It’s said that eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings you good luck. Now, I’m not usually superstitious, but after a year like 2020, I’m willing to try anything (just kidding, but I’m not). I have an awesome recipe for slow simmered black eyed peas and greens that I made years ago, but it’s a long process that starts with dry peas. So I wanted to make a “quickie” version, using canned black eyed peas, that’s a little faster and easier for times when you haven’t planned ahead.
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How to Serve Black Eyed Peas and Greens
There are two basic ways that I like to serve a bit pot of beans or peas like this. Either in a bowl with rice, or in a bowl with a big chunk of crusty bread for dipping. Having some sort of starch to kind of balance the meal out makes it super satisfying and filling.
A little dash of hot sauce on top of your bowl or even a dollop of sour cream on top is also pretty awesome. ;)
Can I Use Dry Peas?
This recipe is specifically made for canned peas, which are already cooked. If you’d like to make something similar using dry peas, follow my recipe for Slow Simmered Black Eyed Peas and Greens.
Can I Add Meat?
The recipe below is vegetarian (vegan, actually), but it’s super easy to add meat to this meal. You have three easy options to keep this a “quick” meal: bacon, ham, or smoked sausage. Whichever one you decide to use, just sauté the meat in the pot before beginning with the onion and garlic in step one below.
Can I Freeze Black Eyed Peas?
Yes! This recipe is great for stocking your freezer. Just divide it into single portions, cool it in the fridge first, then once cool transfer it to the freezer for longer storage (about 3 months or so). Any freezer-safe container will do. To reheat, either use a microwave or heat in a sauce pot over medium-low, stirring often, until heated through.
Quickie Black Eyed Peas and Greens
Servings 4 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 3 15oz. cans black eyed peas ($2.37)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 4 oz. fresh spinach ($0.85)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a large soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Drain the canned black eyed peas, then add them to the pot along with the oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and bring the pot up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the peas to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After the peas have simmered for about 15 minutes, use the back of a spoon to smash some of the peas against the side of the pot to thicken the broth (or use an immersion blender to blend a small portion of the peas).
- Add the fresh spinach to the pot and stir until it has wilted into the peas. Give the peas a taste and adjust the salt or seasoning to your liking. Serve hot with bread or rice.
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How to Make Quickie Black Eyed Peas and Greens – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a large soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Drain three 15oz. cans of black eyed peas and add them to the pot along with ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 cups of vegetable broth.
Stir the peas, broth, and seasoning together. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After simmering, the peas will have swelled even a little bit more and they will be even more soft. Use a large spoon to smash some of the peas against the side of the pot, or use an immersion blender to purée a small amount of the peas.
Smashing some of the peas makes the broth thick and creamy.
Add 4 oz. fresh spinach (½ of an 8oz. bag) and stir until it has wilted into the peas. Give the peas a taste and adjust the salt or seasonings to your liking.
Serve with crusty bread or rice and enjoy your good luck in the new year! :)
This was the perfect recipe for our New Year’s Day traditional meal. I needed something quick and easy. I did add quite a bit more spiciness, because that’s how we eat at our house. This meal with some added Sriracha was a great luncheon main course to start the New Year. Thanks for this and other good recipes on your website!
Best recipie ever. Made this many times with lots of variations. The original is really good and appeals to a wide range of tastes. Best if you’re serving to a family or kids. My normal mods include subbing spinach for kale since I get kale for cheaper. If it’s just for myself, this recipie is super easy to make spicy. I used this recipe to test out my new cajun seasoning mix. If you’re vegan, tofurky Italian and Lite life sausages go well in it. Also recommend adding okra if you want a slightly thicker soup and an extra cajun kick.
Do you think I could add a can of another kind of beans since we only have two cans of black eyed peas on hand?
Hi, Laura! Of course, you can do that!
It was delicious last year and I’m looking forward to enjoying it again this coming January 1.
I actually didn’t expect to like black eye peas and greens as well as I did. When I saw this recipe I just thought “Hey, that looks like an iron rich meal” and so I decided to try it. Now it is one of my favorite meals! I’ve tried this quickie method, but honestly prefer just using the slow simmered version of the recipe and just throwing it all in my slow cooker in the morning before work. Either way though, I definitely recommend trying it even if you think you may not like it!
Love this easy recipe. But, since I am my father’s daughter, I just couldn’ leave it alone😂. To the onion and garlic I added celery, carrots and mushrooms. I didn’t have spinach on hand, but I did have chopper kale. When done I added cooked rice. WOW, what a hearty dish! I’ve enjoyed it every day since I made it, either for lunch or dinner, with a healthy sprinkling of dill weed. Yum!
Made your slow cooked black eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day 2021, as I wanted some GOOD new year luck after this last disastrous year. It was the BEST I’ve ever had…and my neighbors agreed, since I just had to spread the luck.
I added left over ham, ham hock and little bacon and fresh collard greens from a neighbor (amazing find here in Hawaii).
About to make me another batch it was so good!
I’ve been a subscriber since way back, use your recipes often, but man oh man, this was some ono!
I hate BLack eye peas. Always have. I decided to give this a shot this year for an extra chance of any good luck.😉. This dish did it for me. I loved it! Threw on some hot sauce and it was so delicious. I will definitely be making this one again throughout the year, not just New Years.😋
Yay!! I love it when a recipe can flip someone from hating an ingredient to liking it. :)
This recipe is a winner! My preference would be to add a bit more spinach, as we didn’t have rice or bread with it. We did top it with thinly sliced onions carmelized in salted butter. [Husband’s family tradition.). He added some homemade hot sauce; i added only 1/4 tsp., as I, really, enjoyed the flavors.
This was delicious! Made our New Years Day dinner spectacular!
Do you think dried, cured sausage would work for this as well? Thanks!!
I love them cooked this way and all together! Seasoning is perfect. Thanks for the recipe and Happy New Year.
Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe and all your advice on variations. I’ve always wanted to make (truthfully, EAT) black eyed peas and greens especially on New Year’s Day, but never could make myself commit to the long process of making from scratch. Your recipe allowed me to make a quick version and gave me permission to tweak it; I used the greens I had on hand (baby kale and arurula) and chicken broth, because I like chicken broth, and I added andouille sausage to the pot. SO GOOD! Made cornbread to go with and couldn’t stop eating it all! I’ll be making and eating this on other days of the year for a quick yummy meal!
I made this for new years day – so super simple, quick, and delicious! I loved using canned beans for the quickness of it, but still came out creamy and delicious. I used collard greens instead of spinach, and served it with brown rice. here’s to a better 2021!
Wow. This was awesome. Made it 30 min ago. I decided to add smoked sausage and used chicken broth instead. Its very very very good. Def going in my books. Thank you for sharing this one. Happy New Year!!!
Made today for New Year’s and it’s perfect! Since there’s just 2 of us, “thirded“ it easily. Thanks for another excellent recipe.
This is simple and delicious! I’ve made a black eyed pea and collard green soup with smoked turkey for years now. Served with a side of corn bread, it has become my New Years Day tradition.
Thanks, Beth! I just looked in the cupboard and saw that I was out dry black eyed peas so this is super timely.
(It’s always odd to me when people get upset by variations in recipes. I grew up, multi-generation Appalachian eating black eyed peas and collards together–with a big dash of pepper sauce! Personally, I prefer them mixed, but to each their own.)
I love them cooked this way and all together! Seasoning is perfect. Thanks for the recipe and Happy New Year.
Looks like just the right amount of delicious and easy!
I have never mixed them and I’ve been cooking black eye peas and greens for over 59 yrs and my mother and grandmother, etc… don’t think I will eat them this way ever. My Truth.
What a helpful and informative reply.
So brave to share your truth.
Thanks for your reply. Well needed.