Cajun Blackeyed Peas In Your Instant Pot!
Cajun Black-eyed Peas is a southern dish I absolutely love. It is sometimes called “Hoppin’ John” though I never heard it called by that name until I reached adulthood even though I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast close to the Louisiana border. Go figure. Blackeyed peas and collard greens are traditionally served in the south, particularly in Louisiana, on New Year’s Day for good luck, but they are great to enjoy year round!
Many of the best Cajun dishes were born out of the need to feed a lot of people on a small budget. There were thirteen in my family, and this healthy, delicious dish satisfied the appetites of eleven growing children. It continues to be a favorite in my home, even though there are just the two of us. This recipe freezes well so be sure to make enough to enjoy later!
I’ve made this recipe healthier by removing the ham hocks or sausage that was an integral part of the original recipe. I’ve also added greens at the end to boost its nutritional content. It is typically a spicy dish, but you can certainly control the spice to suit your palate.
Cajun Black-eyed Peas can be served over Spicy Cajun Cornbread which is my favorite way to enjoy this dish, or over rice. Either way, it is bound to become a family favorite in no time.
Cajun Blackeyed Peas
Cajun Black-eyed Peas is a southern dish I absolutely love. It is sometimes called “Hoppin’ John” though I never heard it called by that name until I reached adulthood even though I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast close to the Louisiana border. Go figure. Blackeyed peas and collard greens are traditionally served in the south, particularly in Louisiana, on New Year's Day for good luck, but they are delicious to enjoy year round!Many of the best Cajun dishes were born out of the need to feed a lot of people on a small budget. There were thirteen in my family, and this healthy, delicious dish satisfied the appetites of eleven growing children. It continues to be a favorite in my home, even though there are just the two of us. This recipe freezes well so be sure to make enough to enjoy later!I’ve made this recipe healthier by removing the ham hocks or sausage that was an integral part of the original recipe. I’ve also added greens at the end to boost its nutritional content. It is typically a spicy dish, but you can certainly control the spice to suit your palate. Cajun Black-eyed Peas can be served over cornbread, which is my favorite way to enjoy this dish, or over rice. Either way, they are bound to become a family favorite in no time.
Servings: 20 1-cup servings
Calories: 73kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried blackeyed peas (soaked eight hours or overnight)
- 5 cups water
- 1 large onion, small dice (about 2 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 large green bell pepper, small dice about 1/2 cup (may substitute other mild, sweet peppers)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 2-3 stalks fresh celery, small dice (about 1 cup)
- 1 link Vegan Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage cut lengthwise into four long strips, then cut across to make 1/4-inch pieces)
- 1-3 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt to taste (optional)
- 2 handsful spinach, collard greens, or kale torn into bitesized pieces
Instructions
- It is helpful to have two inner liners to make this dish; one to soak the beans and for the final cooking and one to sauté the vegetables. It isn't strictly necessary. You can soak the beans in a separate bowl and add to the sautéed veggies later.
- Rinse beans. Soak overnight. The next morning, you may discard the soaking water* and add fresh water, just enough to barely cover the beans. The beans have absorbed all the water they are going to so it isn't necessary to cover the beans with more liquid than you wish to have at the end of the cooking process
- To your inner pot add garlic, onions, celery, and bell peppers. Sauté until soft and translucent.
- Add to soaked beans, or add soaked beans to this mixture. Stir in spices except for the salt.
- Set your instant pot to the manual setting for seven minutes, and allow it to release naturally (This takes about thirty minutes.) When the pressure valve has dropped, and it is safe to open the lid, stir in spinach or other greens and salt if using. Allow greens to wilt.
- Serve hot over freshly baked cornbread or brown rice.
Notes
*Alternatively, you can choose to cook the beans in the water in which they were soaked. This is what I usually do. I've noticed over the years that in pouring out the soaking liquid, you are also pouring out much of the color (nutrition) of the beans. Cooking them at a boil for ten minutes will deactivate harmful lectins present in beans, which is accomplished in the pressure cooker. Allowing them to rest on warm for another five minutes, you'll notice that they are still slightly boiling even after releasing the pressure, which takes a few minutes more. I never have, nor has anyone I've ever cooked for, had any adverse reactions to beans prepared in this way. If this is a concern for you, simply discard the soaking liquid and add fresh water or vegetable broth to your soaked beans before cooking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 5g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 4.5mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Below are the equipment and products I used in this recipe. Click on the photo to order yours through my affiliate link with Amazon.com, for which I receive a small advertising fee. Please visit my Store for more information.
Luuuv a l l Your recipes,& really appreciate the amazing newaletters with Your slice o’ life content, Chef Danielle, but… for some of us the gray background for the text is somewhat hard on the eyes…this makes just reading one page on your wonderful site, *not* a sight for sore eyes. [ that’s when the Chrome extension ‘Decreased Productivity’has to be activated, which alas, makes your superb photos vanish 🙁 ] Cheers
Thank your for your comment. I didn’t realize that this was an issue, and I will definitely lighten the background color. I’m on it! Thanks again, Danielle
Waay much better, Chef Danielle… much appreciated! ThankYou very much…gotta go & fire up the IP for Your latest&greatest bean creation. cheers
Great news! I’ll take care of the rest of them now that I know it worked. Enjoy your beans. Rich is having them for lunch as we speak. Thanks for your input and happy cooking! Danielle