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Southern Black Eyed Peas (also known as Hoppin' John) is a classic Southern comfort food that is hearty, delicious, and comforting. It's typically served on New Year's to bring good luck and fortune in the coming year. Soaked black eyed peas are added to well seasoned, sautéed vegetables and broth and simmered with sausage until ready to serve. It's loaded with flavor from the smoky sausage and the assortment of spices. Serve this traditional Southern meal over a bowl of rice or with a side of cornbread.

Southern Black Eyed Peas (Hoppin' John) is classic comfort food that is hearty, delicious, flavorful, and comforting. Serve it on New Year's for good luck. | aheadofthyme.com

Why You'll Love Southern Black Eyed Peas

Loaded with protein. You have double the protein with meat and beans. And beans are seriously underrated. Black eyed peas (also known as cowpeas or cream peas) are cream-colored beans with a distinctive black dot. They have all the nutrition you need for one meal packed into a single ingredient. You get healthy carbs from fiber, protein, and essential nutrients.
It's so flavorful. With a delicious combination of seasoning, these beans are not lacking any flavor. They're well seasoned with bay leaves, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
A bowl of Southern comfort food. Something about Southern comfort food just hits differently. This recipe is a total crowd pleaser and is especially satisfying on a cold winter day. They are also really filling so you won't find yourself snacking on something else an hour later.

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make these easy Southern Black Eyed Peas, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):

black eyed peas - the beans need to be soaked in water overnight, so if you are thinking of making this recipe, you will need to plan ahead.
Italian sausage - we used turkey sausage, but feel free to use sausage made with ground pork or turkey. You can also leave this out and keep the recipe vegan if you prefer.
olive oil
onion
garlic
celery
seasoning - these beans are well seasoned with bay leaves, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
tomato paste
chicken broth - feel free to substitute with vegetable broth to make this recipe vegan.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons and a 5.5 quart Dutch oven.

How to Make the Best Southern Black Eyed Peas

Cook sausage. Heat oil in a 5.5 quart Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 1 minute. Add sausage and sauté until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
Sauté aromatics. In the same pot, add onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaves. Sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with Italian seasoning, oregano, cumin, paprika, and tomato paste. Stir well until evenly mixed.
Add black eyed peas and simmer. Add soaked black eyed peas along with chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered until black eyed peas are tender, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sausage. Return sautéed sausage back to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and continue simmering uncovered for 10 minutes until thickened a bit.
Serve. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a side of rice or cornbread if desired.

How to Cook in the Instant Pot

You can also easily cook these Southern Black Eyed Peas in the Instant Pot. Turn on the Sauté function on high on your pressure cooker. Add oil and heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 1 minute. Add sausage and sauté until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, celery and bay leaves. Sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with Italian seasoning, oregano, cumin, paprika and tomato paste. Stir well until evenly mixed. Add soaked peas and chicken broth.

Put the lid on and switch to pressure cooking mode on manual High. Seal the lid (the steam release knob must be turned to the sealed position) and let the black eyed peas pressure cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Once the time is up, you can let the instant pot slowly release the pressure, about 15 minutes or quick release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release valve to the venting position.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Make this recipe vegetarian: This recipe is really easy to customize to make it vegetarian or vegan. Simply substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and omit the meat. The result is very delicious.
How to store: Keep leftover southern black eyed peas in an airtight container in the fridge (or in the same pot with the lid covered) for 3-4 days. Since there is meat in this recipe, they won't last as long as they would if they were made completely vegetarian.
How to freeze: You can freeze leftover southern black eyed peas for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to reheat: Reheat cold beans over the stovetop on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until warmed through. Add water or chicken broth to thin out liquids if they thicken up too much when storing.

More Bean Recipes

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