Soul Food Recipes Black Eyed Peas

Pinterent September 14, 2023 Comment

This black-eyed peas recipe is comfort food at its best! A soul food staple, black-eyed peas are cooked with bacon and sausage until perfect and creamy. Eat for New Year’s Eve if you want prosperity in the new year, or all year long if you are craving something delicious.

Serve these black-eyed peas with rice for a satisfying meal! It also goes great with my collard greens and a side of cornbread, turning them into a true Southern feast.

Black-eyed peas are more than good luck charms on New Year’s Eve, they are something I like to eat all year round!

Simple Southern Black Eyed Peas

And while they are very much associated with Southern cuisine, they are also popular in my home country, Brazil. Coincidentally, this black-eyed peas recipe resembles many I’ve seen shared in soul food blogs, just not spicy – as Brazilian cuisine is rarely spicy.

That leads me to (boldly) thinking it would be perfectly fine to serve them as part of both a Southern meal as well as a Brazilian one. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise, as both these cuisines have strong African roots and black-eyed peas come from Africa.

Despite the name, black-eyed peas (also known as cowpeas) are not peas but beans! Native to Africa, they are rich in iron, potassium, fiber and protein while also low in fat and sodium.

Black Eyed Peas

They are popular in several cuisines around the world, including Brazil, where they are called “feijão fradinho” and used to make the popular acarajé (black-eyed pea and shrimp fritters).

Here in the United States, they are a soul food staple in the South. In fact, Southerners believe that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring you prosperity in the new year.

The first one claims that when General William T. Sherman pillaged the Confederates’ food supplies, it left black-eyed peas and salted pork untouched, saying they were animal food and unfit for human consumptions. These supplies ended up helping Southerners survive the winter, so the black-eyed peas became a representation of good luck.

Creamy Black Eyed Peas Recipe

They taste like most beans: savory, starchy and a touch of nutty. They are also pretty earthy! When cooked, they have a dense, creamy consistency that is absolutely delicious.

Optional: I like to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Black-eyed peas don’t produce a dark broth like most beans, and I find that they look more appetizing if I add a bit of color with the tomato paste.

Cooking black-eyed peas is no different than cooking any other bean. Here I’m showing you how I cook them on the stove, but you can certainly adapt this recipe for the instant pot or slow cooker. I’ll share instructions down below!

Black Eyed Peas With Bacon And Pork Recipe

I recommend using a Dutch Oven – because they retain and distribute heat evenly – but any heavy bottomed pot will do! Just make sure to keep an eye on your black-eyed peas while they cook, as pots and stoves vary and you might need to add some more liquid if the broth is evaporating too fast. There should always be liquid covering your beans as they cook.

Here’s how I make this black-eyed peas recipe. As always, you will find the printable (and more complete) version of the recipe at the end of this post!

To cook black-eyed peas in a pressure cooker, heat the oil on the sauté mode and then brown the bacon and sausage. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Stir in the soaked or unsoaked black-eyed peas, bay leaves, seasonings and broth. Make sure to not exceed the max fill line for your Instant Pot. Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and then let pressure release naturally. (Check for tenderness and cook longer if needed.) Turn the sauté mode again, smash 1/2 cup of peas and return them to the pressure cooker, letting the broth boil until it reaches the desired consistency. Discard bay leaves, stir in the parsley and scallions, adjust seasoning and serve!

Southern Style Black Eyed Peas Soup Recipe With Ham

To use a slow cooker to make this black-eyed peas recipe, follow the recipe as written to brown the bacon and sausage, and sauté the aromatics on the stove. Then, transfer everything to the slow cooker, and add the black-eyed peas, bay leaves, seasonings and broth. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or high for 4 to 5 hours), or until the peas are tender. Smash 1/2 cup of the beans and return to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the broth thickens to the desired consistency. Then, discard bay leaves, stir in the parsley and scallions, adjust seasoning and serve!

To me, a pot of hot black-eyed peas goes with white rice like Romeo goes with Juliet! 😂 And, together, they make a great side for chicken or beef.

In the South, they are often accompanied by greens (collard-greens, cabbage or mustard greens) and a side of cornbread or biscuits. And, if you are going the Southern way, don’t forget the hot chili sauce or pepper-flavored vinegar!

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas And Collard Greens

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them, in an airtight container, for up to 4 months.

Soaking the black-eyed peas will help them cook faster. But peas that have not been soaked will also cook, so don’t worry if you don’t have time to do it!

Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you wish to keep them longer, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

Crock Pot Southern Black Eyed Peas With Ham Hock Recipe

Serving: 1 cup , Calories: 486 kcal , Carbohydrates: 51 g , Protein: 26 g , Fat: 21 g , Saturated Fat: 7 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 35 mg , Sodium: 1512 mg , Potassium: 1193 mg , Fiber: 9 g , Sugar: 6 g , Vitamin A: 422 IU , Vitamin C: 23 mg , Calcium: 115 mg , Iron: 7 mgSouthern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe or Hoppin’ John is a hearty and soul-warming delicacy. This black-eyed peas recipe is smokey, spicy, and pure satisfaction with a deep yet not overwhelming bacon flavor. And it’s a traditional Southern dish served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck!

I love anything with beans! Perhaps it started back in grade school when my aunt would cook beans for dinner in its modest rusticity – onions, salt, and oil, nothing fancy. Just that simple recipe made all of my troubles go away like magic.

And now that autumn is here, this Southern Black-Eyed Peas recipe is just the perfect dish to give as comforting soul-satisfying goodness to warm us up in this cold weather. This dish will surely remind you of home and nostalgic, happy memories. So relaxing and warm, indeed! ❤️

Deep South Dish: New Years Southern Style Black Eyed Peas

Classic New Year’s Recipe for Good Luck Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead And Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Traditional Southern Dishes To Try Conclusion Watch How to Make It

Black-eyed peas were first cultivated in North Africa and eventually became popular worldwide. Then they arrived in the southern U.S. in the 17th century. Southerners believe eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings good luck and a slew of other beautiful things. They associate them with prosperity as the beans resemble pennies and coins.

Surprisingly, this bean stew freezes well. So go for it and make a big batch. It’ll come in handy when the craving hits.❤️

Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe

Adding bacon, sausage, and seasonings intensifies this dish’s flavor. But if you want to take this dish to another level, I suggest adding tomato sauce or coconut milk.

As a tradition, Southerners put clean pennies and dimes into their pot of black-eyed peas believing they’ll bring luck and prosperity. And people believe that the one who gets the most coins in their bowl is the luckiest.

This Southern black-eyed pea recipe will indeed make you feel lucky once you taste it. What is your favorite Southern soul-food recipe? And if you want more mouthwatering recipes, subscribe to my newsletter for the latest and greatest. 😉

Black Folks Southern Soul Food Black Eyed Peas

Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe or Hoppin' John is a hearty and soul-warming delicacy. This black-eyed peas recipe is smokey, spicy, and pure satisfaction with a deep yet not overwhelming bacon flavor. And it's a traditional Southern dish served on New Year's Day to bring good luck!

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