Creamed Peas and Potatoes

Creamed Peas and Potatoes is an old-fashioned side dish that takes me right back to my grandparent’s dinner table in Pocatello, Idaho! Made with earthy peas and thin-skinned new potatoes fresh from Grandpa’s garden, I could easily make an entire meal out of this humble fare.

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 Steak
• Southern Fried Chicken
• Grilled Whole Fish
• Perfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork Rub
• Sriracha 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 Recipe
• Corn Fritters
• Zucchini Bread
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata
• Grilled Corn Salad

Print Pin Rate

Creamed Peas and Potatoes

4.75 from 4 votes

Amy Nash

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Creamed Peas and Potatoes is an old-fashioned side dish that takes me right back to my grandparent's dinner table in Pocatello, Idaho! Made with earthy peas and thin-skinned new potatoes fresh from Grandpa's garden, I could easily make an entire meal out of this humble fare.

Ingredients

  

123

• ▢ 1 pound new potatoes halved or quartered
• ▢ 1 cup shelled English peas
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon salted butter
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper or more to taste

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Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt the water. The rule of thumb is to add about 1 teaspoon of table salt for every quart of water. You need enough water to cover the potatoes, so it will probably be around 8-12 cups of water, so 2-3 teaspoons of table salt will be needed to season the water.
• Add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes, just until the potatoes are fork tender and can be easily pierced but aren’t falling apart. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set to the side.
• Cook the peas in the same water as the potatoes for 2-5 minutes until tender, but do not overcook. They should be bright green and still have some texture to them. If using frozen peas, there is no need to cook them at this point. Instead, wait to add them with the cooked potatoes to the sauce, then simmer until warm. Drain the water and add the peas to the potatoes. Set aside.
• In the same pot, melt the butter then sprinkle with the flour. Whisk until the flour has absorbed the butter, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the milk, then season with the salt and pepper and cook until slightly thickened. Add the peas and potatoes, stirring to coat in the sauce, and simmer until warmed through. If the sauce gets too thick, thin it out with some additional milk. If it isn’t thick enough, you can whisk more flour in to a little additional milk and stir that into the sauce to help thicken it.
• Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

• For salted water, add about 1 teaspoon of table salt for every quart of water. A quart is 4 cups. You should add the salt once the water comes to a boil.
• Feel free to double or even triple the sauce recipe, which is more like how my grandma and mom made it.

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 467IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg

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