We welcomed in the new year and ate a traditional meal to bring prosperity and luck into the new year. It was just the two of us this year so we did not need a huge feast. We had a meal of grilled ribeye steaks, creamed spinach, black eye peas and cornbread. Black eye peas are traditionally eaten to bring good luck all year to those who eat them. My small batch southern black eye pea recipe is perfect for those times when you are not feeding a crowd. This recipe feeds 4-6 people with generous servings and offers up a ton of flavors. In the south, we like to add a little heat to just about everything. The small batch southern black eye pea recipe is big on flavor with creole seasoning and jalapeno to spice up your palate.
I cooked these peas in my dutch oven and this is one of the easiest recipes I’ve made for New Year’s Day. The peas do not need to be soaked all night like beans. Soaking for only 2-3 hours is sufficient to start the softening process and reduce the time needed to cook. I love the addition of the creole seasoning and jalapeno; these ingredients take normal black eye peas from boring to fabulous. Mr. CT is not typically a fan of black eye peas, but he loves this recipe and it has become a staple at our New Year’s Day dinner table. We typically eat these alone, but these black eye peas are also great served over a bed of steaming rice! I do love to serve a slice of jalapeno cornbread on the side though…can you tell we like a little spice in our cooking?!
Small Batch Southern Black Eye Peas
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb dry black eye peas approx 1.25 cups
- 4 thick bacon slices chopped
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 1/2 celery stalk diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp creole seasoning
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup collard greens chopped, (you may substitute kale)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add dry black eye peas to a pot and cover with 3-4 inches of cold water. Cover and let sit for 2-3 hours to soak peas.
- In a large dutch oven, or pot, saute chopped bacon until brown and crispy or medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon pieces; set aside.
- Add the onions, celery, garlic, jalapeno, thyme and bay leaf to the bacon grease in the dutch oven. Saute for 5 minutes or until the onions soften.
- Add the chicken broth to the dutch oven. Drain and rinse the black eye peas.
- Add the black eye peas to the dutch oven with the creole seasoning; add salt to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 -30 minutes or until the peas soften. Add additional water or broth if the mixture becomes too dry.
- Add the collard greens and return the bacon to the dutch oven. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the peas are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve!
Be sure to check out my other recipes!
