Black-Eyed Peas and Sausage Dumplings (Printable)

Hearty Southern stew with black-eyed peas, smoked sausage, and fluffy cornmeal dumplings.

# What You Need:

→ For the Stew

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
03 - 1 medium onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 medium carrot, diced
07 - 1 green bell pepper, chopped
08 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 2 cans (15 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt to taste

→ For the Dumplings

16 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
17 - 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
18 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
19 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
20 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
21 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
22 - 3/4 cup buttermilk

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and bell pepper to the pot. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are softened.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and stir in black-eyed peas, thyme, smoked paprika, black pepper, cayenne if using, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in melted butter and buttermilk until just combined without overmixing.
05 - Remove the bay leaf from the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Drop spoonfuls (approximately 2 tablespoons each) of dumpling batter onto the simmering stew. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Do not lift the lid while dumplings are steaming.
07 - Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dumplings are impossibly fluffy—soft on the inside, just slightly crispy where they touch the broth.
  • It's genuinely filling and comes together faster than you'd think for something this comforting.
  • Black-eyed peas are packed with protein and that earthy flavor that makes smoked sausage sing even louder.
02 -
  • Never lift that lid while dumplings are cooking—I learned this the hard way when curiosity got the better of me and they came out deflated and sad.
  • If your dumplings feel too wet when mixing, add a tablespoon of flour at a time; if too dry, a splash of buttermilk fixes it, but err on the side of slightly wet because they'll firm up as they cook.
03 -
  • Don't rinse your sausage slices in water after they're cooked—let that browned exterior stay intact so you keep all that flavor in the stew.
  • If you're making this ahead, keep the stew and dumplings separate; reheat the stew, then drop fresh dumplings on top rather than reheating cooked dumplings, which can get tough.
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