You won’t believe the amount of healthy nutrients loaded into one bowl of this vegan black eyed peas stew. You’ll love this one year round.
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Most of the time people think of stew as a fall and winter only meal; however, this vegan black eyed peas stew is going to be one you want year round.
It’s packed full of nutrients that will make your body feel super amazing while also filling you up with comfort and goodness.
This is another recipe as I explore more about Blue Zones foods and why people who live in these areas are living longer. Ultimately, learning how to expand my longevity as well.
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Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Easy – While you have to wait for the flavors to develop, the overall recipe is super simple to make
- Great for Meal Prep – this is one of those recipes that only gets better with time which is perfect for meal prep as you can make it 3-5 days in advance and use as needed
- Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly – this recipe is completely Top 9 Allergen Free which means it’s a great option to serve
🥘Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
- Black Eyed Peas – This nutrient dense food is the star of this dish. We start with dried beans which are great to always have in your pantry
- Olive Oil – This recipe is using the oil not only to saute, but also for the health benefits of olive oil. You’ll want to use a high quality oil for this recipe.
- Vegetables – You’ll need a red onion, red bell pepper, tomatoes, spinach, and fennel for this recipe.
- Tomato Paste – For a bit more concentrated flavor we are using tomato paste.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Black Eyed Peas – You could use other beans for this recipe like pinto, black bean, cannellini or other white beans, or even chickpeas.
- Olive Oil – for the sauting portion you could use another oil, but we do not recommend using another oil for the finishing part
- Onions – sweet or yellow onions can be subbed for the red
- Bell Pepper – any color bell pepper will work
- Spinach – you can sub kale or another leafy green for spinach
- Tomatoes – canned tomatoes can be used in place of fresh
- Fennel – celery or leeks would be the best substitute for fennel
- Stretch this meal – Feel free to add more vegetables or even ingredients like mushrooms or rice to stretch this further
Step by Step Instructions for vegan black eyed peas stew:
Step 1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add dried black eyed peas and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse.
Step 2. In a large pot or skillet with high walls, add half the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, fennel, and garlic. Stir often and cook until softened (about 10-12 minutes).
Step 3. Add in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and peppers, tomato paste mixture, and enough water to cover the beans (about 2 ½ -4 cups) and stir together.
Add spices and bay leaves and stir again, pushing the bay leaves and beans completely under liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for about 40-60 minutes (beans about half way cooked).
Step 4. Add dill and salt to taste. Stir together and continue to cook until beans are soft and tender.
Step 5. During the last 5-10 minutes, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, pour in remaining olive oil and stir. Serve warm.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes. This recipe is already written to be Top 9 Free.
Yes. Once made, let cool completely and you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, just make sure to use a large enough pot to hold all your ingredients.
Yes, this recipe can be frozen. Cool completely after cooking and then store in freezer safe bags or containers for up to 3 months.
Other Vegan Healthy Recipes to Consider:
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🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Black Eyed Peas Stew
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black eyed peas
- ½ cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup water, plus more about cook
- 1 large firm, ripe tomato, diced small
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 0.5 oz fresh dill, chopped finely (more to taste, up to 1oz)
- ¾ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- 2 cups spinach, chopped if desired
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add dried black eyed peas and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse. After hour, then proceed.
- In a large pot or skillet with high walls, add half the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, fennel, and garlic. Stir often and cook until softened (about 10-12 minutes). While waiting, mix the water and tomato paste in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and peppers, tomato paste mixture, and enough water to cover the beans (about 2 ½ -4 cups) and stir together. Add spices and bay leaves and stir again, pushing the bay leaves and beans completely under liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for about 40-60 minutes (beans about half way cooked).
- Add dill and salt to taste. Stir together and continue to cook until beans are soft and tender.
- During the last 5-10 minutes, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, pour in remaining olive oil and stir. Serve warm.
I made this dish for dinner. It was amazingly delicious! My new favorite recipe for black eyed peas. I don’t miss the ham in it at all. This recipe is so much more flavorful!
yay! So glad it was enjoyed
Very delicious. I only had canned beans, but it was stll very flavorful. I will try with dry beans next. Thank you for all of your recipes!
Thank you!! We appreciate you giving the recipe a shot, and we’re happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
This was great on the first day and even better on the second. Although I normally modify recipes significantly, with this one I only increased the thyme and oregano to a tbsp each, increased the dill a bit, and added a whole head of garlic (because why not?). If this doesn’t warm your soul on a winter evening, nothing will. Thanks for the recipe!
More garlic will never be a problem 😉 Glad you enjoyed
Served this over vegan cornbread. We love this!! Definitely on the list to make again.
So glad that you enjoyed it
What a great recipe! Very comforting. I added the juice of half a lemon for a little extra zip and some mushroom powder for an umami boost. So, so good.
so glad you enjoyed it
First time making soup / stew and I loved it! I added some lions mane, squash, & penne noodles and it is just YUM. The soup is very aromatic and has a lovely light but strong flavor. Also subbed for canned pinto beans, such a delightful soup for fall 🍂😋
sounds great with your additions, glad you loved it
I noticed that your printed recipe calls for 1 oz dill and video shows .5 oz. I used .5 oz. There was minimal taste, so I added Better Than Bouillon Veg., so perhaps substitute veg. broth for water. I also added flavored tempeh. After these adjustments, the end result was delicious and even my non-vegan family devoured it. If I make this recipe again, I would soak the beans overnight, saute veggies and throw everything in the Instant Pot to cook.
Thanks for your feedback