Black-Eyed Pea Tacos (Printable)

Seasoned mashed black-eyed peas in warm tortillas topped with fresh cilantro, onion, lime, and salsa.

# What you'll need:

→ Black-Eyed Pea Filling

01 - 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - ½ teaspoon chili powder
08 - ½ teaspoon salt
09 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
10 - 2 tablespoons water, as needed

→ Taco Assembly

11 - 8 small corn or flour tortillas
12 - ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
13 - ½ cup white onion, finely diced
14 - 2 limes, cut into wedges
15 - 1 cup salsa, red or green

# Method:

01 - Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add black-eyed peas, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to coat peas thoroughly in spices.
04 - Using potato masher or fork, mash peas in skillet while adding water as needed to achieve chunky, spreadable consistency. Cook for 2-3 minutes until combined, then remove from heat.
05 - Warm tortillas in dry skillet or microwave until soft and pliable.
06 - Spoon seasoned black-eyed pea mixture into each tortilla.
07 - Top each taco with chopped cilantro, diced onion, generous squeeze of lime juice, and salsa. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Black-eyed peas are secretly one of the most underrated proteins, and mashing them this way creates a texture that's creamy without any dairy involved.
  • The whole thing comes together faster than takeout, which means you can have something wholesome on the table while a frozen pizza is still preheating.
  • It's the kind of meal that works equally well for a quick lunch or impressing people who think vegetarian food is boring.
02 -
  • The consistency of your mashed peas makes or breaks this dish—too smooth and they taste boring, too chunky and they won't spread nicely, so the mashing rhythm takes practice but is worth mastering.
  • Don't skip toasting your spices in the hot oil; that two-minute window before adding the peas is when they transform from dried powder into something that smells like actual cooking happening.
03 -
  • Make the filling ahead of time and reheat it gently in a skillet with a splash of water before serving; it actually tastes better the next day when the spices have had time to settle and deepen.
  • If your black-eyed peas are canned from a can that used a lot of salt, rinsing them well under cold water makes a noticeable difference in how balanced the final taste becomes.
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