A hearty, and comforting one-pot stew featuring tender black-eyed peas, collard greens, and okra with the bold kick of harissa seasoning for a perfect balance of spice and savory flavor.
Whether you’re using dried or pre-cooked peas, this versatile recipe is on the table in either an hour or about 30 minutes. Serve with a side rice and cornbread for a comforting, and satisfying meal. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and easily gluten-free. [ watch recipe VIDEO on the recipe card ]
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recipe Review: “Wonderful flavors. I made this in the morning so dinner would be ready without a lot of fuss…” ~ Marilny
A Comforting Black Eyed Peas and Okra Stew
Black eyed peas means comfort food isn’t too far away. They’re easy to cook, loaded with flavor, and have a tender texture. They’re delicious in so many black eyed pea recipes, and… they’re not just for New Years. They’re a staple in the vegetarian pantry and easily enjoyed year round.
This Recipe Is
- comforting
- freezer friendly
- hearty and satisfying
If you make homemade soup and stews, you’ll enjoy this rich and hearty main dish black eyed peas with okra recipe.
About the Key Ingredients
- Black Eyed Peas – use soaked or unsoaked dryed black eyed peas, for a long slow simmer of this stew. Look for dry black eyed peas in the bulk bins for best value. Or, substitute cooked/canned black eyed peas to reduce cook time by about 40 minutes.
- Dry Harissa Seasoning – a seasoning blend of spices that includes garlic, chili and coriander among others. It can be found in the bulk spice section so you can purchase exactly what you need. There are many brands on the market. I like Frontier Coop brand. You can substitute harissa paste in this recipe.
- Collard Greens – add texture, bulk and color. They’re mild in flavor, and have a chewy, satisfying texture once cooked. If you’re new to collard greens, this is a terrific recipe to try them in.
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How to Make Harissa Stewed Black Eyed Peas
Step by Step
Harissa is a North African and Middle Eastern spice blend that’s somewhat spicy, and over the top flavorful. It includes spices such as chili, garlic, coriander, caraway and mint. I use the powder spice blend for this recipe. If you prefer paste, start with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons and adjust to taste since the spiciness varies by brand. Harissa can be purchased as a paste or ground in spice jars.
You can use dry black eyed peas or pre cooked black eyed peas in this recipe. Using pre cooked peas will reduce the cook time by about 40 minutes, so dinner is on the table in about 30 minutes.
Traci’s Tips
- Brown Rice: a delicious side to share with this recipe. It soaks up all that tasty broth. I like brown basmati or long grain brown rice.
- Share With: Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread or Moist Gluten Free Cornbread for sopping up all that delicious broth. My recipes are made in a skillet and has those crusty edges we crave!
- Instant Pot Note: On Facebook, Kim noted that she made this recipe in the Instant Pot. She said 40 minutes and it was good to go!
Harissa Stewed Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Servings:5 – 6 Servings
Calories:222kcal
[ watch recipe VIDEO below ] **Advance Prep Recommended** The dried black eyed peas should be soaked overnight, but there are other options (see notes!). A hearty, and comforting one-pot stew featuring tender black-eyed peas, collard greens, and okra with the bold kick of harissa seasoning for a perfect balance of spice and savory flavor. Whether you're using dried or pre-cooked peas, this versatile recipe is on the table in either an hour or about 30 minutes. Serve with a side rice and cornbread for a comforting, and satisfying meal. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and easily gluten-free.*See recipe notes for using unsoaked peas and/or for cutting down on cook time using precooked or canned peas instead of dried (time below is for dried beans). There's a bit of overlap with prep and cook time in this recipe, so I lumped prep/cook all into one hour. The one hour time frame still allows time to whip up some rice and/or jalapeno cheddar cornbread.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (185 grams) Dried Black Eyed Peas soaked overnight, drained and rinsed *see notes if using precooked black-eyed peas or unsoaked dry peas
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil like olive or coconut
- 1 cup (120 grams) Red Onion about 1 medium
- 1 tablespoon Garlic minced, about 2 large cloves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Harissa Seasoning spice blend, dry. If you prefer paste, start with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons and adjust to taste.
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 3 1/2 cups (785 grams) Water
- 1 1/2 cups (411 grams) Fire Roasted Tomatoes and juices, one can
- 4 cups (165 grams) Collard Greens destemmed, chopped into bite size pieces and packed, about 1 bunch
- 3 cups (275 grams) Okra fresh or frozen, if frozen this is 1, 10 ounce bag
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- Parsley – Flat Leaf chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or 7 quart Dutch oven, heat oil to shimmering. Add the onion, and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally on medium-low or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant. Stir in harissa seasoning and tomato paste, stirring to coat the onions for one minute. Add the soaked and drained black eyed peas (see note** for unsoaked), and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low to simmer. Place a lid on the pot and cook for about 40-50 minutes OR until the peas are tender.If using precooked black eyed peas, use about 2 cups / 260 grams, drained peas, reduce water to about 1 cup, skip cooking for 40 minutes and continue on with the recipe.
- To the black eyed peas, stir in the tomatoes, collard greens (in two batches if needed), and okra. Cook, lid on, on medium-low for about 15-20 minutes, OR until the okra and collards are tender. Stir in the salt, pepper, cinnamon and squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for salt adjustment.Share with brown long grain or basmati rice and/or cornbread.
- Store in a lidded container for up to three days in the refrigerator, or up to three weeks in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge and gently rewarm stovetop.
Video
Notes
*To reduce cook time: Use drained and rinsed canned or precooked Slow Cooked Black-Eyed Peas in this recipe – about 2 cups. The recipe cook time can be reduced by about 40 minutes. After cooking the veggies and spices and adding only 1 cup of water, stir in the cooked black eyed peas then continue with the recipe.
If Using Unsoaked Dry Black Eyed Peas: simply simmer the peas about 10 minutes longer, or until tender, before adding the tomatoes, collards and okra.
Fresh or Frozen Okra? Use fresh or frozen okra in this recipe. If using frozen, be sure to sort out the tough ends and discard them.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1192mg | Potassium: 788mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2530IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 4mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!
Excellent (as are all of your recipes!). I added veggie sausage (Field Roast). Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Stephanie! Thank you for your note and giving the BEPs a go. What a delicious addition of Field Roast (I love it tooo)!
I made this for New Year’s day instead of the traditional Hoppin’ John. I did add 3 bay leaves and 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper to kick up the heat, plus I used vegetable broth instead of water, but those are just minor personal taste adjustments. It was soooooo good! I’ll definitely be making this again and I’ve already sent the link out to family members.
Hi Holly! Thank you for your note, sharing your tips and giving the recipe a go! I love that little bit of extra heat – so satisfying. I appreciate your sharing family… I hope they enjoy it too!
I made this for New Years Day Brunch. I coated the fresh okra with chickpea flour and dry fried them before putting them in the stew. I don’t care for the texture of boiled okra but I really like the flavor. Served this over a grit cake (aka polenta). Will definitely make this again. Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe it was vegan.
Hi Jason! Thank you for your note, giving the recipe a go and sharing your tip about the chickpea flour (love it!). So happy to hear everyone enjoyed the recipe!
Very delicious!! I used canned black eyed peas and Harissa paste because thats all I could find and it turned out super flavorful and had a perfect texture. Will definitely be making again.
Hi Katie! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Wonderful flavors. I made this in the morning so dinner would be ready without a lot of fuss and completely forgot to add the cinnamon and lemon at the end when I was reheating. It was still delicious and I’m glad there were leftovers to finish it with the seasonings next time. Your recipes are such an inspiration so now I need to find other recipes for using Harissa.
SO happy to hear Marilny! Thank you for your note and rating! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe sans cinnamon! Hooray for leftovers!
What is harrisa ?
Hi Debra! Harissa is a North African and Middle Eastern spice blend that’s somewhat spicy, and over the top flavorful. It includes spices such as chili, garlic, coriander, caraway and mint. I use the dried spice for this recipe. If you prefer paste, start with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons and adjust to taste. Harissa can be purchased as a paste or ground in spice jars. I hope this helps!
Wow! I just ate 3 bowls of this !!! Sooooo good I added red pepper flakes and forgot to add the tomatoes at the end and recipe was still delicious. I love okra but never new what to make with it . Thank you so much.
Hooray! Thank you for your note, Alma and rating. So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – isn’t okra SO good!?