Buttery peas and carrots is a simple side dish to make, this is comfort food the whole family will love. This side dish takes less than 30 minutes to make.
Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. That is why home cooks need to have a handful of recipes in their back pocket that are quick and easy to make, yet still, taste great. Cooking the main course is a snap; just throw a roast or chicken into the over, and the whole family is happy. Side dishes, on the other hand, can be a little more tricky.
A great side dish is one that pleases everyone and plays well with lots of different proteins. It gets bonus points if you can make it with staple ingredients you already have in the house. When it comes to a simple side dish that is versatile and a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes, it doesn’t get much better than peas and carrots.
Most people prefer tender-crisp carrots. That means the carrots are soft on the outside but still offer a little crunch in the middle. For larger chunks of carrots, it can take up to 9 minutes at a boil to reach the tender-crisp stage. Since this recipe calls for sauteing the carrots beforehand, reducing the boiling time to 6 – 8 minutes is adequate. It is worth noting that if you cut your carrots into smaller sizes or prefer harder or softer carrots, you will need to adjust the boiling time accordingly.
Cooking and Serving Tips For Buttery Peas and Carrots
Hold off on adding all the salt until the end. It is easy to overwhelm the balance of this side dish with too much salt. Especially if you are using chicken stock to replace the water, leave out half the salt at the beginning of the recipe. You can taste and add more salt if you think it is necessary right before serving.
Please treat your peas right. Frozen peas are perfect for this dish. In fact, unless you have access to straight-from-the-garden peas, flash-frozen peas have the best flavor. You don’t have to thaw peas, but at least remove any large ice crystals before adding them to the chicken stock to avoid watering it down. Do you want to add a dash of flavor to your peas and carrots? Mix a bit of the spice used in the main course into the peas and carrots before serving.
Love peas and carrots? Check out these other go-to side dishes to bring something new to the table
:
Red Lobster Chesapeake Corn on the Cob
You Can Make Delicious Buttery Mashed Potatoes
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Baby Carrots
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Buttery Peas and Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 pound baby carrots 4 large carrots
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion can use shallots
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup water can use chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat butter in sauté pan with a lid over medium heat. When it foams, add finely chopped and stir 2 minutes; add carrots and cook until tender.
- Add frozen peas, and stir to coat them well. Add stock, salt, and pepper, and cover. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the peas are cooked through.
Shanna says
These were delicious. So much better than canned. Yum yum.