No more dinners where the peas are the last side dish to be touched; these Southern Black-Eyed Peas have the perfect balance of flavor and a nice creamy texture that everyone will crave!
My style of cooking black-eyed peas are simple but effective - slow cooked until tender, flavor packed in every step, and a little extra pizazz from pieces of smoked turkey wing meat stirred right in at the end.
These are a southern, soul food staple that's super nutritious with lots of natural fiber and protein. You can also make it vegan/vegetarian with just a few simple swaps. Make a big batch for Sunday dinner, Thanksgiving, or good luck for the New Year!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.71
- Total Cost (about 8 servings): $5.64
- Those Other Guys: $4.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Dried Black Eyed Peas - We start out with dry beans to prevent a mushy final product. Check out my article on How to Soak Beans - I give tips and tricks on how to soak them in just one hour instead of overnight!
- Aromatics - Chopped onion, a diced jalapeño (seeds removed), and garlic make up the flavor base for our beans. We sauté these in a little oil and butter until fragrant.
- Smoked Turkey Wing - Due to the large size, you most likely only need one! But we boil this in the broth until tender, then shred the meat and stir it back into the beans towards the end.
- Chicken Broth - To boil the beans and turkey wing. You can use vegetable broth if making vegetarian black-eyed peas.
Variations and Substitutions
Vegan Black Eyed Peas: Skip the smoked turkey, use veggie broth instead of chicken, and omit the Worcestershire. To get that subtle smoky taste, I recommend using a little liquid smoke.
Other Smoked Meats: You can use smoked turkey legs or necks, ham hocks, or even cooked bacon.
Mix-Ins: Add a handful of thinly chopped collard greens or kale during the boiling process for more nutrients!
Accompaniments: These taste great on their own, paired with fluffy white rice, or a hearty slice of Honey Butter Cornbread!
How to Make Soul Food Black Eyed Peas
Step 1: Sauté diced onion and a jalapeño (with the seeds removed) in veggie oil and butter until fragrant.
Add in minced garlic and dried spices, then cook for another 30 seconds.
Step 2: Next, pour in your soaked and drained peas, Worcestershire, hot sauce, molasses, and chicken broth.
Step 3: Submerge the smoked turkey wing in the liquid and add two Bay leaves right on top.
Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 1.5 hours.
Step 4: After that, your beans should be nice and tender. Remove and discard the Bay leaves, and pull out the turkey wing.
Peel the skin and shred the meat off of the bone into bite-sized pieces before adding back to the pot. Smash some of the beans against the side of the Dutch oven to make a creamy broth. That's it!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Soak those beans. If you don't pre-soak your beans, they won't soften up how we need them due to the salt and acidity in the broth! My article on How to Soak Dried Beans goes into more detail.
- Submerge your turkey wing in broth. This makes sure the turkey wing meat gets nice and tender.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is a symbol of good luck for prosperity and fortune during the upcoming year! Check out this article for a great write-up on the history of this humble legume.
I wouldn't recommend canned - the long cooking time means these will get mushy.
Yep, these freeze and reheat well. Simply add to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to enjoy, let them defrost in the refrigerator first.
Other Budget-Friendly Soul Food Recipes You'll Love!
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Southern Black-Eyed Peas
Equipment
- Bowl (to soak beans)
- Chef's Knife
- Dutch Oven (with lid)
- Wooden Spoon
- Forks (to shred the turkey meat)
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black eyed peas (soaked overnight or using the "quick-soak method")
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup diced onions
- 1 count jalapeño (diced, with seeds removed)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 count smoked turkey wing
- 2 count bay leaves
Instructions
- Be sure you've properly soaked your dry beans before starting this recipe. You can soak overnight, or use the "quick-soak" method.Check out my blog post on How to Soak Dried Beans for more information.1 pound dried black eyed peas
- Heat up the vegetable oil and butter in a large pot on medium heat.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon salted butter
- Sauté the diced onion and jalapeño for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in the minced garlic and dried spices, cooking for another 30 seconds.½ cup diced onions, 1 count jalapeño, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pour in your soaked black eyed peas, the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and molasses.1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon molasses
- Pour chicken broth over everything and submerge the smoked turkey wing in the liquid.Place the bay leaves on top.3 cups chicken broth, 1 count smoked turkey wing, 2 count bay leaves
- Bring the pot to a boil. Once it is boiling: cover with a lid, turn the heat to low, and simmer until beans are tender (about 1.5 hours.)
- Remove the bay leaves and discard.Pull out the turkey wing and set that aside on a separate plate.
- Mash some of the peas against the side of the Dutch Oven with the back of a spoon to thicken the broth. Keep allowing everything to simmer uncovered.
- Peel the skin off of the turkey wing and shred the meat off of the bone into bite-sized pieces.Place that turkey meat back into the pot and stir everything together. Serve hot and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!