Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens is the perfect Southern comfort food to celebrate New Year’s Day or ANY day! Made with a leftover ham bone and simmered in a rich tasty broth, these Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens are a delicious addition to your New Year’s Day menu.
As a girl living down here in the South, Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens are an every day dish not just reserved for New Year’s Day traditions of good luck. That being said, there is also no better way to start the new year than with a big ol’ heaping bowl of this easy slow cooker dish. Talk about an abundance of delicious ingredients… you have tender black eyed peas simmered in a tasty broth with tons of ham and collard greens.
And I don’t even like collard greeens.
WHY EAT BLACK EYED PEAS ON NEW YEARS?
Historically, it is said that Southern tradition states that the first food eaten on New Year’s Day should be black-eyed peas and that you should eat one pea for each day of the new year to bring forth both luck and prosperity. If you really want to ensure a good year finacially, be sure to add a ton of greens for wealth.
DO BLACK EYED PEAS NEED TO BE SOAKED OVERNIGHT?
No, not if you are making this Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens recipe in the slow cooker. Depending on different cooking methods, sometimes you would need to either soak the black eyed peas overnight or at the very least for an hour or so. Cooking your Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens in the slow cooker removes the necessity of a pre-soak.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER BLACK EYED PEAS AND COLLARD GREENS?
Easy! To make this Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens recipe, start by pouring your black eyed peas into a large strainer and running them under cold water.
Take care to remove any broken or discolored beans and any lumps of dirt or foreign material mixed in with your beans. Once cleaned, set aside. Add your leftover ham bone to your slow cooker and then add in the onion, minced garlic, chicken stock, spices, vinegar and tomato sauce. Stir lightly to combine before adding in the black eyed peas and chopped collard greens.
Cover and cook on High for 2 hours before stiring in the wild rice. Return the cover and continue cooking on Low for 6 hours. At that point, carefully (it’s HOT!) remove the ham bone and cut away any meat still clinging to the bone. Return the meat to the slow cooker and give it all a quick stir. Cook on Low for another 1 – 2 hours. Once done, serve up with an extra sprinkle of cayenne or a shot of hot sauce and some corn bread or good crusty bread.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING BLACK EYED PEAS AND COLLARD GREENS
- Make sure you are using a large enough slow cooker for your Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens. The ham bone we had saved had a ton of meat still on the bone (yay!) so it took up a lot of space in the crock pot. Things got a little dicey once the wild rice was added 🙂
- Be sure to rinse and clean your black eyed peas. You know how sometimes we all short cut a step or two in the kitchen? Don’t let this point be one of them.
- Collard greens are standard fare with black eyed peas but if you are not a fan, feel free to substitute them with mustard greens, kale or any other wild greens you prefer.
Looking for more easy slow cooker recipes to share with your family and friends? Check a few of my favorite Slow Cooker recipes below.
MORE EASY SLOW COOKER RECIPES
- Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
- Easy Homemade Chili
- Easy Slow Cooker Mexican Chorizo Chili
- Slow Cooker Burrito Bowl
- Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Enjoy and Happy New Year’s!!!
MADE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE LEAVE A STAR RATING BELOW!
- 1 large ham bone with meat still on the bone
- 1/2 large sweet onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 64 ounces chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt or Creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces tomato sauce or favorite traditional spaghetti sauce ... sounds weird but it works 🙂
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 16 ounces black eyed peas
- 2 - 3 cups chopped collard greens
- 3/4 cup wild rice
-
To make this Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens recipe, start by pouring your black eyed peas into a large strainer and running them under cold water. Take care to remove any broken or discolored beans and any lumps of dirt or foreign material mixed in with your beans. Once cleaned, set aside.
-
Add your leftover ham bone to your slow cooker and then add in the onion, minced garlic, chicken stock, spices, vinegar and tomato sauce. Stir lightly to combine before adding in the black eyed peas and chopped collard greens. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours before stiring in the wild rice. Return the cover and continue cooking on Low for 6 hours.
-
At that point, carefully (it's HOT!) remove the ham bone and cut away any meat still clinging to the bone. Return the meat to the slow cooker and give it all a quick stir. Cook on Low for another 1 - 2 hours. Once done, serve up with an extra sprinkle of cayenne or a shot of hot sauce and some corn bread or good crusty bread.
