Tasty Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage and Kale

Finding a hearty, satisfying dinner that won’t keep you stuck in the kitchen for hours can feel impossible, especially during those busy weeknights when everyone’s hungry and patience is running thin. You want something wholesome and filling, but you also need it to come together without a million steps or fancy ingredients you don’t have.

That’s where this black-eyed pea stew with sausage and kale comes in clutch: it’s comforting and nourishing, cooks mostly hands-off in one pot, and works beautifully with whatever variations you need to make based on what’s already in your pantry.

What Kind of Sausage Should I Use?

This recipe calls for either Andouille or Kielbasa, and both bring great flavor to the stew. Andouille is a spicy Cajun sausage that adds a nice kick, while Kielbasa is a Polish smoked sausage with a milder, garlicky taste. You can find both in most grocery stores near the hot dogs and lunch meats, and they’re usually pre-cooked so you just need to slice and brown them. If you can’t find either one, any smoked sausage will work in a pinch – just pick one that sounds good to you and matches how spicy you want your stew to be.

Options for Substitutions

This stew is pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Andouille or Kielbasa sausage: If you can’t find these smoked sausages, try using chorizo for a spicier kick, or regular smoked sausage from your grocery store. In a pinch, hot dogs or even diced ham will work too.
• Bacon: You can skip the bacon if you want to cut back on fat, but it does add a nice smoky flavor. If you leave it out, consider adding a bit more sausage or a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
• Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Regular diced tomatoes work just fine here. You’ll lose a little of that smoky depth, but the dish will still taste great.
• Dried black-eyed peas: You can use canned black-eyed peas instead – you’ll need about 4 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed. Add them during the last 30 minutes of cooking since they’re already tender.
• Kale: Collard greens, Swiss chard, or spinach all work well here. If using spinach, add it at the very end since it wilts quickly.
• Chicken broth: Vegetable broth works fine, or you can use water with a couple of bouillon cubes if that’s what you have on hand.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake when making this stew is not checking your black-eyed peas for doneness before adding the kale, since older dried peas can take much longer to cook and you don’t want mushy greens sitting in the pot for an extra hour.

Another common error is adding the kale too early – it only needs about 10-15 minutes to wilt and become tender, so toss it in near the end to keep its texture and prevent it from turning army-green and bitter.

Don’t skip browning the sausage and bacon properly at the start, as that caramelization builds the flavor base for your entire stew and makes a huge difference in the final taste.

If your stew seems too thick after the peas are cooked, add more chicken broth a cup at a time rather than water, which will keep the flavor strong and prevent it from tasting watered down.

What to Serve With Black-Eyed Pea Stew?

This hearty stew is practically a complete meal on its own, but I love serving it with a big piece of cornbread or some warm dinner rolls for soaking up all that flavorful broth. If you want to add something fresh to balance out the richness, a simple coleslaw or a crisp cucumber salad works really well on the side. For a more traditional Southern-style meal, you can serve it over a scoop of white rice or with some buttered biscuits. Since the stew already has plenty of greens from the kale, you’re pretty much set, but a squeeze of hot sauce on top never hurts if you like a little extra kick!

Storage Instructions

Store: This stew actually gets better after a day or two in the fridge! Keep it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The flavors really meld together nicely, making it perfect for meal prep. Just give it a good stir before reheating since it might thicken up a bit.

Freeze: You can freeze this stew for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers or bags. I like to portion it out into individual servings so I can grab just what I need. Let it cool completely before freezing, and leave a little room at the top of the container since it’ll expand.

Reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. You might need to add a splash of chicken broth or water if it’s gotten too thick. In the microwave, heat on high in 2-minute intervals, stirring between each one until it’s nice and hot.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2300-2600
• Protein: 110-125 g
• Fat: 110-130 g
• Carbohydrates: 210-240 g

Ingredients

For the stew:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 14 oz smoked andouille or kielbasa sausage, sliced
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 carton (32 oz) college inn chicken broth
• 2 cups dry black-eyed peas, rinsed

For seasoning and greens:

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, roughly chopped

Step 1: Brown the Sausage and Bacon

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 14 oz smoked Andouille or Kielbasa sausage, sliced
• 4 slices bacon, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the sliced smoked Andouille or Kielbasa sausage and chopped bacon.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and the bacon is crispy.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and bacon from the pot and set them aside, leaving the rendered fat in the Dutch oven.

Step 2: Sauté Onion and Garlic

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Add the diced yellow onion to the Dutch oven with the remaining grease.

Sauté the onion over medium heat until it becomes soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Then add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.

Step 3: Simmer the Black-Eyed Peas and Tomatoes

• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 carton (32 oz) College Inn chicken broth
• 2 cups dry black-eyed peas, rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Stir in the fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste.

Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.

Cover the Dutch oven partially and let it cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the black-eyed peas are tender.

I always taste the broth at this stage and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Step 4: Add Back the Sausage, Bacon, and Kale

• sausage and bacon from Step 1
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, roughly chopped

Return the browned sausage and crispy bacon (from Step 1) to the Dutch oven with the black-eyed peas mixture.

Add the roughly chopped kale one handful at a time, stirring it in so it wilts into the soup.

Once all the kale is wilted and the soup is hot throughout, it’s ready to serve.

For extra flavor and freshness, I sometimes finish with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of hot sauce.

Tasty Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage and Kale

Delicious Tasty Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage and Kale recipe with step-by-step instructions.

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Prep Time 28 minutes mins

Cook Time 57 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 2450 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the stew:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 14 oz smoked Andouille or Kielbasa sausage, sliced
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 carton (32 oz) College Inn chicken broth
• 2 cups dry black-eyed peas, rinsed

For seasoning and greens:

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, roughly chopped

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced smoked Andouille or Kielbasa sausage and chopped bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and bacon from the pot and set them aside, leaving the rendered fat in the Dutch oven.
• Add the diced yellow onion to the Dutch oven with the remaining grease. Sauté the onion over medium heat until it becomes soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
• Stir in the fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven partially and let it cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the black-eyed peas are tender. I always taste the broth at this stage and add more salt or pepper if needed.
• Return the browned sausage and crispy bacon (from Step 1) to the Dutch oven with the black-eyed peas mixture. Add the roughly chopped kale one handful at a time, stirring it in so it wilts into the soup. Once all the kale is wilted and the soup is hot throughout, it's ready to serve. For extra flavor and freshness, I sometimes finish with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of hot sauce.