranch dressing.

Cover the bowl and put in in the refrigerator, allowing it to chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Step Two

Sir in the bacon crumbles just before serving.

Even More Easy Side Dishes!

• Easy Everything Bagel Roasted Potatoes
• Za’atar Rice with Roasted Vegetables
• The Absolute BEST Spicy Cucumber Salad
• Quick & Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
• 3-Ingredient Beer Bread
• No Effort 3-Ingredient Onion Roasted Potatoes
• Easy Asian Sesame Snow Peas
• Easiest Ever Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cranberries

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