Pea Salad with Creamy Lemon Parmesan Dressing
Author: Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina
Ingredients
- 2 16- ounce packages of frozen petite peas thawed
- 1 - 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 green bell pepper cut into ⅓" pieces
- 1 thick slice of ham cut into ¼" chunks
- 12- ounces thickly cut pancetta or bacon, cooked and then cut into ¼" chunks
- 6 - 8 ounces mild to medium Cheddar cheese cut into ¼" chunks
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup slivered almonds
Lemon Herb Parmesan Dressing
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- ½ cup plain mayonnaise yes, Italians use mayonnaise!
- ½ cup freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley minced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon each: sea salt freshly grated, and freshly cracked black pepper
For the Dressing:
Prepare Lemon Herb Parmesan dressing FIRST, by whisking all of the ingredients together.
Chill in the refrigerator for the flavors to marry.
For the Pea Salad
On medium heat, cook the pancetta/bacon until crispy with a nice, ruby-brown color. Set aside.
Gently mix together all of the ingredients except the bacon/pancetta and slivered almonds.
Pour in ALL of the dressing.
At this point if you want to make the salad ahead of time, allow the salad to chill in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours before serving (you don't want the bacon/pancetta or the almonds to get soft and mushy).
When ready to serve, add the chopped bacon/pancetta and slivered almonds, gently mixing them in.
Serve cold.
Buon Appetito!!
