Forget Boring Canned Peas – Add These Pantry Staples For A Southern-Style Upgrade

We do love a legume, and canned peas are among our favorites. They're easy to cook, can be paired with just about anything, and pack a nutritional punch. Plus, it's worth remembers that split peas are among the foods with more fiber than lentils. All those positives are tempered by one difficult-to-ignore negative: canned peas can be a bit "meh" in the flavor stakes. That is, unless you're a home cook steeped in the foodie traditions of the South. There, canned peas are combined with a few pantry staples to become a creamy, savory dish that's beloved by generations of folks. All you need are some finely chopped onions and a thin, roux-like sauce made from the pantry staples of butter, a little flour, and a dash of cream.

Some cooks use part of the liquid from the can as a base for the sauce, adding the peas in at the last minute so they don't get broken up by stirring. The onions bring a depth of flavor that the peas lack on their own, while the creamy sauce makes every mouthful feel a little bit luxurious. Many people are big fans of this simple but tasty dish, which is often served on toast (much like this creamy meal U.S. soldiers loved to hate) and gets special shout-outs on social media, with lots of people sharing memories of grandparents rustling them up or being served this dish as a Sunday dinner side.

Humans have been eating peas in various forms for millennia, but to 18th-century Europeans and rich American diners in the 19th century, they were often considered a luxury food, as they were so labor-intensive to prepare. By the time of the Great Depression, peas' fortunes had swung the other way, and creamed peas was a cheap, simple dish to eat at a time when there wasn't always much else going round. In the years since, people have been known to throw a few extras into their creamed peas, including small potatoes, pearl onions, and even homemade dumplings.

Anyone who takes one look at their dish of creamed peas and thinks it's begging for a handful of bacon would be right. That heads in the direction of another Southern dish that's similarly named but markedly different. Lady cream peas are made using the cream pea legume, also known as cowpeas or field peas, but if you've got some purple hull peas or even a can of garbanzos in your pantry, you can use those, too (just don't forget to give them a good rinse). They are all tossed in a skillet, alongside onion, garlic, and a smoky meat like bacon, before being covered with water and left to a long simmer. The result is a hearty, savory dish beloved by home cooks in the South and best served with corn bread. You probably won't want to exactly replicate this process with more tender canned peas, which might turn to mush over too long a heat.