This cozy, one pot Black Eyed Pea and Cornbread Pot Pie is pure comfort food during the coldest parts of the year. Sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, onions, and black eyed peas simmer until the peas are just tender. Swiss chard is stirred in to wilt, then cornbread batter is scooped over the top. Baked in the oven until the cornbread is golden and this pot pie is ideal for holiday and casual weekend feasting.

Overhead shot of Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread Casserole.
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Black Eyed Pea Pot Pie For Cozy Season

Black eyed peas aren’t just for New Years. That’s my argument every time I whip up a black eyed pea recipe. They’re a year round pantry staple and take no time to cook from dry beans. 

Simple to make, this black eyed peas and cornbread pie is made in one pot with the bulk of the veggies cooked first on the stove top. Then, cornbread batter is spooned on top and baked in the oven. Clean up‘s a snap! 

This Recipe Is

  • One pot easy
  • Perfect for casual weekends or holidays
  • Freezer friendly

If you enjoy homemade black eyed pea recipes, you’ll love this hearty veggie pot pie!

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How to Make Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread Pot Pie

     

5 stars

“New fav cold weather dish! I made this for a crowd on New Year’s Eve and it was amazing. It seemed complicated from the picture, but it was so easy and turned out perfect. Who needs meat? I have been craving this every day since I made it. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s really special.”

Kelly

While there are several steps in the cooking process, it’s made in one pot for quick service and clean up. 

   

About the Key Ingredients

  • Veggie Broth – adds loads of flavor. I like Better Than Bullion Veggie Base. It’s concentrated, more economical than cartons, and the glass is recyclable. 
  • Black Eyed Peas – add bulk, texture and earthy flavor. They’re the star of this dish!
  • Swiss Chard – a sturdy green that holds it’s shape yet is tender. It offers bulk, freshness and color. 
  • Sweet Potatoes – add a bit of sweet, texture and bulk to this rich stew. 

  • Cornmeal – offers texture and a delightful corn flavor to the topping. Look for medium grind cornmeal for best texture. 
  • Butter, or Vegan Butter – dairy free or dairy full butter will work in this recipe. Be sure to use unsalted. 

Share piping hot with a big salad. Don’t forget a few glugs of Tabasco! Jalapeños are a welcome addition as well in this black eyed pea pot pie if you’re into spicy things.

Overhead shot of Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread Casserole.

Traci’s Tips

  • Perfect for holidays (not just New Years)! This black eyed pea cornbread casserole feeds a small crowd and is festive and hearty enough for your holiday table. 
  • The onions need a good solid 30 minutes to caramelize. This is the base of the recipe and offers so much flavor. It’s a process not to be rushed.
  • Make it dairy free! Replace the butter and milk with dairy free butter and milk. Be sure to cut the salt by half if using salted vegan butter. 

Makers Notes

I love reading your adaptations about how you make the recipe work for you! Keep em’ comin! 

  • Jennifer subbed “gluten free flour in place of the AP.”
  • Carrie made this recipe with soy milk, chickpea flour, and kale.
  • Veronika made this recipe in a 3.6 Qt, 12″ in Dutch oven (see video in recipe card). 
  • Mitzi scaled the recipe to fit in a 10″ cast iron skillet.

Black Eyed Pea Sweet Potato Cornbread Pot Pie

4.93 stars (from 13 ratings)
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 35 minutes
Total: 2 hours
Servings: 6 -7 Generous Servings
Southern comfort food at its best, this pot pie is packed with caramelized onions, sweet potatoes, black eyed peas, chard, bell pepper, and herbs, topped with a sweet cornbread crust. Perfect for a cold winter's night or hearty enough for the holidays!
*Note the type of cornmeal and diameter of pot used can make a difference in recipe outcome, but still with delicious results. The pot pie in the pictures are made in an 8" Dutch oven using Bob's Red Mill ingredients, while the video pot pie is made in a 12" Dutch oven with Gold brand flour and PAN cornflour – which results in a stiffer batter (see below).
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Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil, I use olive oil
  • 4 cups (310 grams) Purple Onions, sliced into 1/2 moons (about 3 large onions)
  • 3/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) Red Bell Pepper, seeded and medium dice (about 1 large pepper)
  • 1/4 cup (40 grams) All Purpose Flour
  • 5 cups (1.1 kilogram) Vegetable Broth, reduced sodium
  • 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
  • 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup (85 grams) Dried Black Eyed Peas, rinsed and sorted
  • 2 Springs of Herbs Each: Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, tied together with cooking twine
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • 4 cups (120 grams) Swiss or Rainbow Chard, ribboned, chopped and packed for measure
  • 3 cups (315 grams) Sweet Potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes (about 1 medium or 1 lb)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco
  • 10 grinds of pepper

For the Cornbread Crust:

  • 1 cup (155 grams) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup (115 grams) Yellow Cornmeal, medium grind, I like Bob's Red Mill
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar, or honey
  • 1 cup (250 grams) Milk, plant or dairy
  • 1 Egg, lightly whisked
  • 3 tablespoons Butter, melted and slightly cooled, sub plant butter if dairy free
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Sage, chopped

Instructions 

For the Filling:

  • In a 3 or 4 quart dutch oven (affiliate link) (I typically use 3 qt, 8" wide DO but have a bit of spill over while baking), add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Caramelize the onions on medium low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use this cook time to prep the remaining veggies. 
  • Add the bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes just to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and pepper and stir to coat. Stir in the broth, tomato paste, garlic, dry black eyed peas and herb sprigs. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
  • Fish out the herb sprigs and discard. Add the potatoes and mustard, stir and cook for 15 minutes or until just fork tender. While the potatoes are cooking preheat the oven to 425F and prepare the cornbread crust.
  • Before moving on to the next step, test the black eyed peas to make sure they're tender (not mushy). If they need a bit more time to soften, put the lid back on and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, checking again once the the timer goes off.
  • To the filling, add the chard and Tobasco. Stir in and cook until just wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove filling from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning and/or heat.

For the Cornbread Crust:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar (be sure to cut the salt by half if using salted vegan butter). To the dry ingredients add the milk, whisked egg and melted butter. Stir until all ingredients are just incorporated.

To Assemble and Bake:

  • Use a large #20 cookie scoop (affiliate link) to drop scoop-fulls of cornbread on top of the filling or 3 tablespoons scoops each to drop scoop-fulls of cornbread on top of the filling. Fill in the gaps with smaller scoops as needed until all the cornbread mixture is used up. There will be some gaps on top of the pot pie. This is okay, as those gaps will fill in as the pot pie bakes. Sprinkle top with chopped sage.
  • Set the pot pie on a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan (to catch any spill over) and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until top is set and lightly golden.

Video

Notes

Freezes well in individual portion sized containers. Thaw in fridge overnight, then bake at 350F for about 15 minutes to rewarm.
Adapted from Vegetarian Times.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 860mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 9957IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

Made it? Leave a comment below!

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Traci sprinkling flour over a disk of pastry.

Filed under:

Main Dishes Featured Freezer Friendly Popular Vegetarian Dairy Free Oven Baked Black Eyed Peas Corn Potatoes Sweet Potato Tomatoes Christmas Thanksgiving Fall Winter

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I’m Traci. So glad you're here!

I cook vibrant vegetarian food, bake sourdough and create from scratch baked recipes, sharing them here since 2014. Inspired by the seasons, my southern roots and global flavors, let's cook something delicious together!

4.93 from 13 votes

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45 Comments

  1. vivian says:

    5 stars
    This was a delicious start to our year, and will hopefully confer good luck. I made this out of the selection of black-eye pea recipes on your site because you said it was your favourite. We all really liked it too. Thanks for another delicious, reliable recipe!

    1. Traci says:

      Hi Vivian! Thank you for your note, rating and giving the recipe a go!! Yes, yes… lots of good luck!