Description
This hearty Black Eyed Pea Soup is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender black eyed peas simmered with smoky bacon, fresh vegetables, and warming spices. The addition of kale adds a nutritious boost, making it a perfect meal for cooler days or when you need a satisfying, protein-rich soup.
Ingredients
Scale
Legumes and Meat
- ½ pound dried black eyed peas (soaked)
- 6 slices bacon
Vegetables
- ½ cup onion (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1 cup celery (chopped)
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups kale (chopped)
Liquids and Spices
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: In a large lidded pot over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon slices until crisp. Once cooked, remove the bacon and place it on a plate, setting it aside for later use.
- Prepare the bacon grease: Carefully pour off the excess bacon grease into a container to dispose of after it cools, leaving about one tablespoon of grease in the pot to cook the vegetables.
- Sauté onions and garlic: Add the chopped onion to the reserved bacon grease and sauté for about 2 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add carrots and celery: Stir in the chopped carrots and celery, and sauté the mixture for an additional 1-2 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Add remaining ingredients: Pour the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, soaked black eyed peas, sea salt, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder into the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Simmer the soup: Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 1 hour until the peas are tender and flavors are well developed.
- Finish the soup: Remove the lid, crumble the reserved bacon into the soup, and add the chopped kale. Stir well so the kale softens slightly in the hot soup.
- Season and serve: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, ladling the soup into bowls.
Notes
- Soaking the dried black eyed peas overnight or for at least 6 hours will ensure they cook evenly and reduce cooking time.
- To make the recipe vegetarian, omit the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Leftover soup keeps well refrigerated for up to 4 days and freezes nicely for up to 3 months.
- Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving for a bright, fresh twist.
- Adjust chili powder to taste depending on your preferred spice level.
