This Southern-inspired black eyed peas and cabbage stew is a vegetarian and vegan twist for New Year’s Day! Even without ham or bacon, it still has plenty of smoky and savory flavors. Serve it on its own, over rice, or on the side of pork and cornbread.
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Lizzie’s Notes
In some parts of the US, it’s considered good luck to eat certain foods on New Year’s Day. Black eyed peas and cabbage are among the lucky ingredients thought to bring prosperity in the year ahead! Veggies win again, am I right?!
I’ve been wanting to create a vegetarian twist on a traditional black eyed peas recipe for quite some time, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out! It’s smoky and flavorful and can easily be adjusted based on your taste preferences.
Oh! And it’s SO easy! Seriously, you can use a bag of shredded cabbage instead of slicing it yourself to make the whole thing even easier. I hope you enjoy celebrating the New Year with a big bowl of veggies!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Onion: Any kind you have on hand will work. Use yellow, sweet, white, or red.
- Smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried thyme, and salt: If you want to mimic the smoky flavor of traditional black eyed peas and cabbage (made with ham or bacon), use paprika that’s specifically labeled as smoked. The other spices add great additional flavor, but feel free to adjust them or add more as desired. You can add a pinch of Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, or chili powder, liquid smoke, and/or add a bay leaf while everything is simmering.
- Cabbage: I used savoy cabbage for this recipe, but feel free to sub napa, green, or even red. Use a bag of shredded cabbage to save on prep time if desired.
- Black eyed peas: Canned works best. If you can’t find canned, you can cook dried ones according to package instructions and use them in the recipe instead.
- Diced tomatoes: Sub crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have.
- Vegetable broth: Use chicken broth if needed.
Instructions
The full recipe card for black eyed peas and cabbage is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Dice onion and cut cabbage into thin shreds or pieces. See my tutorial on How to Cut Cabbage for more tips.
Cook onion in olive oil until tender. Add the spices and cook a minute or two until fragrant.
Add the cabbage to the skillet.
Cook until wilted.
Add the black eyed peas, broth, and diced tomatoes.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender and the broth has mostly evaporated.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of broth over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until warmed through. You can also warm up the dish in the microwave in 30-second intervals on high, stirring in between them.
Serving
Black eyed peas and cabbage are perfect for New Year’s Day! You can enjoy this recipe as a stew served over brown rice for a vegetarian/vegan main dish or as a side dish for a larger spread. Other recipes with New Year’s ingredients include my Sweet Potato Cornbread, Slow Cooker Collard Greens, Shredded Collard Greens Salad, and BBQ Lentils.
More Cabbage Recipes
Love this black eyed peas and cabbage skillet? Check out these other recipes with cabbage while you’re here!
📖 Recipe
Lucky Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - divided
- 1 small yellow onion - diced, about 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt - more to taste
- 6 cups shredded cabbage - from 1 small head or ½ large head
- 15 ounces black eyed peas - drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes - with their juices
- ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth
- Brown or jasmine rice - for serving, optional
Instructions
- If you want to serve the recipe like a stew over rice, prepare the rice before starting the rest of the recipe so it's ready.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm a tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and salt. Cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.
- Add the shredded cabbage to the skillet along with the second tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted.
- Add the black eyed peas, diced tomatoes, and broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat back to medium to maintain a simmer. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until the cabbage is tender and most of the broth has evaporated.
- Taste and add additional salt or other seasonings (see notes) as desired.
- Serve warm as a stew over rice or on its own!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post).
Notes
- Optional additions for more heat/smoky flavor: Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, chili powder, liquid smoke, bay leaves, or a can of green chilis.
- Black eyed peas: If you can’t find canned ones, cook them from scratch following package instructions and then add 2 cups to this recipe.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet with some extra broth for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat. You can also reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals on high until warm.
- Nutrition facts do not include rice.
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