This easy and simple vegetarian black eyed peas recipe is delicious, meatless, and affordable. Black eyed peas are served over rice traditionally on New Years Eve, but we eat them all year round because they are that good.
Jazz Up Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas and Rice
This is a simple vegetarian black eyed pea recipe with rice. It can be jazzed up by adding any of the following seasoning or ingredients:
- Extra veggies! - celery, red pepper, carrots, mushrooms, fennel, leeks
- Add seasoning / spices - try chili powder, old bay, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, oregano, curry powder
- Garnish it - cilantro, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, dill, fennel leaves (pictured).
- Add ham, bacon, or pancetta for a meaty variation.
Do You Soak Black Eyed Peas Before Cooking
Yes and No. If you have the forethought, go ahead and soak peas.
If you forget, then they will need to be cooked a little bit longer, maybe 20-30% longer for most dried beans.
Black eyed peas need to be soaked and picked through. Basically, rinse them off under running water in a bowl to get rid of grit / dirt. Remove any stones or beans that don't look like the rest.
What To Eat With Black Eyed Peas
Traditionally black eyed peas are eaten in the South with rice, braised collard greens, and cornbread.
For our New Years Eve celebration every year we eat vegetarian black eyed peas with rice and vegetarian collard greens and also add an easy shrimp creole. Then I'll add some pulled pork, ham, or bacon on the side for people that want to add pork to all the vegetarian food.
Last, I'll add an appetizer like pimento cheese or a cheese board and pick up or make some potstickers / dumplings.
You can also eat vegetarian black eyed peas as a soup by adding more broth and/or vegetables. Add a side salad and a nice piece of bread.
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Simple Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas and Rice
This easy and simple vegetarian black eyed peas recipe is delicious, nutritious, and affordable. Black eyed peas are traditionally served over rice on New Years Eve, but we eat them all year because they are that good.
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 medium cloves garlic, diced
- 16 oz dried black eyed peas
- 3 bay leaves
- 16 oz diced canned tomatoes with juices
- 6 + cups broth or water
- salt to taste
- pinch black pepper
- 6 cups cooked rice, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot to medium high heat and add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pot.
- Add diced onions and a touch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add diced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Add a little more oil if necessary.
- Stir in the dry beans, bay leaves, diced canned tomatoes with juices, and broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Check the beans at 1 hour and see if they are tender enough and have enough water and salt. Add water in ½ cup increments until desired consistency. Some dried black eyed peas may need to cook for 1 ½ hours.
- Add salt to taste and serve over optional rice. Happy eating! Beckie
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
You May Also Like
If you like this Black Eyed Peas recipe, you may also like these additional soup and stew recipes that are bean based. The Coconut Red Lentils are a classic - I don't think I've ever met anybody who didn't like it.
In the recipe when do you add the tomatoes and do you drain them?
Hi Natasha! I'm sorry that wasn't clear and I have updated the recipe card to add the tomatoes and juices with the beans, bay leaves and broth. Thank you for making me better! - Beckie