Ring in the New Year, and lots of luck, with a traditional Southern dish of Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens!
Prepare a hearty and filling dish of black eyed peas and collard greens to celebrate with the family! The smoky ham provides the perfect amount of salt to make the black eyed peas so flavorful and the collard greens are amazing with the addition of bacon. The simple ingredients come together in no time for a truly inviting dish.
What’s so lucky about Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Serving a traditional meal or treat for the holidays makes each holiday so very special for the whole family. Sometimes we forget about dinner and skip right to the celebration cocktails on New Year’s Eve so this dinner helps us to slow down and enjoy the day! Black eyed Peas and Collard Greens is not only a savory, warm, hearty dish to serve on a cold day but is the perfect way to symbolize the wealth and good luck we wish for in the new year ahead. Traditionally, black eyed peas represent coins and the collard greens represent dollar bills so up load your plate and bring in the wealth!
Other Recipes to Serve with Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
- Sweet Honey Cornbread is the prefect side dish to serve and even better, cornbread represents gold!
- Instant Pot Ham is a delicious main dish to serve or if prepared ahead of time, is an easy way use the leftovers to season the black eyed peas.
Ingredients
Black Eyed Peas: You want to get the dried bag of beans, not the canned beans. The beans need to soak overnight before being used, so plan accordingly.
Collard Greens: You can find bags of prepared collards in the produce section of the store. You’ll need 16 ounces of leaves. If you can’t find the bags, see the note below for whole bunch options.
Meat: We’re using leftover Christmas ham and the ham bone (if you have one) for the black eyed peas. The collards are getting some salty bacon and the bacon fat is used to cook the veggies.
Seasoning: Keep things simple with yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. The greens and black eyed peas are the stars of the show.
How to Cook Black Eyed Peas
STEP ONE: Soak the black eyes peas in a bowl of water overnight and then drain them. To a large pot, add some olive oil and cook the onions for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
STEP TWO: Add the black eyed peas, ham, and ham bone to the pot. Then pour in enough water to just cover everything. Simmer until the beans are soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
STEP THREE: Take out the ham bone. Add salt & pepper to taste, give everything a stir, and then serve warm.
How to Cook Collard Greens
STEP ONE: Place a large pot over medium heat and add in the chopped bacon. Cook until the bacon is starting to crisp up, and then add the chopped onion. Cook the onions for 1-2 minutes.
STEP TWO: Add the collards to the pot and add enough water to cover everything. Then stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
STEP THREE: Simmer until the leaves have softened, at least 1 hour. Once they’re ready, add more salt & pepper if needed and serve warm.
Tips for Success
- If you can’t find bagged prepared collard greens, you can buy whole bunches instead. Rinse the leaves, remove the stalks, and roughly chop the greens. You’ll need 2 bunches of collards (about 2 pounds) to yield 1.5 pounds of leaves once prepared.
- Cooking time may vary for both recipes. You want to cook the beans and greens until they’re tender. Since not all stoves are the same, you may need a little more time to reach your desired doneness.
- Keep an eye on the water levels in your pots as the beans and collards cook. You may need to add a little more to keep enough moisture in the pot to prevent burning.
- If you prefer, you can use a spoon to mash up about half of the peas and then stir together with the whole peas. Or you can run them through a blender for a smooth puree.
- You can stir together the whole peas and collards for an all in one side dish if you like. Some years I do this and others I leave them separate.
What exactly are black eyed peas?
They’re a variety of cowpea and part of the legume family. Yes, they’re named “pea” – just like chickpeas – when they’re actually a bean. Black eyed peas are also a main ingredient in Hoppin’ John.
Are collard greens healthy?
Collard greens are a great source of fiber and vitamin K – which is good for your bones. They are good for helping your cholesterol levels too.
More Comfort Food Favorites
- Southern Fied Corn
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Peach Iced Tea
- Oven Fried Chicken
- Cucumber & Onion Salad
- Beer Smoked Brisket
- Fried Apples
Ingredients
Black Eyed Peas
Collard Greens
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 1 large yellow onion peeled & chopped
- 24 ounces prepared collard greens (see note)
- Water
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Blackeyed Peas
- Place the black eyes peas in a large bowl. Cover with water and soak overnight, or follow the directions on the bag for a quick soak. Drain the beans.
- Place a large pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil. To the hot oil add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the garlic and allow to cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add the drained black eyed peas, chopped ham, and the ham bone (if using).
- Cover with water and allow to simmer over medium-low heat until the beans are soft. This will take 1 to 1 1/2 hours. To check for doneness, use the back of a spoon to smash the peas against the side of the pot. They should give easily.
- Remove the ham bone, stir the beans, and check the seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste as needed. Serve warm.
Collard Greens
- Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. If there is a lot of bacon fat, pour some off and save it for another day. You want about 2 tablespoons left in the pot.
- Add the chopped onion to the pot with the bacon and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the prepared collards to the pot and cover with water. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer until leaves have softened, at least 1 hour. Check the seasoning and add more salt & pepper to taste. Serve warm.*If you like, you can stir the collards and beans together for an all-in-one side dish to go with your New Year's meal.
Notes
- Nutrition is based on both the peas and greens mixed together.
- Cook time may vary and you may need to add water to both the greens and the beans as you cook. Just keep checking the texture and the salt & pepper levels.
- If you can’t find prepared collard greens, you can use several bunches of the leaves and stalks that have been cleaned with stems removed and then roughly chopped. You’ll need 2 bunches of collards (about 2 pounds) to yield 1.5 pounds of leaves once prepared.
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