Most southerners know that eating a dish of black-eyed peas is said to bring you good luck and prosperity in the new year. I feel like no matter where you live, this is a superstition we can all get behind. Not only are black-eyed peas good for you, but they are also easy to make and super tasty! And besides, we just shouldn’t chance it for this upcoming year. So, let’s eat all the peas, people!
Updated 2022
Top: Instant Pot Black-Eyed Pea Soup by Bowl of Delicious | Sloppy Black-Eyed Peas from Healthy Slow Cooking
Related: 12 tasty good-luck foods the entire family will love
Like so many families, mine has fallen into a deep Instant Pot obsession — we use it so often, it’s earned its very own permanent space on the countertop — so this Instant Pot Black-Eyed Pea Soup by Bowl of Delicious is right up our pressure cooker-lovin’ alley. It’s got tons of veggies and savory ham, so really it’s more of a warm, hearty meal than a soup.
If you are in looking for a new Instant Pot, or maybe your first one, you will definitely want to check out this Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart Whisper Quiet model that is currently on sale from our affiliate Amazon. It is ah-mazing.
Related: 15 surprising Instant Pot recipes
This cheesy Hot Black Eyed Pea Dip from Spicy Southern Kitchen has been a favorite on New Year’s Day in our home for many years. Eating dip as a whole meal is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, especially on New Year’s Day.
Related: Our favorite dips that make great meals
The traditional way of cooking Southern black-eyed peas calls for soaking the beans overnight — which, let’s face it, you may not have thought about last night as the Champagne was being popped. (I know I didn’t.) But The Kitchen Girl has a fantastic, pared-down recipe for Hoppin’ John that is so easy and requires almost zero forethought that it pretty much qualifies as last-minute.
Related: 7 easy yeast bread recipes to go with those black eyed peas
If your kids aren’t big on spicy dishes, don’t worry — Melissa of Cilantro and Citronella promises that her Curried Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas recipe is super mild. The coconut milk makes it creamy and cancels out the heat of the chili spices — which aren’t so exotic that you need to go anywhere other than your regular, day-to-day grocery store.
Related: 8 super quick curry recipes
Homemade hummus is one of my favorite things — probably because it’s so surprisingly easy to put together. It makes perfect sense to use black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas, as Sharon of Grits and Pinecones has for this Black-Eyed Pea Hummus. I mean, black-eyed peas aren’t actually peas at all, right? They’re beans! The recipe is already quick and easy, but click over for tips from Sharon on how to make it even more so.
Photo by Kate Lewis
While I am a huge fan of the traditional Hoppin’ John recipe for black-eyed peas, my kids are not so much. So this year I am making these Sloppy Black-Eyed Peas from Healthy Slow Cooking. Not only are these super easy to make, they are healthy, delicious and full of luck. Sounds like a pretty great way to start the New Year.
