Healthy Recipes Healthy Main Dish Recipes Healthy Vegetable Main Dish Recipes 23 Recipes That Start with a Bag of Frozen Peas By Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a junior studying journalism, political science and history. During her time at college, she has worked as an editor and reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she wrote about culture and lifestyle. She is an editorial director at TREND Magazine, an on-campus fashion publication. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 9, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jacob Fox If you've recently done a freezer clean-out and found a bag of frozen peas, these healthy recipes are for you. From soups to salads, frozen peas are an easy way to add a delicious serving of veggies to your meal. Recipes like Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas and Gnocchi with Pea Pesto and Burrata highlight the sweet pea and are the perfect addition to tonight's dinner menu. 01 of 23 Pea Soup View Recipe This simple pea soup recipe makes an elegant start to a spring meal. It's also a great way to use frozen vegetables when the produce section is looking bleak. 02 of 23 Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas View Recipe Our healthy spaghetti carbonara recipe is lower in calories and fat than a traditional spaghetti carbonara recipe, plus it boasts 9 more grams of fiber per serving from whole-wheat pasta. For the best flavor, use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The eggs in the sauce are not fully cooked; if you're concerned about consuming undercooked eggs, use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs in this spaghetti carbonara recipe. 03 of 23 Quinoa with Peas & Lemon View Recipe Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh Green peas add a pop of color to this bright whole-grain side dish. Plus, choosing frozen saves you time—no shelling required! Want to save even more time? Use a pouch of precooked quinoa. 04 of 23 Tuna Casserole with Peas View Recipe Leslie Grow | Tuna Casserole with Peas Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition, has worked with many low-income families and is well-versed in the realities of putting food on the table that is healthy, affordable, tastes good, and isn't time-prohibitive. "A traditional tuna casserole provides both protein and carbohydrates to keep you full, and is kid-friendly and easy to make," she says about this tuna casserole recipe. 05 of 23 Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata View Recipe Jacob Fox Here we pan-fry gnocchi to get them crispy, then coat them with a pesto-like sauce made with sweet peas, spinach, basil and cashews. 06 of 23 Jerk Chicken with Coconut Rice & Peas View Recipe Add some flavor of the Caribbean to your weeknight dinners with this healthy and easy jerk chicken recipe. The chicken is cooked on a grill pan rather than an outdoor grill--make sure the pan is well-heated before adding the chicken to achieve the crisp char you would get from an outdoor grill. A simple side of coconut rice and peas completes this satisfying and nutritious meal. 07 of 23 Basil-Ricotta Cheese Dumplings with Creamy Peas & Bacon View Recipe In this dinner, ricotta dumplings are pan-fried until browned and served with creamy peas, bacon (or pancetta) and shaved Parmesan. Part-skim ricotta makes light and fluffy dumplings and adds protein to this elegant dish. For an easy mess-free way to shape the dumplings, see our tip on how to make quenelles. 08 of 23 Crispy Pea Fritter Salad View Recipe Jason Donnelly We mashed together peas, fresh mint and lemon zest with breadcrumbs to make small pan-fried cakes perfect for topping a salad. 09 of 23 Creamy Arugula Pesto Pasta with Peas & Tomatoes View Recipe Charlotte & Johnny Autry Here, we jazz up store-bought pesto with peppery arugula and tangy goat cheese to make a creamy pasta sauce. 10 of 23 Creamy One-Pot Orecchiette with Sausage & Peas View Recipe Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst This easy one-pot pasta recipe earns the title "creamy" thanks to the addition of sour cream and Parmesan, which combine to create a savory cheese sauce that clings to the orecchiette, peas and sausage. The best part about this recipe is that it only requires one vessel to cook everything—pasta included. By using the exact amount of liquid you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, adding even more creaminess. If you like spicy but not too spicy, use a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausages. 11 of 23 Creamy Lemon Orzo with Spring Peas View Recipe Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst, Prop Stylist / Holly Raibikis This recipe is an irresistible bowl-scraper. It's fragrant and flavorful from the shallots, garlic, lemon and tarragon, and creamy from cream cheese. Plus, with the addition of low-sodium broth, the orzo cooks in the same pan as the rest of the ingredients—no extra pot or strainer necessary. You can have this easy, comforting spring dish on your table in about 30 minutes. 12 of 23 Old Bay Salmon with Lemony Mashed Peas View Recipe Cooking butter until it browns adds a toasty, nutty flavor to this easy skillet salmon recipe. Here it gives Old Bay-rubbed salmon a chef-worthy finish—not bad for 20 minutes! 13 of 23 Mâche & Chicken Salad with Honey-Tahini Dressing View Recipe Photography / Jenny Huang, Food Styling / Tyna Hoang, Prop Styling / Nicole Louie If fresh peas aren't available, thawed frozen peas make an excellent substitute. Look for tender mâche at farmers' markets and natural-foods stores. 14 of 23 Warm Chicken Salad with Peas & Polenta View Recipe Typical kid-friendly fare gets a zap of fresh flavor from pesto in this easy 15-minute dinner. Make a quick creamy chicken salad with Greek yogurt, pesto and peas and serve over pan-fried polenta. Serve with a salad of greens and balsamic vinaigrette for a healthy dinner the whole family will love. 15 of 23 Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce View Recipe This steak, broccolini and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushrooms, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce. 16 of 23 Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice) View Recipe This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the crock pot. The instant brown rice is added near the end, to keep it from overcooking. 17 of 23 Classic Chicken Soup View Recipe Classic chicken noodle soup gets a healthy upgrade with low-sodium chicken broth, whole-wheat egg noodles and tons of vegetables. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. But you're short on time, feel free to use pre-cooked chicken and start the recipe at step 2. 18 of 23 Linguine with Lemon Alfredo Shrimp View Recipe This bright and lemony shrimp pasta dish was inspired by traditional Alfredo but comes in at only a fraction of the fat and calories. Reduced-fat cream cheese adds body to the sauce, while Parmesan cheese adds its signature robust flavor. This recipe calls for brown rice pasta, which is gluten-free, but if gluten is not a concern for you feel free to serve this sauce over regular linguine or fettucine—or any pasta you like! 19 of 23 Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions View Recipe This superfast one-dish dinner is full of classic flavor and is such a crowd pleaser that you'll want to work it into your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes. 20 of 23 Vegetable Barley Soup View Recipe This warming vegetable barley soup uses easy-to-find produce and frozen veggies, making prep simple and easy. It makes plenty to feed a hungry family, plus it freezes beautifully so leftovers can be enjoyed again and again. 21 of 23 Tarkari (Afghan Vegetable & Chickpea Soup) View Recipe Try topping this simple but satisfying vegetable soup with a spoonful of Red Chutney. Recipe adapted from New Arrivals Supper Club chef Naseema Kashefi. 22 of 23 Pineapple Pork Fried Rice View Recipe This one dish meal is bursting with texture and taste. Fresh pineapple, crisp-tender carrots and celery, and pungent ginger combine with pork in this homemade fried rice recipe that's ready in 45 minutes, start to finish. 23 of 23 Asparagus Tart View Recipe Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke This asparagus tart is balanced by notes of savory Gruyère, fresh asparagus and creamy ricotta cheese. Sweet peas and honey round out the flavors, with a dash of heat coming from crushed red pepper. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit