Black Eyed Pea Casserole is full of hearty beans, wild rice, pork sausage, and Cajun seasonings! A unique dish that will bring you good luck any time you eat it!
Black Eyed Pea Casserole
When you think of Black Eyed Peas, “casserole” usually doesn’t jump to mind – but don’t underestimate just how delicious this casserole is going to be!
My family has been eating Black Eyed Pea Casserole lately and they can’t get enough of it.
Good luck trying to get this quick and easy casserole to last more than a day in your household! This is such a great recipe for an easy weeknight dinner that your family will approve of, packed with flavors from bacon and black-eyed peas to chilis and pork.
This unique and lucky casserole is great along with this crazy delicious Shipwreck Casserole or this easy Ground Beef Casserole.
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Ingredients Needed
- Bacon – Regular or thick cut works best. You can substitute maple or applewood smoked.
- Ground pork sausage – Swap for ground beef or ground turkey.
- Onion – A small white or yellow works best.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced or garlic powder if needed.
- Wild rice mix – Substitute white or brown rice if you can’t find it.
- Cajun seasoning – Substitute Cajun seasoning with taco seasoning, Southwest, or Creole.
- Diced tomatoes – Not a tomato fan? Switch these out for bell peppers instead!
- Green chilies – Other spicy peppers can be a good substitute, including jalapenos.
- Black eyed peas – Frozen works best can sub for canned or dried.
- Chicken broth – Swap out for beef or vegetable broth if you can’t find chicken.
- Spinach – Fresh is best for this recipe, but if you aren’t a spinach fan, try kale instead.
- Cheddar cheese – Substitute with the cheese of your choice.
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How to Make Black Eyed Pea Casserole
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. With a large dutch oven or pot, cook your bacon over medium-high heat until it gets nice and crispy. Place your bacon on a paper towel lined plate off to the side.
- Next place your pork sausage in the pot and cook until it is no longer pink. Take out and place in a large bowl.
- In remaining pork and bacon fat, combine your onions, garlic, wild rice, and spices. Cook 5 minutes to brown the rice and soften the onion.
- Add in your black eyed peas, diced Rotel tomatoes, chopped green chilies, cooked ground meat, and broth. Bring all of these ingredients to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in your spinach. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish, cover and bake your for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the baking dish and layer with the shredded cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until your cheese is melted and the rice is tender. Remove from the oven and coat with crispy bacon.
For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Why do we eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day?
Traditionally, black eyed peas were thought to bring luck to those that eat them, because peas represent prosperity.
This means that eating them on the first of the year will be lucky and bring you prosperity throughout the year!
Serving Suggestions
Whether you make this as a side dish or the main dish, pair it with greens such as broccoli or green beans, or as simple as some hot skillet cornbread.
This is another southern comfort food, so pairing it with any other popular side dishes will create a well-balanced meal.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes, this Black Eyed Pea Casserole is easy to make ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Once you’re ready, set the oven to 350 degrees F and add 15 – 20 minutes to the cooking time listed in the instructions. Make sure to leave the casserole in the oven until it’s heated all the way through.
Tips for the Best Casseroles
- Spray your casserole dish with non-stick spray, such as Pam or olive oil before placing in your casserole.
- Swap out the cooked sausage for ground beef or ground turkey.
- You can make this vegetarian and vegan. This is also gluten free!
- Bacon is great crumbled on the top but you can totally leave it out.
- Use white rice, brown rice, or wild rice. Brown will increase the cooking time. You can also par boil it ahead of time.
- The bell peppers, Rotel, and Cajun seasoning can be subbed for plain diced tomatoes and a simple all purpose seasoning.
- Prep the bacon and sausage ahead of time in a large skillet and store in the refrigerator until ready to make the casserole.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!
Believed to give you good luck, this Black Eyed Pea Casserole Recipe is quick and easy to make for your family, on those nights when you don’t feel like spending a ton of time cooking. This casserole tends to go fast, so feel free to double the recipe.
Black-Eyed Pea Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon diced
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 small onion (approximately 1 cup) diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice mix
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can diced tomatoes 10 ounces
- 4 ounces chopped green chilies
- 30 ounces black eyed peas frozen
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pot or dutch oven or pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Add the sausage to the pot and cook until no longer pink. Remove and set aside.
- To the remaining pork and bacon fat in the pot, add the onions, garlic, wild rice, and spices.
- Cook for roughly 5 minutes to toast the rice and onion starts to soften.
- Stir in the black eyed peas, diced tomatoes, chopped green chilies, cooked sausage, and broth.
Bring to a boil. - Remove from heat and stir in the spinach.
- If the pot you are cooking in isn't oven safe, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with the shredded cheese. Continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rice is tender.
- If the pot you are cooking in IS oven safe, add the top and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the top and cover with cheese. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rice is tender.
- Remove from the oven and top with crispy bacon. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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