Healthy Black Eyed Pea Recipes

To infuse peas with flavor, simmer them with dried spices, which pack a more intense punch than fresh. Smoked paprika delivers the essence of ham hocks or bacon while keeping this classic side dish vegan.

This bean and okra recipe is a classic Southern side dish perfect for potlucks. Adding the okra toward the end of cooking guarantees a tender--not mushy--texture.

An easy salad to serve with grilled chicken or steak for supper or on a bed of greens for a satisfying lunch. Substitute white beans or chickpeas for the black-eyed peas if you prefer.

Taco salad doesn't always have to contain beef--this 15-minute version uses tofu or black bean crumbles, which taste delicious and offer up a healthy dose of protein. This vegetarian meal is so tasty that even meat-only eaters won't miss the beef.

Antioxidant-rich collard greens and fiber-packed black-eyed peas have a starring role in this nutritious soup. There's no need for loads of ham or salt pork--just a small amount of bacon gives it a wonderful smoky flavor. You can skip the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth for a great vegetarian dish.

Try this recipe when you've got a craving for old-fashioned soul food.

The Instant Pot makes quick work of cooking up these vegan black-eyed peas. Fresh and dried spices and onion lend rich flavor to this simple bean dish.

At Handsome Hog, his restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, Justin Sutherland offers this chopped salad topped with any barbecued meat on the menu. The chef recommends brisket--it takes this already Southern-inspired salad a step further.

This layered salad features cornbread, black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes and Cheddar cheese with a garnish of crumbled bacon and a creamy homemade dressing that soaks into the mix.

Two Cypriot specialties--good olive oil and fresh lemons--lend sunny flavor to this simple bean dish, served as a side in Cyprus. Chard adds a hearty touch. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or nondairy yogurt to keep it vegan, for a meatless meal.

Ronnishia Johnson and Rheema Calloway, owners of The Vegan Hood Chefs in San Francisco, created this vegan succotash dish, inspired by the food they were raised on, cooked by grandmothers who hail from Louisiana. They put their spin on it by omitting the bacon, packing it with veggies and adding coconut milk for body.

A symbol of good luck, black-eyed peas get transformed with Jamaican essentials like scallion, curry powder and Scotch bonnet chile pepper in this satisfying plant-forward stew made complete with brown rice and avocado.