The delicious combination of peas and pearl onions is fancy enough for any special occasion, but the recipe is simple enough to be part of any weeknight dinner. From start to finish, this dish is ready in about 30 minutes.
Where peas are concerned, I am outnumbered. Baker’s Man, Sue Chef, and Bus Boy all love green peas, but I almost never make them. They were served so often when I was a child that I got tired of them. Peas seemed boring, so I just rarely made them. The exception to this moratorium on peas were as follows. I will eat raw peas like a starving man. I don’t care if they are snap peas or shelled peas. Raw peas are delicious. I love Pea Salad and Pea Soup. I also like peas in my vegetable soup and in my Spaghetti Carbonara. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just considered them too common place for my dinner table, but that all changed when I first tasted Peas and Pearl Onions.
The most complicated part of this dish is peeling the onions, but that’s not really hard. As long as you know the secret, you won’t shed a tear. The unpeeled onions are dropped into a pot of boiling water where they are allowed to cook for about 3 minutes.
At the end of this cooking time, they are drained and submerged in cold water. This is done for two reasons. It stops the cooking process, and it cools them enough that you can handle them.
The onions are drained again, and the ends are cut off. 
Once this is done, onions can be pinched out of their skins fairly easily so that you can get on with the next step of the recipe.
The peas, onions, and other ingredients are tossed in a saucepan where they are first steamed, then uncovered to allow the liquid to reduce. In about 5 minutes, the Peas and Pearl Onions are ready to be served.
Peas and Pearl Onions are really good. Even Food Critic ate some, and he usually eschews anything green.
Give our recipe a try. You’ll be glad you did. Leave a comment to let us know what you think.
Thanks for visiting Patty Cake’s Pantry.
- 1 (8 ounce) package of pearl onions
- 1 (16 ounce) package of frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pinch of sugar (optional)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Drop the un-peeled pearl onions into the boiling water and allow to boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the onions from the water and cool them with cold water.
- Carefully cut off the top and bottom end of the onions and pinch off the skins.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the chicken broth.
- Add peas, and onions to the pan and mix well.
- Sprinkle with dill weed, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Add the optional sugar if you are using it.
- Cover the pan and allow the vegetables to steam for about 3 minutes over medium heat.
- Remove lid, and allow the liquid to reduce, carefully stirring the peas and onions occasionally.
- This takes about 2 or 3 minutes longer.
- Serve alongside your favorite entree.
Nutritional Information per serving for Peas and Pearl Onions with added sugar.
| Nutrition Facts |
| Amount Per Serving |
|
Calories 85
|
|
% Daily Value
|
|
Total Fat 3.2g
5%
|
|
Saturated Fat 1.9g
9%
|
|
Trans Fat 0.0g
|
|
Cholesterol 8mg
3%
|
|
Sodium 110mg
5%
|
|
Total Carbohydrates 11.1g
4%
|
|
Dietary Fiber 3.8g
15%
|
|
Sugars 4.0g
|
|
Protein 3.6g
|
|
Vitamin A 26%
Vitamin C 13%
|
|
Calcium 2%
Iron 6%
|
Nutritional Information per serving for Peas and Pearl onions without added sugar.
| Nutrition Facts |
| Amount Per Serving |
|
Calories 84
|
|
% Daily Value
|
|
Total Fat 3.2g
5%
|
|
Saturated Fat 1.9g
9%
|
|
Trans Fat 0.0g
|
|
Cholesterol 8mg
3%
|
|
Sodium 110mg
5%
|
|
Total Carbohydrates 11.0g
4%
|
|
Dietary Fiber 3.8g
15%
|
|
Sugars 3.9g
|
|
Protein 3.6g
|
|
Vitamin A 26%
Vitamin C 13%
|
|
Calcium 2%
Iron 6%
|
I made these peas and pearl onions to serve with a roast chicken and even our son, who claims to hate peas, loved it. Definitely making this again.
Marta, I am so happy to hear that your son liked this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
I love this recipe. It is simple and easy, yet still flavorful. Even my picky eaters ate it. Thank you!
Michele, I am so happy that enjoyed this recipe and that even your picky eaters ate it. Thank you for taking the time to tell me.
Great idea! I love peas but I often get kind of bored with them as well. I bet they are delicious with the pearl onions and dill.
Bernice, the pearl onions and dill really do make this taste so good. I really hope you get a chance to try them.
This is such a classic recipe! I remember this side dish showing up in old school TV dinners when I was little, but didn’t care for onions back then. Forgot all about it until recently and now love it!
Lauren, recently, an older friend told me that she made creamed peas and pearl onions, so you know I have to try that one.
Loving this pea and pearl onion recipe! It is the perfect side dish!
Kayla, thank you. We love this, too. In fact, we’re trying to decide if we’re having it with this years Thanksgiving dinner or not.
Fancy and simple! Love those two words when it comes to a recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Liz, I agree with you. I want things to seem fancy, but I don’t want to work that hard to create dinner. This recipe definitely fits the bill.
I laughed a little when reading your post. I rarely make peas because we had them a lot growing up as well! Ha! I thought I was the only one! But I’ve never had peas with this much flavor! These will be great!
Leslie. I’m glad to know that I’m not alone. My husband and children love peas, and I struggle to make them for them except for this recipe and my pea salad. I really love pea salad.
This looks like a perfect side dish for thanksgiving! Thanks for the recipe, I’m sure we will love it!
Kathryn, We made this for Thanksgiving dinner a couple of years ago, so you’re right. It’s perfect. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Fresh pearl onions made such a big difference in this dish. Everyone really enjoyed it
Dennis, Thank you for leaving a comment. I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the peas. I agree that the fresh pearl onions always seem to impart more flavor then the frozen ones, and I feel that extra flavor justifies the additional work it takes to use the fresh ones. You could also use some fresh, shelled peas, but I can’t ever find them in my local grocery stores any time of year.
I rarely serve peas on their own as a side dish although I also love them in soups and pasta dishes. This combination of peas with pearl onions sounds really good. Definitely going to give it a try!
Jacqueline, I’m glad to learn that I’m not the only one who feels that way about peas. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it.
Oh wow – I have never seen a healthy combo like this. It surely looks unique!
Elaine, this is a fairly health combo, but you can make it less healthy by creaming them together. Recipe coming sometime in the future. Thanks for the comment.