Au Gratin Creamed Peas
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Try this southern comfort food favorite, au gratin creamed peas! Fresh peas baked in a creamy sauce and topped with a thick layer of cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. For more great sides like this one see my Side Dish page.
When I was young, creamed peas were a side dish staple that you could find served along with fried chicken or other comfort food dishes. I fell in love with this sweet creamy dish as a child. Nowadays it seems to be a rarity to find it on many restaurant menus.
Creamed peas are basically sweet peas in a white sauce or bechamel sauce. Sounds simple enough. Well, that was until I tried the au gratin peas at Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse. Their sweet peas are baked and topped with a layer of cheddar cheese. Yes please and keep them coming!
Au Gratin Creamed Peas
That’s when I went on a quest to find the recipe! The one that came the closest, in my opinion, is Emeril’s Sweet Peas Au Gratin. I think it is because of the addition of his own seasoning mix Emeril’s Original Essence. I did, however, make this delicious recipe a little less glamorous. Here is my version of his dish. Enjoy!
MAKE AHEAD: Place single servings in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
FREEZER: Place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in a microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes or microwave for 2-3 minutes on high until done.
AMAZON COOKING FAVS
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter + 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup onions, minced
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 16 oz bag organic frozen sweet peas, thawed
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ tsp Emerili’s Original Essence
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9×9 baking dish with the 1 teaspoon of butter and set aside.
- In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter.
- Add the onions and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to make a paste.
- Slowly stir in the milk and whisk to blend the mixture. Bring to a bubbling simmer.
- Cook the flour mixture for 4 to 8 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Add in the peas, salt & pepper to taste, stir to blend and pour into the 9×9 dish.
- In a small bowl mix the Emeri’s Essence with the breadcrumbs, then sprinkle them over the peas. Top breadcrumbs with the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20-25minutes.
Nutrition
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What is Emeri’s essence and is there something to substitute it with?
Hi Barbara, Emreil’s Essense is Emeril Lagasse’s original seasoning mix. It has salt, paprika, pepper, rosemary and dried onions. You can get it at any grocery store. There isn’t a substitute. You can try adding a little of each spice listed or you can leave it out. It just adds some flavor to the breadcrumbs.
Absolutely delicious! I have made this multiple times and it always gets rave reviews!
Forgive me I confuse easily, are there “two” creamy au gratin English Pea recipes on this page.. if so, which one do you recommend that we use? Thank you SO much:))
Diana, There is only one recipe in the post.
Hi Kim, this would fit perfectly in Food on Friday: August under the peas & beans theme. Hope you bring it on over to share with everybody. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thanks for the invite Carole! I linked it up.
Kim