What would the new year be without Black Eyed Peas? It’s a traditional dish served in the South on New Year’s Day, consisting of a savory black-eyed pea mixture served over rice. To jazz it up, I added Andouille Sausage and Louisiana Skillet Cornbread for a true southern dish. I really wanted to add collard greens as well. However, for reasons that I don’t need to go into, the local farmer’s market was all out of collard greens!
Ingredients for Southern Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage
I used the following ingredients for this southern delicacy: Dried black-eyed peas that had been soaked overnight, Andouille Sausage, the holy trinity of onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies, dried thyme, Cajun seasoning, Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and chicken broth.
Making the Southern Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage
Making the Southern Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage
I started by browning the Andouille Sausage that I had cut into 1/4-inch pieces in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. That took about 10 minutes. Then, I added the onion, celery, bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning to the Dutch oven. I let the vegetables cook for about five minutes. This not only allowed the vegetables to soften a bit, but also aided in loosening the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Next, I added the minced garlic. I let the mixture continue to cook over medium heat for about 30 seconds until the garlic became fragrant. After that, I added the can of Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies, followed by the black-eyed peas. Then, I poured in the chicken broth and stirred the mixture to ensure that everything was well combined. Finally, I added the thyme, salt, and pepper.
I covered the Dutch oven and simmered the Black Eyed Peas over low heat for a little over an hour. I wanted the peas to be tender and creamy.
As I previously indicated, I didn’t have any fresh collards to serve with the Southern Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage. However, I did have the Louisiana Skillet Cornbread. I served the Southern Black Eyed Peas with the cornbread and steamed rice. Yum! Happy Belated New Year!
- 1 pound 16 ounces dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed well
- 1 pound 16 ounces Andouille Sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 large onion chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 2 stalks celery chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 bell pepper seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (See Note 1)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 quart (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
- 10 ounce can Rotel Original Tomatoes and Chilies
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onions for garnish (optional)
- 3 cups steamed white rice
Cook sausage over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until browned, about 10 minutes.
Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often to loosen any browned bits on bottom of Dutch oven. Add minced garlic; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies. Add black eyed peas, thyme, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Stir to combine all ingredients.
Cover and simmer over medium low heat for one hour or until peas are tender and creamy. Adjust seasonings; if desired, garnish with chopped chives or green onions. Serve over rice. Yield: 6 servings.
- I used Emeril's Essense for the Cajun seasoning.
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