Granny Jordan’s English Pea Pimento Casserole
Sometimes you just have one of those days. You know, the ones where you are torn between curling up in the fetal position, sending an SOS signal, or jumping off the craziness of your own roller coaster. Dang those days are fun, though. When they’re over, you kinda get to stand back and see what you’re made of. Survived another one. We’re all intact, and I managed to pull it off.
So tonight as I wind up one of those days I’m going to get you this post I had hoped to have up ten hours ago and then I’m going to go outside and take a few deep breaths of fresh air and maybe play a little hopscotch with my kids. It’s amazing what two younguns and a dollar bucket of sidewalk chalk can do for sanity.
This is Granny Jordan’s English Pea Pimento Casserole. Some folks call it a salad and that’s alright, too. She took it to just about every family gathering and countless church dinners. It’s one of those old fashioned recipes you don’t hear about much these days but you sure do get rave reviews when you make it. I love it and I hope you will, too.
You’ll need: Plain bread crumbs, little jar of pimentos, onion, butter, chopped celery, cream of mushroom soup, and some frozen sweet peas.
Chop up that onion
Pour your peas in a bowl
Granny’s recipe says to thaw them and I kinda did ~winks~
Okay, not really but do as I say don’t do as I do. You know how that goes.
Toss in your chopped onion.
Now this recipe leaves our onion with a little bit of a crunch and I really like it that way. Mama cant stand it though, so she likes to saute her onion a bit in a tablespoon or so of butter and then add it in. You go with whatever works best for you.
Add in your celery.
and your pimentos (after you drain them)
These little jars make the best bug keepers in the summertime!
Toss in your cream of mushroom soup and give that all a good stir.
Place it in a casserole dish
I am using a round one but you can use an 8×8 if you like or pretty much any ovenproof dish
now melt your butter in the microwave
add in your bread crumbs to the melted butter
Give that a stir
and sprinkle over the top.
like so 
This is my snowflake garland casserole dish
Isn’t that the prettiest color? I always call that Cinderella Blue
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned like this on the top.
This makes a great side dish to any meal, but it seems like we always eat it with ham.
Here it is pictured with baked ham, cheesy hash brown casserole, and MeMe’s Mashed Potatoes!
Ingredients
- 20 ounces frozen English peas, thawed and drained
- 8 ounce can water chestnuts, chopped and drained (optional)
- 2 ounce diced pimentos, drained
- 1/2 Cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoon margarine, melted
Instructions
- Combine everything except the butter and breadcrumbs. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Melt butter in microwave and stir in bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top of casserole and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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Ingredients
- 20 ounces frozen English peas, thawed and drained
- 8 ounce can water chestnuts, chopped and drained (optional)
- 2 ounce diced pimentos, drained
- 1/2 Cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoon margarine, melted
Instructions
- Combine everything except the butter and breadcrumbs. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Melt butter in microwave and stir in bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top of casserole and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on May 19 2010. Filed under Side Dishes.
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I’m going to try this but I have to be honest, I am completely leaving out the onion, LOL!! If I do use something in the onion family I will sautee a shallot otherwise no on the onion, LOL!!
I’m all about making it your own and making it work for you! Please let me know how you like it!
Gratefully,
Christy
Another great recipe – thanks so much Christy. Like your Mom, I saute my onions and also add a cup of sliced fresh mushrooms, sauted, to the mix – my family can never have enough mushrooms. This would be a great side for sliced steak and baked potatoes too!
Did you ever make cold pea salad? Instead of mushroom soup and breadcrumbs, mix in a cup and a half of mayo, and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese to all of your other ingredients. No baking – Chill for a couple of hours – great with BBQ or ham.
Can’t wait to try this, I am a raw onion lover. Also love your cheesy hash brown casserole, I make that about once a week…Thank you so much for sharing
Raw onion lover!!???? Sit next to me, my new best friend!
If you’re making that once a week, I’m gonna need your address and a place set at the table ~winks and grins~
Gratefully,
Christy
I think my hubby would like this, but I will probably cut it in half-just us 2.
I am one of those people….not too crazy about peas, but honey-pie hubby loves peas so I have a pretty good chance of making this ‘cuz it did look kinda yummy. You REALLY got my interest when you melted some butter and mixed in BREAD crumbs too mmmm.
Thrilled to finally find a good bug keeper during this post too. I go buggy often tee hee. Enjoy your time with your children and as always, thank you for giving us recipes, step by step and easy mcCheesy too. Hope you get some rest soon. Love ya T
This sounds like a Southern spin on an old dish I’ve had for years…well, at least when I lived up in New York! It was mmm mmm good!!!! And I bet yours is too!!!!
Thank you for bringing me a bit of my youth!!
Christy! I just love that you show the luscious meal with TWO potato dishes! I never met a tater I didn’t like! : ) just made me chuckle because my Mom was always a stickler for keeping the sides to one starch and one green veggie—she’d flip if I served this meal to her (Oh, she’d gobble it up but she’d comment for sure!)
LOL! I didn’t even think about that! how funny! I was taught in school the one green and one starch myself. I guess you and I are just wild women! lol
Gratefully,
Christy
My mother made something similar but was served cold as a salad. It included peas, cheddar cheese chunks, onion, pimentos, and mayo with crumbled up bacon on top. It is always a hit when I take it to potlucks!
That is what we call green pea salad (or English pea salad). I love that one. Schnuck’s has the best version in their deli and make it with half mayo and half sourcream. They mix their brown sugar bacon into the salad. I’ve learned to sub all natural sourcream for mayo or miracle whip in lots of recipes, even potato salad. Better for me and umm-umm!
this recipe sounds yummy! I’ll try it this weekend!
Christy,
This sounds so yummy, I’m making it for our next family get togeher. I will probably double it and I love onions especially Vidalia’s.
Annette
Dear Christy
This looks really scrummy and a definite one-to-do. What is the yellow side dish? It looks good too.
I remember my mother made a similar casserole but it also included asparagus and a chopped boiled egg – crushed Ritz crackers were the topping – I’m certain she used canned English peas, canned asparagus, pimientos and cream of mushroom soup also. As a child I didn’t want to try it, but once I did, I really did like it. Thanks for sharing your Granny Jordan’s recipe, I will try it, and perhaps use it as a foundation to recreate my mom’s asparagus version. (Oh how I wish I had paid better attention when Mama was cooking).
Karen, my mom made a casserole like the one you are talking about & we always just called it.. english pea & asparagus casserole(go figure!)didn’t have the boiled egg in it tho and we would use toasted bread crumbs(buttered of course) on the top. It had all the other stuff in it like your mother used. It was a “go to” side dish for family gatherings..I would never eat asparagus any other way except in this casserole for many years. I can send you my recipe for it if you want. I am trying Christy’s mom casserole today with Ina’s roast chicken,deviled eggs and what is left of Mr. Bill’s Apple Cream Cheese Cobbler!! Ain’t life grand!!
Christy, I do love the photos with your new camera. Not that your photos weren’t great before. I just think that the photos seem so crisp and sharp. Fabulous!
Looks like a great recipe for potlucks! I’ve had something similar that involved those cans of English peas that have baby pearl onions and mushrooms mixed in. That was a cold salad, though. I’m not a big fan of English peas by themselves, but I don’t mind them mixed with something else to
camouflagecomplement their flavor.The casserole looks great and I am sorry you had a bad day-but today will be good. Think +++++.
Looks like a great sidedish; luv, luv the flavor of pimentosI.
Wishing for a Cinderella dish , too. I recognize VIntage when I see it. Kind of wish my grandma had bought this set.
[...] English Pea Pimento Casserole [...]
Hello, I just ate this side with my lunch…my dh does not like garden peas,so made it just for me!!(lots of leftovers) I did not saute the onions and it had a very strong onion flavor which almost overpowered the dish.I did love the crunch,did opt for the water chestnuts.I will try again when I have a hankering for peas and maybe change a few things…maybe use green (spring) onions for possibly a milder flavor.I used the baby peas made by Birds Eye and they worked great,but could not find 20oz size, so had to buy 2- 16oz size and take 1/4 out of one bag,so now I will probably make a salad out of the remaining 12oz..it is looking like spring here in SC, almost!! Daffodils are popping up the stem part! I think this dish would be good for Christmas due to the green and red color! Thanks Christy
Sounds really good. I wondering if you could use the canned English peas, since i usually only keep the canned ones.
You could Aaron, your peas are going to be much softer though and you are going to have to be careful when stirring or you will end up with mashed peas.
Brings back beautiful memories of Sunday lunches at my Aunt Sara’s house as this and asparagus casserole were her two standards, opposite sundays. Thanks for sharing the recipe as I had long ago forgotten this one! I can see it on our table this Sunday!!!
I hope you enjoy it Sheila!! Weren’t Sunday dinners the best!?
This sounds like something different and interesting for Christmas dinner, thanks!!
I am going to make this! Sounds delish! I love your snowflake dish!