Cheesy, Creamy Black-Eyed Peas

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 slices bacon, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
• 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 Cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375u0b0F.
2. Set a large saucepan over medium heat on the stove and add vegetable oil. Add bacon and cook until browned. Remove pan from the heat, and transfer bacon to a plate to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
3. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan. Place the pan back on the head and add onions. Fry until softened, about 2 minutes, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add peppers and garlic and fry until both have softened and cooked through, about 3 minutes. You can add a teaspoon of water at a time to help prevent burning and loosen up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the black-eyed peas and stir to combine.
5. Add cream and cream cheese. Stir gently to combine and bring to a simmer. Continue stirring gently to break up and melt the cream cheese. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 15 minutes uncovered until the sauce thickens to a custard consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Remove pan from heat and stir in scallions, cilantro, and bacon. Gently stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour the mixture into a 9x9-inch casserole dish and sprinkle over with the remaining cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until browned and bubbling. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving with rice, crusty bread, or crackers.

vegetable oil, bacon, white, pepper, garlic, blackeyed peas, heavy cream, cream cheese, scallions, fresh cilantro, cheese, salt

Taken from food52.com/recipes/78465-cheesy-creamy-black-eyed-peas (may not work)