This New Year’s Day black-eyed pea casserole is perfect for welcoming in the new year with some of the traditional good-luck foods! This easy casserole is packed with flavor and will surely be a new favorite you’ll want to enjoy all year long!
Happy holidays, my friends!
Have you shopped till you dropped? Have you seen Santa and all the pretty Christmas lights? Did you plan out your Christmas menus?
We had my in-laws in town this past weekend and had so much fun at my son’s preschool Christmas show, my daughter’s very first basketball game and celebrating my husband’s birthday.
And now I’ve got a long week stretched out in front of me. I’m off all week from my day job as a health and nutrition editor, and I’ve got some fun family time planned. And lots of lazy days and PJ time. So ready for it!
And today I’m getting ahead of myself and bringing you yet another New Year’s Day favorite.
So, I grew up in North Carolina and we believe in getting in your traditional good luck New Year’s Day foods on January 1. That makes it a foodie holiday of sorts to me!
There are certain foods you are supposed to eat to ensure a happy and prosperous year. Pork symbolizes wealth and prosperity, black-eyed peas resemble small coins, and greens, especially collards where I’m from, are like green paper money. (Read more about this tradition.)
And I love those flavors so much that I just keep coming up with new ways to enjoy them!
This New Year’s Day black-eyed pea casserole is loaded with black-eyed peas and collards, as well as brown rice and bacon, for a hearty delicious casserole with tons of flavor!
(And tons of Southern favorites!)
I love making this to serve with ham and cornbread (usually my easy cheesy cornbread muffins) for a meal that ticks all the boxes for good luck New Year’s foods. 🙌
(I’d be great with a side salad or my mixed greens and fruit salad for a lighter, fresh option to have on the table.)
And on a day like New Year’s, I feel like you can serve this type of meal for brunch or dinner. Just add mimosas, a poinsettia cocktail, bloody Mary’s, champagne brunch punch or your favorite cocktail! 🥂
Notes on this New Year’s Day black-eyed pea casserole:
- I use and recommend regular bacon but you could substitute a vegetarian bacon if you want to make this vegetarian-friendly. Alternatively, you could skip the bacon and use olive oil or butter to sauté the onions.
- You can prep this casserole ahead of time if you want and then just bake it when you’re ready to eat. 👍
- You can also make this go faster by working as you are cooking. While the bacon sautés, chop the onion and garlic and gather the ingredients. Then, as the rice is cooking, prepare the collards, drain the black-eyed peas and shred the cheese.
- This fits well into a 9×13 casserole dish but you can also use an 8×12 (like I did for these photos).
Want to add some extra protein?
You can add in two cups of cooked rotisserie or leftover chicken to make this a main dish.
I’ve done this before so I can enjoy it more often as just a regular dinner! You may want to add another splash or two of chicken broth to make sure this doesn’t dry out.
Whatever the time of year, I hope you love this New Year’s Day black-eyed pea casserole for a delicious taste of some of our Southern favorites!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out my other New Year’s Day recipes:
- Southern New Year’s Day dinner skillet
- Black-eyed peas burgers
- Quick Southern collard greens with bacon
This black-eyed pea casserole is perfect for welcoming in the new year with some of the traditional good-luck foods! I use and recommend regular bacon but you could substitute a vegetarian bacon if you want to make this vegetarian-friendly. Alternatively, you could skip the bacon and use olive oil or butter to sauté the onions. You can prep this casserole ahead of time if you want and then just bake it when you’re ready to eat. You can also make this go faster by working as you are cooking. While the bacon sautés, chop the onion and garlic and gather the ingredients. Then, as the rice is cooking, prepare the collards, drain the black-eyed peas and shred the cheese. This fits well into a 9x13 casserole dish but you can also use an 8x12 (like I did for these photos). You can add in 2 cups of cooked rotisserie or leftover chicken to make this a main dish. I’ve done this before so I can enjoy it more often! You may want to add another splash or two of chicken broth to make sure this doesn’t dry out. You can watch how I prep the collards in the video for my quick Southern collard greens with bacon.New Year’s Day black-eyed pea casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 563Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 970mgFiber: 8gSugar: 1gProtein: 26g
Deborah Brooks says
I love casseroles this is a fun one!
Kathryn says
It’s super delicious! I hope you try it!
Becca | Rabbit Food Runner says
I just learned that black-eyed peas are good luck for New Years. How cool!
Kathryn says
Yes! I’ve been eating them on New Year’s Day ever since I was a kid! 😊
Luci's Morsels says
This looks delicious! Love the reasoning behind this casserole, perfect for welcoming in a prosperous new year!
Kathryn says
It absolutely is! Happy holidays Luci!
Deb says
My husband is hard to please, but he loved this dish! Will definitely make this a few times a year!
Kathryn Doherty says
I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed it Deb! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊