These smoky vegetarian black-eyed peas and greens will surprise you with how much flavour can come out of such simple ingredients. Beans, onion, red pepper, (lots of) garlic, chard and a good mix of spices is all you need to get a filling dish and a healthy dose of vitamins.

I’m aware that black-eyed peas and greens are traditionally served at New Year’s in the American south, and that now it’s April. Clearly I don’t care about tradition, these beautiful beans deserve to be eaten all year round.

My husband recently returned from the Extremadura region in western Spain with bags and bags of dried beans. He’s been harassing me ever since to do something with the beans (Do you wanna make beans? When are you going to do the beans? What about the beans? Huh? Huh?).

I had to get him off my back somehow and these smoky vegetarian black-eyed peas and greens were just the thing to shut him up!

So, “traditionally” these kinds of black-eyed peas would be prepared with ham or bacon or something similar. Obviously I won’t be doing that, but you can get all that lovely smoky flavour without the grease by using smoked paprika (of which we also have bags and bags from Extremadura) or liquid smoke.

Also, collard greens are usually used in this type of recipe, but since I can’t buy them here, I used chard as it’s in season now. Spinach would also be an option if you prefer.

We had a full meal with just these smoky vegetarian black-eyed peas and greens with cornbread. They can also be served over rice, quinoa or your grain of choice. They would also be a great side dish to anything grilled or pseudo-grilled like these roasted leeks with romesco sauce.

Wanna see how easy it is to make these smoky vegetarian black-eyed peas and greens? Watch the video:

Smoky Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

Yield: Serves 4 - 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

These smoky vegetarian black-eyed peas and greens will surprise you with how much flavour can come out of such simple ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 225 grams (1/2 pound) dried black-eyed peas
• 1 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 – 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bunch (about 175 grams/6 oz) chard leaves or spinach, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke
• 2 green onions, chopped

Instructions

1. Soak the dried black-eyed peas in water overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion, minced garlic and red pepper until soft. Add the black-eyed peas, all the spices except the smoked paprika, bay leaves and enough vegetable stock to cover the peas by 2.5 cm (1 inch). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about one hour to 1.5 hours or until the beans are soft. Watch them carefully and add more stock if the pot is getting dry before the beans are done. You are looking for soft, creamy beans in a thick gravy-like sauce.
3. When the beans are done, remove the pot from the heat and stir through the chard and smoky paprika or liquid smoke. Cover the pot for a couple minutes to allow the chard to wilt from the remaining heat. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve with cornbread, rice or quinoa.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 764mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 17g

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