
Cook fresh black-eyed peas with fire-roasted tomatoes, summer squash, garlic, and tarragon for Southern stew with a French twist. Use other fresh shelling peas or beans if you like. If you are lucky enough to get your peas still in their pods, see how to shell fresh black-eyed peas and other “shellie” peas here.
This recipe shows how using fresh seasonal ingredients can bring variety and flair to your cooking even on a tight budget. I’d be delighted to get this dish at a fine farm-to-table restaurant, yet the key ingredient costs just three dollars a pound. A pound of unshelled black-eyed peas is enough for two main-dish servings.

Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Passive Time | 45 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 2 medium carrots cut into half moons
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups black-eyed peas shelled, fresh or frozen
- 32 ounces canned, diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Ingredients
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- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When onion is soft, stir in garlic. Add black-eyed peas, tomatoes, tarragon, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, until black-eyed peas are tender.
- Serve hot. Refrigerate any extra for up to five days or freeze for up to a year.
- If you need to shell your peas, do it while the onion mixture cooks. It's fine to cook the onions longer.
- If you don't have fresh black-eyed peas or other legumes, look for frozen fresh ones.
- This recipe will be tasty but different with dried black-eyed peas. Cook the dried peas separately until tender, then add to the tomato mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Otherwise, the tomatoes' acidity may slow the cooking and result in tough beans.