Cheesy Green Pea Casserole is a creamy, cheesy side of tender green peas folded into a cream of mushroom and sour cream sauce, covered with shredded cheddar and a crunchy layer of buttery Ritz cracker crumbs. It bakes until the sauce bubbles and the top turns golden brown, and it fits right in on the Thanksgiving table or at any gathering. It serves 6 and is ready in 45 minutes.
How to make it: Stir the soup, sour cream, a little cheddar and the salt together, fold in two cans of drained peas and spread it all in an 8×8-inch dish. Cover it with more cheddar and cracker crumbs mixed with melted butter, then bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden.
Why You’ll Love It
- No stove needed: the sauce comes together in one bowl, and the only cooking happens in the oven.
- Pantry staples: canned peas, a can of soup, sour cream, cheddar and Ritz crackers.
- Creamy under, crunchy on top: soft, saucy peas under melted cheddar and a crisp, buttery crumb crust.
- Easy holiday side: 15 minutes of prep, then it bakes while the rest of dinner comes together.
Ingredient Notes
Green peas: Two 14 1/2-ounce cans, drained well. Cans labeled green peas or sweet peas both work here.
Cream of mushroom soup: One 10 3/4-ounce can of the condensed kind with roasted garlic. It goes in straight from the can, with no water added.
Sour cream: One cup, or 8 ounces. Together with the soup, it makes the creamy base that holds the peas.
Cheddar: The cheese goes in twice. Stir 1/3 cup into the sauce and scatter 3/4 cup over the top. A Mexican 4-cheese blend can take the place of the cheddar in the sauce.
Ritz crackers and butter: One cup of crushed crackers mixed with 1/2 cup of melted butter makes the topping.
Cayenne pepper: Optional. A light sprinkle over the crumbs adds a little heat.
Ingredients
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for the sauce (or a Mexican 4-cheese blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) green peas, drained
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for the top
- 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- Cayenne pepper, optional, for sprinkling
How to Make Cheesy Green Pea Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8-inch baking dish.
2. Make the sauce. In a large bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, 1/3 cup of the cheddar cheese and the salt.
3. Fold in the peas. Gently fold in the drained peas, then spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
4. Add the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheddar cheese over the top.
5. Top with buttered crumbs. Mix the melted butter with the crushed crackers and spread the crumbs over the cheese. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper over the top if you like.
6. Bake. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and golden brown and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
Soup or White Sauce, Crackers or Fried Onions?
A pea casserole comes down to two choices: what makes it creamy and what makes it crunchy. Pick one of each and the rest of the method stays the same: peas into the sauce, sauce into the dish, topping on, into the oven.
Canned soup is the fastest road. Condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, a little cheese and salt are stirred together cold, the peas are folded in, and the dish goes straight into the oven. Nothing touches a skillet.
A broth white sauce takes one skillet and a few more minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of flour, then whisk in 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth and let it thicken. Off the heat, stir in 1 cup of sour cream, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
A half & half white sauce puts cheese into the sauce itself. Soften chopped onion and garlic in the butter, add the flour, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups of half & half. Fold the sauce into the peas with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar before it goes into the dish.
For the crunchy top, buttered crackers bake into a golden, buttery crust over a layer of melted cheese. French fried onions bring flavor to the peas and crunch to every bite, and they can go on at the start or near the end:
| Topping | When it goes on | Oven |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers mixed with 1/2 cup melted butter, over cheddar | Before baking | 350°F for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown |
| 2.8 ounces french fried onions | Before baking | 350°F for 20-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly |
| 1 cup french fried onions | Before baking | 375°F for 20 minutes, until the top is golden |
| 6 ounces french fried onions | After 20 minutes at 350°F | 5 more minutes |
Whichever topping you choose, spread it evenly over the top.
Tips for Success
Why does the white sauce taste like flour?
The flour needs to cook in the hot butter before any liquid goes in. Whisk it in and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the raw flour flavor is gone, then add the broth or half & half.
How thick should the sauce get before the peas go in?
With half & half, keep whisking until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. With broth, cook it over medium heat until it comes to a boil and begins to thicken, about 8 minutes.
When does the sour cream go into a white sauce?
Take the skillet off the heat first. Then stir in the sour cream with the seasonings, and gently fold in the peas once it is smooth.
Variations
- With mushrooms: stir 4 ounces of canned mushrooms, drained and rinsed, into the sauce along with the peas.
- With onion and garlic: soften 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion and a minced garlic clove in a little butter for 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant, then stir them into the sauce. For less work, add 1/8 to 1 teaspoon of onion powder instead.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Frozen leftovers keep their quality for 3 to 4 months, but FSIS lists cream sauce and mayonnaise among the foods that do not freeze well. Reheat leftovers covered, in the oven or microwave, until they reach 165°F. FSIS does not recommend reheating leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
This is a side made for the Thanksgiving feast or any gathering. Set it next to slow cooker turkey breast or easy slow cooker ham steaks, and round out the table with sweet potatoes with marshmallows and an easy creamy corn casserole. For more green on the plate, add smothered green beans or a cheesy asparagus casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make pea casserole?
Think of it as three layers: a creamy pea filling, a layer of shredded cheese, and a crunchy topping of buttered cracker crumbs or fried onions. Bake it at 350°F until the sauce bubbles and the top turns golden.
Can you use frozen peas in pea casserole?
Yes. Take them out of the freezer ahead of time and let them thaw, then fold them into the sauce just like drained canned peas.
Is pea casserole like green bean casserole?
Yes, the two are similar. Sweet peas stand in for the green beans, they sit in a creamy sauce, and french fried onions can go on top for crunch.
What size baking dish does it need?
An 8×8-inch dish holds two 14 1/2-ounce cans of peas and the sauce. For 32 ounces of peas, move up to a 9×13.
Final Notes
Keep a can of cream of mushroom soup and two cans of peas in the pantry, and this side is never more than 45 minutes away. If you have a question or make it for your table, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Cheesy Green Pea Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic condensed, 10 3/4 ounces
- 1 cup sour cream 8 ounces
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded, for the sauce; a Mexican 4-cheese blend also works
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans green peas 14 1/2 ounces each, drained
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded, for the top
- 1 cup Ritz crackers crushed
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- cayenne pepper optional, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, 1/3 cup of the cheddar cheese and the salt.
- Gently fold in the drained peas, then spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheddar cheese over the top.
- Mix the melted butter with the crushed crackers and spread the crumbs over the cheese. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper over the top if you like.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and golden brown and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
