Black Eyed Peas
Southern style back eyed peas, with tons of flavor, the perfect way to issue good luck and prosperity into the new year. Especially since this recipe is comfort food at its finest, super easy, and loaded with ham, bacon, garlic, and spices, making it simple, but flavorful.
Black-eyed peas are a Southern good-luck tradition for New Year’s Day. And one many people observe, issuing in the New Year with flavor and tradition. This is the recipe for you if you are looking for something to help you have prosperity in the new year, or something tasty all year old. Plus it is so easy. Just toss everything in the slow cooker, and let it do its thing.
Serve with Beer Bread or Cornbread for a great meal.
Southern staples like black eyed peas are really fun recipes. And I do not have a lot of them. I have a nice shrimp jambalaya and red beans and rice. But I did not grow up eating Southern Food, and didn’t want to share recipes for it until I perfected them. So, I have eaten A LOT of black eyed peas, and have tried several variations, with sausage, and a mix of spices, etc. But this is my favorite version, and the one my family liked best too.
Enjoy!
What You Need to Make Black Eyed Peas
Black eyed peas are a super simple recipe. You likely already have much of what you need on hand. And everything is easy to find at a regular grocery store. So get what you need to make this fantastic recipe for your New Year’s Day.
- Chicken stock
- Dried black-eyed peas
- Onion and Garlic
- Red bell pepper and jalapeno pepper
- Diced ham
- Thick cut bacon
- Cayenne pepper
- Cumin
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Black Eyed Peas
You will love how truly eazy peazy this recipe is. To make it, simply put everything in the slow cooker, stir it up, cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours until the beans are tender. Then serve garnished with fresh herbs. Let’s recap:
- Gather ingredients
- Put in crock pot and stir
- Cook on low 6-8 hours
- Serve with garnish.
Sometimes this recipe is served with rice. But I like it as is.
What are black-eyed peas?
The black-eyed pea aren’t actually peas. They are beans.
They came to the Americas on slave ships, from West Africa, to feed the ensalved people. They were considered poor people food, and to feed animals. But during the Civil War the soldiers ate a lot of black-eyed peas, particularly in Hoppin’ John, and it became a greater Southern tradition. Now this doesn’t explain how it became a tradition to eat them on New Year’s for prosperity, but we will take it. It is delicious, and affordable, and easy to make. Perfect for celebrating the start of a new year.
Tips and Tricks for making Black Eyed Peas
Making this recipe is easy peazy but here are some helpful tips and tricks so it goes smoothly every time…
- Tip One: Customize to spice level preference. We love a little kick at our house, so I always add a few splashes of hot sauce to my bowl. But you can tone it down by using less jalapeno or kick it up like I do by adding hot sauce.
- Tip Two: Adjust meat as desired. I have found bacon and ham make the best combo in my book, but you can brown some sausage, or use some sausage rounds to add flavor and different texture to your black-eyed peas recipe if you want.
- Tip Three: Give yourself time to have soft beans. It takes 6-8 hours, so don’t rush it. I always start it in the morning New Year’s Day, and we have it for dinner. Be sure to sort the beans before putting in the crock pot to get rid of any that won’t soften.
- Tip Four: Crisp your bacon first if you want. But if you do, use the fat in the recipe to add lots of flavor. I usually like crispy bacon, but I found in this recipe I didn’t mind it being soft and melting into these creamy beans. But if that isn’t for you, go ahead and brown it first.
- Tip Five: Thick cut bacon is a must. If you substitute for a thinner bacon, add it a little later in the cooking process.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
One of the best parts of this slow cooker black eyed pea recipe is you can definitely make it ahead of time, and in my opinion it gets better over time, as all the flavors combine and meld. Make it up to 3 days in advance, and just reheat and serve.
You can freeze it for up to 2 months. Just defrost fully and reheat.
Other Great Recipes:
- Instant Pot Beans 4 Ways
- Bolognese Slow Cooker
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
- Quick Cheese Bread
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Black eyed peas
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas sorted and rinsed
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
- 8 ounces diced ham
- 4 slices thick cut bacon chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients, and put everything in the slow cooker. Stir to combine,
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours until the beans are tender.
- Serve garnished with fresh herbs
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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