Black-Eyed Peas and Sausage Dumplings (Printable)

Savory black-eyed peas stew with smoked sausage and fluffy cornmeal buttermilk dumplings for a comforting Southern meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Stew

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 12 oz 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 oz 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 sliced sausage and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Add diced onion, minced garlic, celery, carrot, and bell pepper. 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 of dumpling batter (approximately 2 tablespoons each) 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 during steaming.
07 - Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dumplings soak up all that sausage-rich broth while staying impossibly light and fluffy.
  • It's a one-pot meal that looks fancy but comes together without fussing, perfect for weeknight dinners or feeding a crowd.
  • Black-eyed peas bring that earthy, satisfying quality that makes you feel genuinely nourished.
02 -
  • Don't lift the lid while dumplings steam—I learned this the hard way when impatience gave me dense, sunken disappointments.
  • The stew needs those 25 minutes of simmering before dumplings go in, or the flavors taste flat and the broth stays thin.
03 -
  • Toast your cornmeal in a dry skillet for 2 minutes before mixing dumpling batter—it deepens the corn flavor and prevents any raw taste.
  • If your stew is too thick before dumplings go in, add more broth; if it's too thin, let it simmer uncovered a bit longer so it reduces.
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