Black-eyed peas and rice cooks in one pot with ground beef, onion, bell pepper, celery, and canned tomatoes with green chiles. The peas are canned and already cooked; the rice begins dry and absorbs liquid during the covered simmer. This batch of black-eyed peas and rice gives six portions from a pound and a half of beef and two standard cans of peas.
Keep the tomato juices, drain the mushrooms and peas, and start with the measured water. Add a little more only if the grains remain firm in a dry pot.
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Why This Recipe Works
Browning beef with finely chopped vegetables builds the base before the rice begins cooking. Black-eyed peas and rice uses tomato juices alongside water, while the dry onion soup mix and Creole seasoning contribute salt and flavor. A fitted lid retains steam so the grains can soften without a vigorous uncovered boil.
The canned peas need heating rather than a long raw-legume simmer. They can share the pot with the rice because their preparation is already complete. Soaked but uncooked dried peas are not equivalent and would need their own full cooking stage.
Ingredients for Cajun Black-Eyed Peas and Rice with Beef
Use one and a half pounds ground round or lean ground beef, one medium onion, one small bell pepper, and two celery stalks. Chop the vegetables into small pieces so they soften in the available time. Add one teaspoon Creole seasoning; taste before using more because its salt level varies by product.
Black-eyed peas and rice includes one 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained, one 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained, and two defined 15-ounce cans of cooked black-eyed peas, drained. The onion soup mix is one standard 1-ounce envelope for this batch. Use regular long-grain white rice, measured dry, rather than instant or brown rice. The first cup of water is measured; small extra hot-water additions are a texture correction only if needed.
Main Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef (ground round is suitable)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (finely chopped)
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped (Green or red bell pepper can be used.)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped (Adds crunch to the dish.)
- 1 tsp creole seasoning (Adjust to taste for spiciness.)
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained)
- 1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms (drained)
- 1 1-ounce envelope dry onion soup mix (standard envelope specified for this batch)
- 2 15-ounce cans cooked black-eyed peas (drained; uncooked soaked peas are not a substitute)
- 1 cup regular long-grain white rice (measured dry)
- 1 cup water (start with this; add hot water 1/4 cup at a time only if rice is firm and the pot is dry)
How to Make Cajun Black-Eyed Peas and Rice with Beef
Put the beef, onion, pepper, and celery in a roomy heavy pot over medium-high heat. Break the meat into small pieces while the vegetables soften. Cook ground beef to 160°F, then drain excess fat without removing the chopped vegetables. Stir the Creole seasoning through the mixture.
Add the tomatoes with all their juices, drained mushrooms, soup mix, and drained peas. Stir from the bottom so the powders dissolve into the moist base. Add the dry rice and the measured cup of water, then bring the mixture just to a boil.
Cover black-eyed peas and rice with a well-fitting lid and lower the heat until it simmers gently. Leave it covered for the first twenty minutes. Check a few grains from the middle: if they are firm and the pot is dry, add a quarter cup hot water, stir carefully once, replace the lid, and continue five minutes before checking again. Repeat a small addition only if necessary. Most pots take twenty to thirty minutes for this stage; the grains, not the clock, determine completion. Rest off heat five minutes, covered, then loosen and portion.
How to Serve
Divide black-eyed peas and rice between six bowls, bringing ingredients up from the bottom so each portion gets peas and beef as well as rice. The dish already contains its grain component, so bread or an additional rice side is optional. A separate crisp salad can add contrast. Wait until the pot is cooked before adding more seasoning; concentrated soup mix and canned ingredients can already make the finished meal salty.
Storage
Refrigerate black-eyed peas and rice promptly in shallow containers and use within three to four days. Do not leave a large warm pot on the counter while waiting for it to become cold. Reheat portions with a little water, stirring until the center reaches 165°F. Rice absorbs more moisture during storage, so a chilled portion can seem considerably firmer than it did at dinner.
This version is adapted from Diary of a Recipe Collector. Follow FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures.
Tips and Variations
Use a pot with a heavy base and a lid that fits. A thin saucepan over a high burner can scorch the beef and tomatoes before the rice softens. If the grain is tender but the surface remains a little loose, give the dish its covered off-heat rest before trying a long uncovered reduction.
For black-eyed peas and rice, changing to brown rice or a different dry grain requires a separate liquid and timing adjustment. Avoid swapping those in while keeping this short white-rice schedule. Likewise, canned mushrooms are already prepared; a raw-mushroom substitution should be cooked with the initial vegetables instead of being dropped into the final simmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can black-eyed peas and rice use soaked dried peas?
Not directly. The peas in this recipe are canned and fully cooked. Dried peas must be cooked separately first.
Which tomato product goes in black-eyed peas and rice?
A 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, with its juices retained.
Why is my rice still firm?
The heat may be too low, the lid may leak steam, or the pot may need a small extra hot-water addition. Continue covered cooking and check again.
Does brown rice use the same time?
No. This method is written for regular long-grain white rice.
Should I add salt before tasting?
Taste the finished pot first. The soup mix and Creole blend already contain seasoning.
More Recipes to Try
- Cajun Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage
- Black Beans and Rice with Sausage
- Best Texas Style Chili Recipe (No Beans)
- Beef and Bean Enchiladas
Cajun Black-Eyed Peas and Rice with Beef
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef ground round is suitable
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely chopped
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped Green or red bell pepper can be used.
- 2 stalks celery, chopped Adds crunch to the dish.
- 1 tsp creole seasoning Adjust to taste for spiciness.
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
- 1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms drained
- 1 1-ounce envelope dry onion soup mix standard envelope specified for this batch
- 2 15-ounce cans cooked black-eyed peas drained; uncooked soaked peas are not a substitute
- 1 cup regular long-grain white rice measured dry
- 1 cup water start with this; add hot water 1/4 cup at a time only if rice is firm and the pot is dry
Instructions
- Cook ground beef with the finely chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper, crumbling as it browns. Confirm 160°F and remove excess fat.
- Stir in Creole seasoning, the undrained tomato-chile can, drained mushrooms, onion soup mix, and drained cooked black-eyed peas.
- Mix in the dry long-grain white rice and 1 cup water. Bring just to a boil, then seal with a lid and lower to a gentle simmer.
- Cook covered for 20 minutes before checking. Continue up to about 30 minutes or until the rice is tender; if the grains are firm in a dry pot, supplement with a quarter cup of hot water and cook under the lid for another five minutes.
- Stand covered off the burner for 5 minutes. Loosen the mixture and serve six portions after tasting for seasoning.
