This down-home Black Eyed Pea Soup is filled with fresh vegetables and ham all cooked in a flavorful seasoned broth. Serve a big bowl with a side of cornbread any day of the year, and you can eat like a king on a budget.
Black Eyed Pea Soup
It’s traditional in the South to eat black eyed peas and greens on New Years Day. Some say it’s a symbol of health, wealth and prosperity for the coming year. Others say, it’s a budget friendly meal after the indulgences of the holiday season. Either way, it works for me. Whether your pleasure is hoppin’ john cooked in a slow cooker, or topped with a cornbread crust and baked as a casserole, black eyed peas are a Southern favorite that are here to stay.
Time Saving Shortcuts
When time is a factor, these two shortcut ideas may come in handy to make preparation go smoothly.
- If you forget to soak the peas overnight, you can use a quick soak method. Place black eyed peas into a deep pot and cover with water. Place onto the stovetop and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover. Let stand for one hour then drain and proceed with the recipe.
- You may use three or four 15 ounce cans of quality cooked black eyed peas in place of dry, if desired. If they’re seasoned, you may need to adjust the amount of seasonings in the recipe.
Dishes to Serve with Black Eyed Pea Soup
You may also like to try this delicious recipe for Beef and Black Eyed Pea Chili from My Recipes. Regardless of how you enjoy black eyed peas, they make a tasty, budget friendly meal all year long.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Black Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry black eyed peas rinsed and picked over
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled reserve 3 Tbsp drippings
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lb ham cubed
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 cups frozen chopped collard greens thawed
- 1 Tbsp Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- sliced green onion optional
- 2 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
- sliced green onion for garnishing
Instructions
- Cover black eyed peas with water. Sit on counter for 8 hours or overnight. Drain water.
- In the bottom of a 6 quart dutch oven or similar, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels, reserve drippings.
- To the drippings add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.
- To the pot add, black eyed peas, ham, tomatoes, collards, Cajun seasoning, salt, cumin and lemon pepper. Add 6 cups chicken broth. Mix well.
- Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium. Cook for 30 minutes. Check level of broth and add 1 or 2 cups of reserved broth, or to your taste. Continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes over medium or until black eyed peas are tender.
- Mix bacon into the soup or sprinkle on top. Serve garnished with green onion and a slice of cornbread, if desired.
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Gordon and Sherri says
Melissa, giving this a 5 without haviing made it, because I know this will be amazing. We do the Hoppin’ John here on New Year’s Day. Quick fact-If you eat Hoppin John leftovers on the 2nd (if there are any!) it is called “Skippin’ Jenny”
Melissa says
Ah, thanks so much. I’m a bit biased but, this soup is really tasty. Love the name for leftovers, thanks for sharing!