Scrumptious Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
Easy to Make and Tastes Just Like Grandma’s
So, you want to make some Crock Pot Black Eyed peas? It’s a southern dish that is perfect for New Year’s Day! Let me walk you through the process.
It all starts by getting your ingredients together and chopping up the ham in small chunks. You’ll also need to soak the beans overnight (or at least 4 hours) or boil them for about 30 minutes before adding them to the crock pot. Cook on high heat for about 5 hours or 8 hours on low heat, or until they are soft enough to eat.
These beans are perfect for any cold night, and they’re so delicious served as a side dish or a main course along with greens and a big hunk of cornbread.
Ready to make some tasty slow cooker black-eyed peas? Let’s get started!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Peas
Before you can cook this traditional Southern dish, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Black-eyed peas
- Chopped ham
- Yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Fire-roasted tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley
- Olive oil cooking spray to prep the slow cooker
How to Make Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas
Once you’ve soaked and rinsed the black-eyed peas, it’s as simple as chopping the ham and onion, mincing the garlic, and adding everything to the slow cooker except the fire-roasted tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Those are added in the last 30 minutes.
Why are black eyed peas a New Year’s tradition?
It is uncertain exactly how black eyed peas became a traditional New Year’s food, but many people believe the food to be lucky when eaten on New Year’s day. This tradition is very big in the Southeastern part of the United States where black eyed peas are often eaten with collard greens on New Year’s Day. The greens are said to be for financial gain in the new year.
What are lucky foods to eat on New Year’s?
- Black-eyed peas
- Pork
- Greens
- Cabbage
- Lentils
Do black-eyed peas need to be soaked?
Soaking black-eyed peas is often done to shorten the cooking time and, supposedly, reduce the gas causing effects – more on that later.
Most crock pots allow for six to eight hours of cooking, so you can soak your beans overnight and then wait until the next morning to put them in. However, if you forget or are eager to start dinner as soon as possible, go ahead and skip this step, instead boiling them for a bit before adding them to the crockpot. The beans will take a little longer but they’ll still be delicious.
How to soak black eyed peas
Soaking black eyed peas is often done to shorten the cooking time and, supposedly, reduce the gas causing effects – more on that later. To soak your peas, you can cover them with water and allow to soak overnight. Or, you can do a quick soak method in which you cover the black eyed peas in water and bring to a boil for two minutes. You then remove from the heat and cover for one hour before rinsing and cooking.
Are black eyed peas good for you?
Yes! The key is to not use a lot of pork fat when cooking them. You can use smoked ham to add flavor to black eyed peas and keep the fat and calories to a minimum. If you use smoked ham hocks, you’ll get the flavor and then you can decide whether or not to pick the meat from the hocks. One cup of black eyed peas cooked without pork has 200 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, 475mg of potassium, 11 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of protein. They also contain 24% of your daily iron.
Do black eyed peas cause gas?
Foods high in fiber can cause gas. However, not all beans (and black eyed peas are technically beans) cause the same level of unease. Black eyed peas actually cause less gas than pinto beans.
As mentioned above, you can soak the peas to help reduce the level of discomfort you experience. However, not everyone has luck with this method. If you have problems with digestive discomfort, consider using a gas aid before eating your peas.
What goes with Black-Eyed Peas?
Black-eyed peas can be eaten as a main dish or a side dish. Therefore, they can be served with a variety of foods, including ham hocks, sausage, and bacon.
Of course, this popular southern dish is often served with cornbread and greens. Greens are very fitting since they’re considered a lucky New Year’s food, too.
If you need more ideas as to what to serve with black-eyed peas, try rice or mashed potatoes.
Can black eyed peas with ham be frozen?
Yes. You can definitely transfer cooked beans to shallow freezer-safe storage containers and freeze. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, reheat in a pot. The texture and flavor may change a small amount, but this is a wonderful food to freeze. You can freeze them for up to six months.
Recipe for Crock Pot Black-Eyed Peas
Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas
Whether you're looking for a great black eyed peas recipe for New Year's or you just want a hearty bean soup, this recipe for Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas and Ham is just what you need. It's comfort food in a bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 lb dried black eye peas
- 2 C chopped ham
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 5 C chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Soak black eyed peas. (At least 4 hrs)
- Rinse the black-eyed peas.
- Dice onion and set aside.
- Chop ham and set aside.
- Spray slow cooker with a coat of non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the onion, garlic, black eyed peas, ham, and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Put lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for about 5 hours.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Check to see if fully cooked. If not, cook on HIGH for 1 more hour.
- Garnish with parsley. (optional)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 1136mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 11g
Nutritional values are not always accurate. Please import your ingredients and brands into your own calculator for more accurate information.
These beans are perfect for any cold night, and they’re so delicious served as a side dish or a main course along with greens and a big hunk of cornbread. We hope you enjoyed this post on how to make Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas! If it’s been your family tradition to serve these yummy beans during New Year’s Day celebrations, we’d love if you shared the blog post below with your friends using the share buttons at the end of this article. Happy New Year from our family to yours!
Crock Pot Black-Eyed Peas
