Black-Eyed Pea Salad
This black eyed pea salad is a lovely, light dish that’s great for either winter or summer. It’s a colorful and cheery salad, packed with all kinds of flavors, textures, and nutrients. Black-eyed peas grow profusely in the south and freeze very well.
Fall is the time to start planting those winter greens in the garden. This black-eyed pea salad is one of my favorite ways to use garden spinach.
You’re probably familiar with the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Superstition has it that this dish will bring luck and prosperity in the year to come. If you’d like to try your luck on New Year’s or just enjoy following tradition, my Hoppin’ John recipe has you covered.
Black-Eyed Pea Salad: Tasty All Year Round
However, this black-eyed pea recipe is a delicious and nutritious addition to meals all year round.
Believe it or not, black-eyed peas — also called cow peas — are actually beans. They get their name from the black “eye” where the white bean attaches to its pod. These pea-beans are high in fiber and protein and packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, and iron. They also are rich in disease-fighting flavanoids and other antioxidants.
Add spinach, cilantro, and tomatoes, and you have a nutrition powerhouse in this tasty salad. Enjoy!
Black-Eyed Peas Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large red onion
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro coarsely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- juice of 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, bring 4 cups of water, salt, pepper, and the peas to a boil. Once the peas reach a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the peas are done. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, gently mix black-eyed peas, red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Mix spinach gently into black-eyed pea mixture. Serve at room temperature.