Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe

Nothing’s better an a warm summer day than a cool, creamy salad, and preferably one that has enough to actually be the meal. That’s this recipe.

Cheese, tomatoes, peppers, ham, bacon, even onion and almonds. And of course, peas with their sweet, toothsome coolness.

I don’t want to be the one to tell you, but you’ll find out anyway — the lemon parmesan dressing in this recipe is good enough to drink!

Creamy Lemon Parmesan Pea Salad

Ingredients

16 ounce package of frozen petite peas, thawed

1 - ½ 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

8 ounces mild-to-medium cheddar cheese, cut into ¼" chunks

½ cup chopped red onion

½ cup slivered almonds

Lemon Parmesan Dressing

sour cream

½ cup plain mayonnaise

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (very finely grated)

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

Instructions

Prepare Lemon Parmesan dressing FIRST.

Add all ingredients together and set aside in the refrigerator for the flavors to marry a bit.

For the Pea Salad

1. On medium heat, cook the pancetta/bacon until crispy with a nice, ruby-brown color. Set aside to add to the salad later.

2. Gently mix together the peas and chunks of ham, cheese, and green pepper.

3. Pour in ALL of the dressing.

4. Then add the chopped tomatoes, chopped bacon or pancetta and slivered almonds, gently mixing in.

5. You can make this pea salad ahead by about an hour, but you don't want the bacon/pancetta or the almonds to get soft and mushy, so add those just before serving.

6. Chill and enjoy!

About the Author:

Roz Corieri Paige is the author of La Bella Vita Cucina, a food and lifestyle blog where she inspires others to live life more deliciously and beautifully, whether in the kitchen or the garden. Find out more Roz at italianbellavita.com.