This spring pea salad with goat cheese salad is a vibrant salad recipe, healthy, nutritious, and loaded with farmers market produce. Ready in no time, it’s the perfect salad for spring and summer.
This green pea salad recipe was directly inspired from a quick lunch with friends during my last visit in Paris. We had planned our visit at the last minute so our friends whipped up a quick and simple meal that turned out to be a feast!
The spotlight was this very refreshing green pea salad with fresh goat cheese, mint and toasted pine nuts. It looked so simple, yet absolutely delightful, with the right balance of sweet, sharp and refreshing flavors, with just a subtle crunchy touch. Our friends served it with some cold smoked salmon chunks to complete the meal. I highly recommend!
Why you’ll love this spring pea salad:
- A quick salad recipe ✔
- Even a beginner in the kitchen can make it ✔
- A great way to up your green game ✔
- Healthy, nutritious and gluten-free ✔
What goes into this spring pea salad?
- Green peas/spring peas. If in season, you can use fresh green peas from the farmers market, blanch them and allow to cool completely before using. Otherwise, frozen peas work fine too. Avoid however canned green peas that are overcooked and not suitable for this recipe.
- Goat cheese. Any kind of goat cheese could do, but you’re looking here for a fresh and creamy goat cheese.
- Red onion. It could as well be replaced with shallots for more subtle flavors. Adjust the quantity to your liking, up to half a medium onion or 2 small shallots. I also tried a version with finely chopped spring onions.
- Pine nuts. Don’t forget to toast them a few seconds in a pan placed over medium-high heat so they get crispy and golden in color.
- Fresh mint. Green peas and mint are an amazing combo. Use as much mint as you can!
A subtle vinaigrette
When it comes to tossing all the ingredients together, the idea is to subtly enhance the flavors with just a little bit of olive oil and vinegar (to which I added a pinch of coriander). A heavy, cream-based dressing would be too overpowering. Sometimes, simplicity is best!
Tips to make this salad recipe a success
Be reassured here: like most salad recipes, it mostly consists of tossing all the ingredients together. There is barely any way you can fail this spring pea salad. That being said, I noticed a few elements that guarantees an extra delicious version of the salad. Here are my tips:
- Use your green peas COLD. Whether you use them fresh or frozen, you’ll need to blanch them i.e. plunge them briefly in boiling water to cook them. When this step is done, plunge green peas in a large bowl filled with cold water and ice to stop the cooking and keep their bright green hue.
- Go mint or go home! In other words, there is never too much fresh mint for this salad recipe. The more you add, the more refreshing flavors you’ll get. I also recommend to chop them roughly to spread evenly in the salad (you can keep the pretty leaves for decoration when serving).
- Don’t pass on the toasted pine nuts. Again, a simple detail that adds some crunch to the salad and a little je-ne-sais-quoi that makes each bite absolutely irresistible. To toast them, simply add them to a frying pan with no fat placed over medium-high heat, and keep shaking for a few seconds until pine nuts turn golden-brown.
- Make-ahead tips. If you’re planning ahead or consider leftovers, I recommend to keep the salad and the vinaigrette separately, and toss just before serving. Even more important consists in adding the fresh mint leaves just before serving, as they loose their refreshing flavors quickly and turn into an unpleasant dark-brown color with time.
Make the recipe yours!
There are so many ways to jazz up this spring pea salad recipe. You can replace the goat cheese with feta or spoonfuls of ricotta, add some sliced radishes, cucumber, avocado or even chunks of salmon if you’re more on the flexitarian side rather than strictly vegetarian.
You can also play with the additional touches i.e. the herbs and nuts. Try for instance to replace mint with basil, and toasted pine nuts with sliced almonds.
More refreshing salads:
- Strawberry Burrata Salad with Mint Pesto
- Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
- Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
With green peas, try also…
Spring Pea Salad with Goat Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Diet: Vegetarian
This spring pea salad with goat cheese salad is a vibrant salad recipe, healthy, nutritious, and loaded with farmers market produce. Ready in no time, it’s the perfect salad for spring and summer.
Ingredients
- 3 cup (450g) fresh or frozen green peas
- 5.3 ounces (150g) fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ to ½ red onion, minced or sliced (or 1–2 small shallots)
- 2 handfuls fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the fresh or frozen green peas, and cook for 3 minutes from when it starts boiling again. Drain them and plunge them into a large bowl of water with ice cubes to stop the cooking, then drain them.
- Add green peas, fresh goat cheese, red onions, mint and toasted pine nuts in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small glass jar, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard and seasoning. Pour over the salad ingredients and toss well. Enjoy!
Notes
* Make ahead tips. Store the salad ingredients and the vinaigrette separately, and assemble the salad just before serving. I also recommend to add the fresh mint right before serving to keep their bright green hue and their refreshing flavors.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Spring Pea Salad with Goat Cheese, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Ellen
Creative, healthy, colorful recipe! Also beautiful. With a roll, that lunch would be delectable.