This is the classic way black eyed peas are prepared in Greece: stewed with onion, tomato and herbs until thick. This One Pot Greek Black Eyed Pea dish is hearty and good. It is often combined with spinach or other greens.
While we often see black eyed peas in salad recipes, cooking them as a stew really brings out the flavor and that thick sauce. We often associate this bean with southern and Caribbean cuisine, but in fact they are quite a traditional food in Greece, we call them mavromatika. When we look at this recipe, it has many things in common with southern style black eyed peas (minus the meat): cooked on the stovetop with onions and herbs, these black eyed peas are very versatile, as you can add other greens, or other herbs depending on the season.
Nutritional Value of Black Eyed Peas
Although it is called a “pea” it is actually a bean, and one of the healthiest ones. I find that it is underestimated in regards to its health benefits. Black eyed peas are full of nutrients, let’s see how much: 1 cup of cooked black eyed peas contain about 220 calories, 15 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber. That in itself makes these beans a perfect food for those wanting lose weight, maintain balanced blood sugar levels and feel full and satisfied. But that’s not all, a cup of these wonder beans also contains high amounts of folate, iron, magnesium, copper and thiamin fulfilling over 20% of our daily needs for these vitamins and minerals. Black eyed peas are also a source of protective antioxidants. In addition to all this , they are better tolerated than other types of beans.
How to Prepare Black Eyed Peas
One of the reasons black eyed peas are so great apart from their flavor and nutritional value, is that they very easy to prepare. You do not need to soak them overnight and they cook quite quickly. Since they are so easy to prepare, I recommend using dried beans rather than canned.
If you intend to use them in a salad, you can soak them for 30 minutes. Then you rinse and simmer in plenty of water (make sure they are covered by 4 inches or 10 cm). They should be ready in about 30-40 minutes. If you are using them for a cold dish/salad you do not want to overcook, you do not want them mushy.
For this particular one-pot recipe, we will cook the black eyed peas along with tomato and water until they are stewed as you will see in the recipe below.
One Pot Greek Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry black eyed peas 7 ounces/200 grams
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots sliced thinly
- 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes may use canned- 12 ounces/360 grams
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped dill
- parsley for serving
- salt/pepper
Instructions
- Soak the black eyed peas in water for about 30 minutes. After that rinse in plenty of water.
- In a pot, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and the carrot until the onion is translucent.
- Add the black eyed peas to the pot and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato, the bay leaf, dill and pepper and mix well.
- Add hot water until the beans are covered (about 1 inch over).
- Simmer for 30-40 minutes checking the water levels, add a bit of hot water as needed (about 2-3 tablespoons each time), you do not want this to be watery or like a soup, but thick. I prefer to add less water in the beginning and add as needed later.
- The beans are ready when they are soft.
- Remove from heat and remove the bay leaf, add salt to taste and mix.
- Serve as is or with a sprinkle of parsley. You may also accompany it with a piece of feta.
SAVE FOR LATER AND PIN IT!
Photos by Elena Paravantes © All Rights Reserved
Than you for sharing this recipe. I have made it twice now and its always been a hit with my family. It is now becoming a go to recipe.
Thank you Julie!!
Louvi aka.. black eye beans are incredible … may I suggest another cooking method…
using a pressure cooker… the old fashioned type…
I cover washed beans with hot water about 1 inch above beans.. no need to soak.. when it comes to pressure .. steam for 3-4 mins…
now de pressurise pressure pan
You will see that the water is a darkish colour… take out most … NOW is the time to add chopped (2 inch pieces of Swiss Chard ..about a bunch
cover with hot water to about 1inch above chard.
bring back to pressure.. then count down about 2-3 mins.
when time ends .. de pressurise.. open lid…
you will see , once again , a lot of liquid…Very Important to REMOVE 3/4 of that liquid, then
Immediately add juice if 1 lemon+ salt to taste….and gently mix to infuse flavours.
❤️Now comes the fun part… when preparing each plate, serve the beans with wedges of lemon+ lashings of EXTRA Virgin Olive Oil.. salt once again to taste, also,on the side, here in Cyprus we will have some homemade tuna salad
(flaked tuna+ finely chopped spring onion+fresh or dried mint chopped, olive oil,lemon juice, salt mix all together)
also a plate of Sliced tomatoes cucumber.. some black olives and slices of red onion..and crusty village bread, to mop up juices. phew!!! That’s it…
NB Here in Cyprus we have the largest, freshest ,best quality dried and fresh black eyed beans… abroad you will most probably find that they are quite small in size… please note that cooking times therefore will vary.. so just adjust a little…also if you don’t have a pressure cooker.. just boil in saucepan -lid on 3/4 of way… until ready!softish , pressed between two finger… you may need to change and adjust with hot water.
Thank you for shari Mairi!
Well I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised! I’ve made (and thrown out) many bean dishes in the past because the flavours fell flat and I felt sad having to eat them haha. This was so simple, and so good! I used what I had on hand, parsnips instead of carrots and green lentils instead of black eyed peas. I only used 1 tablespoon of oil to cook because I knew I wanted to put a tablespoon on top of each bowl, and served with feta. I love this! I will be making it every week 🙂
Thank you Lauren! Glad you enjoyed them!
If you made all of those changes and substitutions, then you DID NOT make this recipe—and thus, you have absolutely no legitimate basis on which to “review” it. What you cooked was an entirely different dish, not at all recognizable as this dish.
Being Indian am new to Greek food. I have cooked black eye peas many time but this Greek style pea recipe was was delicious. Will cook again and again.
This recipe provoked me to try more Greek recipes.
Thank you for sharing Punam.
Elena, I made this dish the week after you posted the recipe, and it was delicious! Turned out to be quite sweet, and I think that’s because the carrots from our gardens had already gone through a few frosts (we’re in New England), which increases the sugars in the roots. Such a simple dish and so satisfying. One of our immediate favorites. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you for sharing Steve! Interesting fact about the carrots
Can I use black beans as a substitute?
You could, but you would have to pre-soak them longer (at least 4-5 hours) as they take a bit longer to cook.
I’m making this recipe tonight. The black eyed peas have now been cooking for two hours and a half hours and they’re still not done. We’re mighty hungry…
Thanks for sharing, although it should not take that long for these particular beans to cook.
I had a similar issue – and the beans I bought were definitely labeled as and looked like black eyed beans. I simmered for 1.5 hours the first night before giving up, then tried for 6.5 hours the next day – and they still weren’t done! Eventually resorted to my pressure cooker for an hour. That made them soft, finally, but they tasted awful. I’m almost never one to throw out food, but used them as compost on my garden. Disappointed, as the recipe sounds great!
Well… I soaked my black eyed peas for about 45 minutes and now they’ve been simmering for nearly 2 hours. Anxious to try it. But I think the beans need a longer soaking? They are covered enough with liquid just not getting cooked fast enough!
Hi Betsy, Generally black-eyed peas should be soft/cooked in 1 hour.
This dish represents the best of Greek comfort food! Not only that, but it’s also very healthy and makes for a nice vegetarian meal.
Thank you for your website! I made this for dinner; the fridge was almost empty as we are headed out of town for a week. But I had canned tomatoes and fresh herbs growing on my porch plus a couple of carrots that would have been composted otherwise. I had a container of previously frozen cooked white beans that also was destined for the compost, so I used those instead of black-eyed peas. My daughter doesn’t like dill, so I used oregano and rosemary; we ate it with rustic sourdough from a local bakery, drizzling extra olive oil over the top. Simple and utterly delicious!
Hi Elena, as I just said on my Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Facebook page, where I shared a link to this, I have made white beans much like this, but never black eyed peas, which I’ve only used in salads. Now I want to try this, since its health benefits are even greater than I’d thought! I appreciate your letting us know about that. You suggest serving this with feta. However, I have heard that eating calcium and iron sources together inhibits iron absorption. Is that incorrect?
Thanks Lisa. Yes calcium can hinder absorption of iron, although feta has moderate amounts of calcium. However studies show that in the long run this does not result in iron deficiencies.
Very interesting about digestibility. I love beans, but they don’t love me. I do find I have an easier time digesting old-world beans (like this family of beans) than new-world varieties – though I love black beans.
Yes some varieties are easier on our digestive system than others.
What other peas/beans are easier to digest? Love black eye peas of course.
Hello Elena
Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes. Being the son of emigrant Lebanese parents, I very much enjoy Greek food because the the similarity in many of the dishes. Keep up the wonderful work of sharing your suggestions with us. An avid fan, Sam George
Thank you for sharing George! And I love Lebanese food!
Hi elena, this recipe sounds lovely & I’m going to try it!
Do you know how many carbs is in a portion? Thank you..
Hi Dolores, About 35-40 grams in 1 cup .
Thanks for your delightful blog, I’ve prepared many of your recipes and they’ve all been delicious!
Small correction in step 3 – black eyed peas instead of chickpeas (sorry, I was an editor in a former life).
This sounds delicious, I love black eyed peas!
Thanks Michael
How is bread typically made in Greece? is it with wheat, spelt, barley? What would be the healthier choice? Thanks!
Either wheat but also barley mostly in the form of rusks which are very popular. You can check this recipe for barley rusks: https://www.olivetomato.com/greek-barley-rusks/