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

Name: Smoky Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Greens
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
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

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.

Ingredients

225 grams (½ pound) dried black-eyed peas
1 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ 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

Soak the dried black-eyed peas in water overnight. Drain and rinse.
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.
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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Comments

Kylee says

April 27, 2016 at 3:42 pm

This looks fantastic. My husband would absolutely LOVE this. I know I will too!

Can't wait to try it.

- Melissa says
  
  April 27, 2016 at 4:32 pm
  
  Thanks! these beans are amazing, you'll both love them, I'm sure 🙂
  
Barb says

May 04, 2016 at 10:03 pm

Great recipe for black eyed peas. What's in your cornbread?

- Melissa says
  
  May 05, 2016 at 9:23 am
  
  It's a zucchini and onion cornbread from this recipe that I tried to veganize with soy buttermilk and leaving out the eggs: http://www.kitchensimmer.com/2013/07/zucchini-cornbread.html
  It was quite dry and compact so the recipe still needs some tweaking.
  
Marla says

November 22, 2016 at 9:00 pm

We're making these beans for 40 people next week. Looking forward to it! Thanks Mel!

- Melissa says
  
  November 23, 2016 at 11:00 am
  
  That's a lot of beans, good luck!
  
Boyan Minchev says

June 20, 2017 at 3:33 pm

I love Cajun and specially when is smoky mmm yummy. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Ashley says

December 27, 2017 at 5:21 pm

Will be making these this year for New Years. They look excellent! Will let you know how they turn out. Yum

Cynthia Marston says

December 31, 2017 at 8:21 pm

Is soaking and draining enough to take the gas out? I do pintos and wonder....are split pea soup as gassy?

Natasha says

January 01, 2018 at 8:00 pm

Thanks for the recipe! When using frozen or canned black-eyed peas, how much cooking time do you recommend?

Maya says

January 02, 2018 at 2:46 pm

I made this for New Year's, Very Good!!!!!!!! Thanks!

Julie Leahy says

January 02, 2018 at 5:07 pm

I made this for New Years Day. The seasonings are fantastic. I added a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and some sweet corn and liked it very much.

Victoria McFadden says

December 13, 2020 at 5:11 pm

What happens if I cook it with the smoked paprika in the pot instead of adding it afterwards? I cook my other beans with smoked paprika. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m trying to understand. I’m going to make this recipe this week.

- Melissa says
  
  December 21, 2020 at 9:24 am
  
  Great question. Cooking smoked paprika for a long time diminishes both the flavour and the colour. For the best smoky flavour, add it near the end of cooking.
  
Hiral says

December 10, 2022 at 4:36 pm

This recipe turned out to be super delicious. I made enough to last for 2 meals, but my daughter and I finished it off in one time. Followed the recipe exactly the way it is, except for the fact that I made it in pressure cooker and added tomatoes and spinach to the recipe after beans and spices were all cooked. The tomatoes added a little gravy-like consistency, which is what I needed, since we ate the beans with rice. Thank You for posting this recipe. Its a hit.

Hiral says

December 10, 2022 at 4:38 pm

Oh and the secret ingredient in this recipe is thyme. Definitely do not skip thyme

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

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