Sweet green peas, bacon, and onions cooked together in plenty of butter. Petits Pois à la Française (French Peas) is proof that you don’t need complicated ingredients to make a side dish taste incredible.
Bonjour tout le monde! (Ha! I don’t really speak French).
Lately, I have been wanting to step outside of the Asian dishes I usually cook and try something completely new. I wanted a simple recipe that wouldn’t require a special trip to the grocery store or any extra spending, which is how I found Petits Pois à la Française. French cuisine often has a reputation for being expensive and complicated, but don’t let the name fool you. This dish is incredibly budget-friendly and relies on basic staples you likely already have in your kitchen.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Budget-friendly. It relies entirely on highly affordable staples like frozen peas and basic bacon, so you don’t need to buy any expensive specialty ingredients.
- Quick and simple. There are no complicated techniques. It is a straightforward, one-pan recipe that takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish.
- Tastes amazing. Cooking the peas in bacon fat and butter completely transforms them, adding a rich, savory flavor you don’t get from standard steaming.
- Uses up leftover lettuce. It is a practical way to use up the remaining lettuce leaves in your fridge. Since the lettuce wilts down in the pan, it doesn’t need to be perfectly crisp, saving those last few leaves from being thrown away.
What is Petits Pois à la Française?
Simply put, it is a classic French side dish of peas braised in a pan with butter, bacon, and lettuce. While the name sounds fancy, the process is incredibly basic. You start by frying bacon for the base, throw in a bag of frozen peas and some sliced lettuce, and let everything simmer together in a splash of chicken stock for about fifteen minutes.
If cooking lettuce sounds strange, it actually works just like throwing spinach into a hot stir-fry or soup. The lettuce wilts completely, loses its raw crunch, and absorbs all the rich, flavors from the bacon fat and butter. It leaves you with a simple side dish that tastes way better than plain steamed peas.
Ingredients for Petits Pois à la Française (French Peas)
Frozen peas. The main ingredient. Standard frozen green peas work here because they are frozen at their peak sweetness, making them taste just as good as fresh ones without the hassle or cost of shelling actual pea pods.
Lettuce. Butter lettuce is commonly used for this dish, but for this batch, I used romaine lettuce.
Unsalted butter. Standard, unsalted butter works perfectly. It allows you to control the salt yourself, especially since the bacon already adds a good amount of saltiness. You don’t need expensive European-style butter for this. Just use whatever regular stick of butter you already have in your fridge. You can also save an extra dab to stir in right at the end.
Shallots. This is traditionally used for this dish, but I used red onion.
Bacon. If you can find smoked bacon, better. I used regular bacon. If you need a substitute, you can use pancetta, diced ham, prosciutto, or salt pork.
Sugar. Brings out the natural sweetness of the peas and balances out the salty bacon.
Salt and pepper. You will need salt for the pea-blanching water, and then you use both at the end to season the final toss to your taste.
How to Make Petits Pois à la Française (French Peas)
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the frozen peas. Cook them just until the water starts bubbling again, which only takes a minute since the peas are already tender. Then drain the peas right away and rinse them under cold water. This stops them from cooking further, so they stay bright green and firm. Set them aside.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and bacon and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to render the bacon fat and soften the shallot.
Add the peas, lettuce, and sugar to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. The sugar helps balance out the salty bacon and highlights the sweetness of the peas.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until the peas look shiny and the lettuce is soft. Stir in a little extra butter right before serving for a richer finish.
Transfer everything to a warm serving bowl, making sure to spoon all the delicious butter and bacon juices from the bottom of the pan right over the top. Serve it immediately while it is hot.
Cooking Tip
This dish comes together quickly once it hits the stove. Because you are adding ingredients to a hot pan back-to-back, it helps to have your mise en place ready before turning on the burner. Slice the shallot, chop the bacon, and shred the lettuce into separate bowls on your counter ahead of time. Having everything ready to go keeps the cooking process smooth and prevents the bacon or butter from scorching while you are prepping the next ingredient.
What to Serve with Petits Pois à la Française
Chicken thighs or drumsticks. Crispy, pan-seared chicken thighs or baked drumsticks are perfect here. They are easy to cook on a weeknight and taste amazing when the buttery peas and bacon run into the meat on your plate.
Pork chops. Just season them with salt and pepper, sear them quickly in a hot skillet, and serve them right alongside the peas.
White fish. You can use regular frozen fish fillets for this, like tilapia or cod. Just thaw them, pat them dry, and fry them in a pan with a little butter or oil until flaky. The mild fish balances out the rich flavor.
Mashed or baked potatoes. For a comforting meal, skip the meat entirely and ladle these warm peas, lettuce, and bacon juices straight over a big scoop of mashed potatoes or a split baked potato. The potatoes soak up all the extra butter from the pan.
Find the complete recipe card below with everything you need to make these French peas at home.
Petits Pois à la Française (French Peas)
Equipment
- pot
- strainer or colander
- medium saucepan
- knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 200g frozen peas
- 6 lettuce leaves finely sliced
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter plus a tiny dab to finish
- 1 shallot
- 25g bacon cut into thin strips
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the frozen peas. Cook them just until the water starts bubbling again, which only takes a minute since the peas are already tender. Then drain the peas right away and rinse them under cold water. This stops them from cooking further, so they stay bright green and firm. Set them aside.
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and bacon and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to render the bacon fat and soften the onions.
- Add the peas, lettuce, and sugar to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. The sugar helps balance out the salty bacon and highlights the sweetness of the peas.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until the peas look shiny and the lettuce is soft. Stir in a little extra butter right before serving for a richer finish.
- Transfer everything to a warm serving bowl, making sure to spoon all the delicious butter and bacon juices from the bottom of the pan right over the top. Serve it immediately while it is hot.
Storage and Reheating
Storage. Store any leftover peas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because of the delicate lettuce, the greens will continue to soften as they sit, but the flavors will deepen overnight.
Reheating. For the best results, reheat the peas gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a splash of water, chicken stock, or a tiny pat of butter to loosen up the glaze and keep the peas from drying out. Stir frequently for about 3 to 4 minutes until heated through to prevent them from turning mushy.
Freezing is not recommended for this finished dish. While frozen peas handle the freezer perfectly on their own, the cooked butter lettuce and shallots will lose their structure and become watery once thawed.
More Side Dishes Recipes to Try
Let’s connect!
I would love to know your thoughts if you decide to give these French peas a try. You can leave a comment below or find me on Instagram @barelysalted to let me know how it went. I am always happy to answer cooking questions or just chat about food, so please feel free to say hello ❤️
Happy cooking!
Warmly,
Jezelle
Leave a Reply