Description

This Creamy Pea Salad with Ranch Dressing is a delicious, vibrant side dish perfect for gatherings or as a refreshing complement to any meal. With a mix of sweet peas, sharp cheddar cheese, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a rich ranch-flavored dressing, it’s a satisfying and flavorful salad that’s quick to prepare and sure to impress.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients

5 cups peas (preferably Birds Eye sweet peas for the best texture)
5 oz cheddar cheese, cubed into 1/4-inch pieces
3 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
6 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
2 tbsp pimiento

Dressing Ingredients

3/4 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s recommended for creaminess)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2.5 tbsp ranch mix (Hidden Valley for authentic flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Prepare the Bacon: Cook the six slices of bacon until crispy, either on the stovetop or in the oven. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble into small pieces.
Hard-Boil the Eggs: Boil the eggs until hard-cooked, about 10 minutes. Cool under cold water, peel, and chop into 1/2-inch chunks.
Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the peas, cubed cheddar cheese, sliced mushrooms, chopped onion, chopped hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, and pimiento. Gently mix to combine all the components evenly.
Make the Dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, ranch seasoning mix, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until smooth and well blended.
Toss the Salad: Pour the dressing over the pea mixture and toss gently until everything is fully coated in the creamy ranch dressing.
Chill and Serve: Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully, enhancing the overall taste.

Notes

Use freshly cooked bacon for best flavor and texture, but crispy pre-cooked bacon can be a convenient alternative.
If Birds Eye peas are unavailable, any good-quality sweet peas can be used, fresh or thawed from frozen.
For a lighter version, substitute half the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
This salad keeps well refrigerated for up to 2 days; stir before serving again as dressing may settle.
Feel free to add a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley or chives for extra color and freshness.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: No-Cook
Cuisine: American

Keywords: pea salad, creamy salad, ranch dressing salad, bacon salad, side dish, easy salad