I grew up thinking black eyed peas were only for New Year’s Day. My mom would make them once a year, and that was it. Then I married into a family that ate them year-round, and I realized I’d been missing out.
This recipe combines black eyed peas with cabbage, ground beef, and the holy trinity of Cajun cooking—onion, bell pepper, and celery. It’s basically a one-pot meal that fills you up without much fuss. The best part? You can throw everything together, let it simmer, and walk away. No babysitting required. Just good, hearty food that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did.
Why You’ll Love This Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage
- One-pot wonder – Everything cooks together in a single pot, which means less cleanup and more time to relax after dinner.
- Budget-friendly ingredients – Using dried black-eyed peas, ground beef, and cabbage keeps this meal affordable without sacrificing flavor or heartiness.
- Packed with vegetables – With cabbage, peppers, celery, and onions, you’re getting plenty of veggies in every bowl, making it a nutritious choice for weeknight dinners.
- Cajun-inspired flavor – The Cajun seasoning brings a nice kick of flavor that makes this dish anything but boring, and you can adjust the heat level to your liking.
- Freezer-friendly – This recipe makes a good amount and freezes well, so you can enjoy it now and save some for busy nights when you need a quick meal.
What Kind of Black-Eyed Peas Should I Use?
For this recipe, dried black-eyed peas are the way to go since they hold up better during the longer cooking time and absorb all those great flavors from the broth and seasonings. You don’t need to soak them overnight like some other dried beans – black-eyed peas cook up relatively quickly and will be tender in about an hour. If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute canned black-eyed peas, but add them toward the end of cooking (just drain and rinse them first) so they don’t turn to mush. When shopping for dried black-eyed peas, just make sure they look uniform in color and aren’t shriveled or cracked, which means they’re past their prime.
Options for Substitutions
This recipe is pretty forgiving and works well with several substitutions:
- Hamburger: Ground turkey or ground chicken make great lighter alternatives. You can also use ground sausage for extra flavor, though you might want to reduce the Cajun seasoning a bit since sausage is already well-seasoned.
- Green pepper: Red or yellow bell peppers work just as well and add a slightly sweeter flavor. You can also mix colors for variety.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth or beef broth both work fine here. If you’re out of broth entirely, you can use water with a couple of bouillon cubes.
- Dried black-eyed peas: You can use canned black-eyed peas instead – you’ll need about 2 cans (15 ounces each), drained and rinsed. Add them during the last 30 minutes of cooking since they’re already tender.
- Cabbage: Green cabbage is traditional, but savoy or napa cabbage work too. In a pinch, you could use kale or collard greens, though they’ll give a slightly different texture.
- Cajun seasoning: If you don’t have Cajun seasoning, try a mix of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking
The biggest mistake people make with this recipe is not rinsing the dried black-eyed peas before cooking, which can leave you with a gritty texture and excess starch – give them a quick rinse and pick through them to remove any small stones or debris.
Another common error is adding the cabbage at the same time as everything else, but if you prefer your cabbage with a bit of bite instead of completely soft, toss it in during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Don’t skip draining the hamburger properly after browning, as excess grease will float on top of your soup and make it feel heavy, and remember to taste before serving since the saltiness of different chicken broths varies quite a bit.
If your black-eyed peas aren’t getting tender after an hour, it might be because they’re old – dried beans lose moisture over time and can take much longer to cook, so try to use peas that are less than a year old for best results.
What to Serve With Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage?
This hearty soup is practically a meal on its own, but I love serving it with a big piece of cornbread or some warm dinner rolls for soaking up all that flavorful broth. If you want to stretch it even further, spoon it over a bowl of white rice or quinoa to make it extra filling. A side of coleslaw or a simple cucumber salad adds a nice cool crunch that balances out the Cajun spices. For a true Southern-style meal, add some sliced avocado on top or serve it alongside some saltine crackers for a little extra texture.
Storage Instructions
Store: This dish actually gets better after a day or two in the fridge! Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The flavors really meld together nicely, making it perfect for meal prep or leftovers throughout the week.
Freeze: Black eyed peas and cabbage freezes really well for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags. I like to freeze individual servings so I can grab just what I need for a quick lunch or dinner.
Reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. You can also microwave individual portions for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway. Add a splash of water or broth if it seems too thick after storing.
| Preparation Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 45-60 minutes |
| Total Time | 55-75 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
| Servings | 6 servings |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 1300-1500
- Protein: 90-110 g
- Fat: 45-55 g
- Carbohydrates: 120-140 g
Ingredients
For browning:
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 blend works best)
- 1 cup green bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 cup onion (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 cup celery (diced)
For the main dish:
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)
- 3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas (soaked overnight for faster cooking)
- 3.5 cups cabbage (chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- 29 oz chicken broth
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
- 3 cups water
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional but adds nice heat)
Step 1: Prepare Mise en Place and Build the Flavor Base
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup onion
- 1 cup green bell pepper
- 1 cup celery
- 3.5 cups cabbage
Mince the garlic clove and dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery into uniform 1/2-inch pieces; chop the cabbage into 1-inch pieces.
This prep work ensures everything cooks evenly and allows you to focus on building flavor without interruption.
Having everything ready before you start cooking is essential for a smooth workflow.
Step 2: Brown the Ground Beef and Sauté the Aromatics
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup onion
- 1 cup green bell pepper
- 1 cup celery
- 1 garlic clove
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks for 5-7 minutes until browned and no longer pink.
Add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic to the meat and sauté for another 5-8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions become translucent.
This step builds a rich, savory foundation by developing the natural sugars in the vegetables and creating deeper flavor through browning.
I like to cook the beef until it has a nice brown crust before adding the vegetables—it makes a real difference in the final dish’s depth.
Step 3: Combine All Ingredients in the Pot and Bring to a Boil
- browned beef and vegetable mixture from Step 2
- 3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas
- 3.5 cups cabbage from Step 1
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 29 oz chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- pinch cayenne pepper
Transfer the browned beef and vegetable mixture from Step 2 to a large pot (no need to drain—the rendered fat adds flavor).
Add the soaked black-eyed peas, chopped cabbage from Step 1, diced canned tomatoes with their juice, chicken broth, water, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper if using.
Stir well to combine all ingredients evenly and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 4: Simmer Until Peas Are Tender
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.
The black-eyed peas should become completely tender and creamy, and the flavors will meld together beautifully.
I like to taste the broth around the 45-minute mark—when the peas are soft but still hold their shape, that’s when it’s perfect.
The cabbage will soften significantly and become part of the overall texture of the dish.
Hearty Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage
Ingredients
For browning:
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 blend works best)
- 1 cup green bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 cup onion (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 cup celery (diced)
For the main dish:
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)
- 3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas (soaked overnight for faster cooking)
- 3.5 cups cabbage (chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- 29 oz chicken broth
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
- 3 cups water
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional but adds nice heat)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic clove and dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery into uniform 1/2-inch pieces; chop the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. This prep work ensures everything cooks evenly and allows you to focus on building flavor without interruption. Having everything ready before you start cooking is essential for a smooth workflow.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks for 5-7 minutes until browned and no longer pink. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic to the meat and sauté for another 5-8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions become translucent. This step builds a rich, savory foundation by developing the natural sugars in the vegetables and creating deeper flavor through browning. I like to cook the beef until it has a nice brown crust before adding the vegetables—it makes a real difference in the final dish's depth.
- Transfer the browned beef and vegetable mixture from Step 2 to a large pot (no need to drain—the rendered fat adds flavor). Add the soaked black-eyed peas, chopped cabbage from Step 1, diced canned tomatoes with their juice, chicken broth, water, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper if using. Stir well to combine all ingredients evenly and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, about 8-10 minutes.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking. The black-eyed peas should become completely tender and creamy, and the flavors will meld together beautifully. I like to taste the broth around the 45-minute mark—when the peas are soft but still hold their shape, that's when it's perfect. The cabbage will soften significantly and become part of the overall texture of the dish.
