Snow Pea Salad (Italian-Style)

This crisp and refreshing snow pea salad is a healthy light lunch or side dish that’s full of color and flavor. Fresh snow peas, cherry tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, and a tangy mustard dressing come together in just 20 quick minutes.

There are so many delicious snow pea recipes out there to love, but one of my favorites is this Italian-inspired snow pea salad. It’s a nice change from classic green salads and has a great texture thanks to the blanched peas, tomatoes, nuts, and croutons.

It’s light enough to be a great side dish, but sometimes I’ll whip it together for a healthy lunch. It takes just 20 minutes to make from start to finish and I never feel heavy after eating it, even if I have a big bowl.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s healthy thanks to the fresh ingredients and light vinaigrette dressing.
• The texture of snow peas, juicy tomatoes, pine nuts, and croutons is a great change from classic lettuce salads.
• It can easily stand alone as a light lunch, or be served as a side salad.

Ingredients

The fresh ingredients and pantry staples you’ll need for this recipe are available all year long at most grocery stores. But, if you can’t find something, you’ll find my best substitution recommendations here.

• Snow Peas– Sugar snap peas can be substituted, but they don’t have the same texture.
• Cherry Tomatoes– Any small tomato, or a tomato cut into small wedges or slices could work.
• Pine Nuts – Walnuts are a common alternative.
• Mozzarella Balls
• Green Onion – Try chives if you can’t find green onions.
• Basil
• Ciabatta Bread – A sourdough loaf or baguette would work if needed.
• Olive Oil – Any neutral flavored oil can be used.
• Dijon Mustard – Yellow mustard is the best swap if you need one.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – White wine vinegar is a good substitution.
• Honey

Be sure to check out my how to cook snow peas guide before getting started so you can discover the best way to trim the strings off the pods before cooking.

Instructions

Unlike my snow pea chicken stir fry, we’ll be cooking the snow peas in water for this recipe. You’ll need a pot of boiling water to blanch them in, and a sheet pan for the pine nuts and croutons.

Start by roasting the pine nuts on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes in a 350°F oven. Stir after 5 minutes, then check regularly until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Then cube the ciabatta bread and toss it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread it on the baking sheet and place it on the center rack of the oven for about 15 minutes. They should become crisp, without being deeply browned.

While the croutons are baking, blanch the snow peas by dropping them into the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and add them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Next make the dressing by whisking together the honey, vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice the tomato and green onion into thin rounds.

Assemble your salad by tossing the peas, pine nuts, croutons, mozzarella balls, basil, onion, and tomato in a bowl with the dressing.

Serving and Storage

You can easily make a crisp salad like this one up to 4 hours in advance. The tomatoes will get softer the longer they’re refrigerated, but as long as it’s served the same day, the salad will be great!

For any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy them within 3 days for best quality.

This salad is a great example that snow peas can be enjoyed not only in Asian recipes. I hope you enjoy it and decide to also check out the many other chopped vegetable salads on the blog.

• Pickled Chayote Salad with Apples and Radishes
• Creamy Celery Root Salad with Apple
• Shaved Brussels Sprout and Pomegranate Salad
• Microgreen Salad with Avocado