Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe

With a nutty texture and tasty, earthy flavor, black-eyed peas are a classic southern dish. Although they are delicious at any time of the year, many people also believe that eating them on New Year’s Day will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. 

Southern black-eyed peas or cowpeas, as they used to be called, have come a long way from their lowly beginnings as food for cattle to the tasty legumes we have today. 

Why you will love them:

1. These delicious little gems have high levels of dietary fiber, iron, folate, potassium, protein, and Vitamin A. Pair them with brown rice, and you have a nutritional powerhouse!
2. They are budget-friendly; a two-pound bag of dried black-eyed peas costs around $3.00 and contains 24 servings. How’s that for a bargain? 
3. Pair them with sliced fresh tomatoes, maybe some collards, and a piece of cornbread or some hoecakes, and you will quickly see why they are considered the ultimate comfort food.

Dried, canned, or fresh peas:

In general, fresh black-eyed peas are best, but once dried peas are rehydrated and cooked, you can’t tell much difference in the two. The major plus with dried peas is they are cheap, they are readily available all year long, and they keep indefinitely in your pantry.

Canned peas in a distant third unless you want to make black-eyed pea hummus, which I highly recommend.  

However, if you only have canned, they will work in a pinch, but be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly first. Then proceed with the recipe but only add one/half cup of chicken stock for every can, and reduce the amount of the other ingredients proportionately instead of what’s listed.

If you are lucky enough to have fresh peas, follow the directions as written, except do not hydrate them before cooking. They will also not take as long to cook. 

Here’s what you will need:

You will need a bag of dried black-eyed peas; cooked ham, ham hocks, or ham shanks; chicken broth, onion, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, crushed red pepper, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

How to soak dried black-eyed peas:

Before you begin cooking with the dried peas, you need to rehydrate them using one of two methods.

The first is to soak them overnight by placing the peas in a bowl or pot of cold water and allowing them to stand 6-8 hours. Then the peas need to be drained and rinsed with fresh water. At this point, the peas are ready to cook.

The second is the quick-soak method. Add the peas to a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, cover with water, and bring to a rapid boil. Continue boiling the peas for two more minutes. Remove the peas from the heat, cover, and let sit for at least an hour. Then drain and rinse with fresh water.

For both of these methods, keep an eye on the peas and add more water, if needed, to keep the peas covered in water while they rehydrate.

Here’s how to cook them:

Once they are rehydrated, and you are ready to cook, add olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and ham and cook until the onions are tender, which should take about four to five minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook one minute.

Add the drained peas, chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the peas simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until they are tender.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. If desired, garnish with parsley or chives.

Sharon’s tips:

You can make this recipe using canned peas,  but be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly first. Then proceed with the recipe but only add one/half cup of chicken stock for every can, instead of what’s listed.

If you are lucky enough to have fresh peas, just follow the directions as written, except do not hydrate them before cooking. They will also not take quite as long to cook. 

Related recipes:

If you like black-eyed peas as we do, you might also like these recipes: White Acre Peas, Easy Peasy Field Peas, Zipper Peas, Healthy Black-Eyed Pea Salad, White Acre Pea Succotash, and Easy Southern Hoppin’ John. 

More classic southern recipes: 

If you like this recipe, I think you also may like these popular classics:

• Southern Tomato Gravy
• Southern Fried Potatoes
• Southern Cornbread Dressing
• Southern Fried Chicken
• Southern Potato Salad

If you need more recipes or menu ideas, click on this link: Southern-Style Recipes.

★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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4.84 from 6 votes

Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe

With a nutty texture and tasty, earthy flavor, black-eyed peas are a classic family favorite. Although they are delicious at any time of the year, many people also believe that eating them on New Year's Day will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. 

Course Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword Black Eyed Peas, healthy side dish, southern recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 9 hours 10 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 136kcal

Author Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas or about 2 cups1 pound dried black-eyed peas or about 2 cups
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cooked ham or one ham hock or ham shank1/2 cup cooked ham or one ham hock or ham shank
• 1 Tbsp olive oil1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 whole medium Vidalia or yellow onion chopped1 whole medium Vidalia or yellow onion chopped
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves of garlic finely minced4 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Rehydrate peas using the quick soak method or overnight soak method. Drain and rinse the peas.
• Add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and ham and saute until the onions are tender which should take about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute.
• Add the peas, chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the peas simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until they are tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. If desired, garnish with parsley or chives.

Notes

Before you begin cooking with the dried peas, you need to rehydrate them using one of two methods:

1. The first method is to soak them overnight by placing the peas in a bowl or pot of water and allowing them to sit at least 6-8 hours. They do not need to be refrigerated. Then the peas need to be drained and rinsed thoroughly with fresh water. At this point, the peas are ready to cook.
2. If you are in a hurry, you can also use the quick-soak method. Add the peas to a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, cover with water and bring to a rapid boil. Continue boiling the peas for two more minutes. Remove the peas from the heat, cover and let sit for at least an hour. Then drain and rinse with fresh water.

For both of these methods, keep an eye on the peas and add more water if needed to keep them covered in fresh-water while they rehydrate.

You can make this recipe using canned peas,  but be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly first. Then proceed with the recipe but only add one/half cup of chicken stock for every can, instead of what's listed.

If you are lucky enough to have fresh peas, just follow the directions as written, except do not hydrate them before cooking. They will also not take quite as long to cook. 

Nutrition

Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.9mg

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