Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad is super easy and full of fresh flavor. The black-eyed peas are coated with a vinaigrette-style dressing that's full of garlic and fresh cilantro. This is a classic Cowboy Caviar but served with salad greens for a crunchy and refreshing twist.

If you are a fan of refreshing side salads, here are a few more I think you'll enjoy. Old Fashioned Pea Salad is a family favorite, and so is Sweet Corn Pasta Salad and Chicken Curry Salad with Grapes which adds the savory flavor of chic

Ingredients to have on hand

• black-eyed peas
• red wine vinegar
• hot sauce
• fresh cilantro
• green pepper
• red onion

Recipe FAQs

Use Olive Oil

Some versions of Cowboy Caviar call for adding vegetable oil. But the olive oil used here will give your salad (or dip for those tortilla chips) a much lighter texture to the dressing and you'll notice the subtle taste of the olive oil too.

Lucky Black-Eyed Peas

I love the history behind the idea that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day offers good luck for the entire year! Southern Living magazine has a great article about the origins of this long-held tradition.

While it's one rooted in the southeast part of the country, according to the article, there is also some evidence that folks ate black-eyed peas for luck as early as 500 A.D.

Serve with Salad Greens or Chips

While salad looms large in the name of this recipe, it's essentially Cowboy Caviar or Texas Caviar tossed with leafy greens.

Pro Tip: Ditch the lettuce greens and serve this with your favorite chips as an appetizer or snack. This recipe is a crowd-pleaser every time.

Hot and Spicy

Call it a salad or Cowboy Caviar, but this recipe has some spicy kick to it.

The good news is you can control the heat factor by using whichever brand of hot sauce your family or guests prefer. I like this one (plus the name is familiar!), plus the canned Rotel tomatoes have some green chilis and also add some heat to the end result.

Cowboy Caviar Resting Time

It's oh-so-tempting to mix this together and dig in right away, but it's important to let the flavors have a chance to "mingle."

A little time in the refrigerator also gives the black-eyed peas time to soak up some of that delicious vinaigrette.

I recommend at least two hours of refrigerator time before serving but overnight is ideal for bringing out the best flavor.

More Veggie-Packed Recipes

This recipe is full of fresh veggies and of course, the black-eyed peas are full of fiber and protein so there are lots of great reasons why this is a good choice for your menu. Here are a few more sides that I think you'll love!

1. Crunchy Cole Slaw
2. English Pea Salad
3. Refrigerator Pickles
4. Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

If you tried Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.

Recipe

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe is super easy, a little spicy and full of fresh flavor. It's delicious any time of year, but black-eyed peas are said to offer good luck when eaten on New Year's Day.

4.99 from 115 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Refrigerate to Combine Flavors: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 as a side dish

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoons hot sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cilantro fresh, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic crushed or pressed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 15.5 ounce cans black-eyed peas drained and rinsed, you'll need roughly 4 cups of black-eyed peas
• ▢ 1 very small red onion about ½ cup of diced onion
• ▢ 1 10 ounce can original Rotel tomatoes, drained or substitute with one large, diced tomato
• ▢ 1 green pepper diced into very small pieces
• ▢ 6 cups lettuce greens optional, if serving as a salad

Instructions

Make Vinaigrette

• In a small bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients: red wine vinegar, olive oil, hot sauce, cilantro, garlic and salt, creating a vinaigrette.

Combine Black-Eyed Peas and Veggies

• Place the drained and rinsed black-eyed peas in a large bowl, add red onion, green pepper and one can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis. As an option, you can substitute the canned tomatoes for one large fresh tomato, diced.
• Add the vinaigrette ingredients from the small bowl to the black-eyed peas and other veggies and mix well.

Refrigerate

• Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
• Serve on top of lettuce greens in a large bowl or with tortilla chips for dipping.

Notes

A reminder, olive oil gives the dressing a much lighter texture than vegetable oil - which is commonly used to make Cowboy Cavier - and you'll notice the subtle taste of the olive oil too. Serve this alongside Easy Baked Orange Tofu for a tasty, meatless meal. 

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 421mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 73IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

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