Pea Casserole
This is a great casserole for the holidays I found this on the potluck table at work and had to hunt down the owner and get the recipe I made a couple of changes to his recipe (he used sour cream and onion chips along with mild cheddar) and it has been a holiday staple at our table for a few years now As far as the baking dish goes I have found a more shallow 2 quart dish works best as the casserole layers are thinner
This is a great casserole for the holidays I found this on the potluck table at work and had to hunt down the owner and get the recipe I made a couple of changes to his recipe (he used sour cream and onion chips along with mild cheddar) and it has been a holiday staple at our table for a few years now As far as the baking dish goes I have found a more shallow 2 quart dish works best as the casserole layers are thinner
- Carbohydrate 47.0139999943679 g
- Cholesterol 763.1 mg
- Fat 306.506933333302 g
- Fiber 0.30666665968666 g
- Protein 77.7119333327281 g
- Saturated Fat 180.139959999995 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (1099g)
- Sodium 6850.59999999858 mg
- Sugar 46.7073333346813 g
- Trans Fat 29.2784399999907 g
- Calories 3211 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350
- Spray a 2 or 2 ½ quart casserole with non stick spray.
- Pour one can of the drained peas into the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Thinly slice half the butter , placing slices evenly on top of the peas.
- Sprinkle half of the dehydrated onions over peas/butter.
- Empty one can of the cream of mushroom soup onto the peas/butter/onions and gently smooth to the edges.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese evenly over soup.
- Sprinkle ½ cup of the crushed chips evenly over cheese.
- Repeat the layers again as above, starting with the peas and ending with the chips.
- Bake in the oven until bubbly.
Cream of mushroom soup functions as the foundational emulsifier in this casserole, binding moisture from the canned vegetables while introducing free glutamates that amplify savouriness across the starch and dairy layers. Mid-century American church suppers and holiday potlucks popularized this style of baked casserole, where processed canned soups replaced scratch-made velouté sauces to simplify assembly and ensure consistent moisture retention during baking. Understanding how individual components interact within a shallow two-quart dish prevents soggy textures and uneven heat penetration.
- Select a shallow two-quart baking vessel rather than a deep rectangular pan to maximize surface area, allowing the crushed potato chip topping to maintain structural crunch and preventing dense moisture pockets in the center.
- Slice the cold butter thinly and space the pieces evenly across the drained peas so that melting fats permeate the starch layers uniformly rather than pooling in isolated pockets.
- Bake the assembly in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges bubble vigorously and the sharp cheddar cheese melts completely into the mushroom soup matrix.
- Assemble the components up to twenty-four hours in advance and refrigerate the unbaked dish, adding the crushed potato chip topping just before baking to prevent sogginess.
Freezing this casserole is not recommended because the emulsified starches in the canned mushroom soup tend to break down and release excess moisture upon thawing. Proper heat management ensures that the crushed chips remain crisp while the underlying layers achieve a cohesive, tender consistency.
