How to describe Italian Style Black-Eyed Peas? It’s a simple and nutritious dish that’s also super tasty. So delicious, in fact, I could have eaten it as my main dish!
Do you ever come across a side dish that you could eat as your main dish? One of those dishes so good, it’s hard to break your focus from it? Italian Style Black-Eyed Peas is that dish for me.
My husband decided to whip up this dish recently. He picked up a bag of dried black-eyed peas at the store, and I knew he had something in mind.
We eat a lot of beans in our house. Why not? They’re so good for you! If you’re a fan of beans, too, and looking for a fab side dish, try my recipe (actually, my husband’s recipe!) for Quick Collard Greens with Sausage and Beans or another fabulous side that I love, Green Beans in Tomato Sauce.
Now, we all know that black-eyed peas are a Southern specialty (that may be why my husband likes them so much), but we gave these goodies an Italian twist by adding tomato, herbs, and Parmesan.
You could do all sorts of things with black-eyed peas with great results. I made Black-Eyed Pea and Swiss Chard Soup with Pancetta, and even cute little hand pies that you could take with you to eat on the run.
Considered legumes (technically peas), black-eyed peas and are quite filling and are also a great source of fiber. In other words: you should be eating them!
There are a lot of things I shouldn’t be eating, too, but ya know — moderation and all that. In fact, I’m already thinking about a dessert I want to make — stay tuned!
Back to this side dish: Italian Style Black-Eyed Peas is a tasty, and healthy dish that would be great with fish, chicken, or a hearty salad. We used dried black-eyed peas for this recipe, but you don’t have to. The soaking process is easy, but you have to do a little advanced planning (overnight) if that’s the route you’re going.
If you try Italian Style Black-Eyed Peas, let me know what you think. Bet you’ll love them!
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Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Serves 4-6
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas (makes 3 cups cooked)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces pancetta
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup seasoned, toasted breadcrumbs for garnish
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and discard any remaining bits of stone or debris. Soak the dried beans overnight in a large pot of water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the beans. Drain the beans the next day.
- Add fresh water to a large pot. Add the beans and bring the mixture to a boil for 15 minutes (cover the pot with a lid). Reduce the heat to simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- As the beans cook, top off the water in the pot so the beans remain covered. Make sure you use warm or hot water. (I did this 4-5 times as the beans cooked.)
- Drain the beans when done and set aside.
- Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. When hot, add the oil. Add the pancetta and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so.
- Transfer the beans to the skillet and season with the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, and tomato paste to the skillet. Stir and cook for 10-15 minutes (uncovered) to allow the stock to cook into the beans.
- Top with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.
Notes
If you don't want to use dried black-eyed peas for this recipe, you could use the canned version. Be sure to drain and rinse them first.
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